Innovative News

4 August 2008

Top 5 tips for a green garden

Posted by Cecilia under: Home .

A back yard is fun for the whole family.  When a yard is maintained with green ideas it’s even more pleasure to spend time in it.  We at Innovative News love being in the garden.  We also love to find news about green garden ideas.  Here’s our top 5 tips for a green garden.

Charcoal Grill versus Electric Grill

Warm weather always allure people to spend time in their garden and to grill.  According to the HPBA, May is National Barbecue Month  and the official kickoff to the beginning of the summer grilling season.

Let’s compare the charcoal grill with the electric grill from an eco-friendly point of view so you can enjoy the grilling seasonby being a green griller.

It’s a fact that electric grills emit 99% less carbon monoxide than charcoal grills.  That electric grilling is safer and healthier is another advantage.  If you add to this the possibility to produce electricity by solar energy the choice is even easier.

Edible landscaping - more than a hobby

 

If you belong to the people who desire to have in their garden vegetables and fruits you’ll be interested in creating an edible garden.  This kind of garden where edible plants are planted together with flowers is now being referred to as edible landscaping.  The idea of edible landscaping originally comes from ancient Egypt where flowers were combined with grape arbors and vines.  A scenery to sit outside and to enjoy!

No matter how small your garden is and no matter if you live in warm or cool regions, you can create an edible landscaping with fruit-bearing shrubs, herbs and vegetables quite easily.  By doing it you create an organic harvest for your kitchen and a beautiful view in your yard.

In these times with food getting more and more expensive it can be useful to know a couple of tricks and tips to lay out a garden.  I found some really good ideas to get started with an edible garden by Marion Owen’s free landscaping ideas “Plantea“.

Working in the garden, “keeping your hands dirty” gives a good feeling of being connected to the nature around us.  Having an edible landscape also makes us aware of the preciousness of our daily food.

Good news for all green gardeners!

As a gardener, do you have a small one in the back yard or a big one in a wide open space?  Either way, you might be interested in sustainable gardening and harvesting.  Well, we have a great news for you.  An Australian company called Grow Green was founded in 1986 with the basic principle: healthy plants grow in healthy soil.

Achieving healthy soil in your garden starts with an analysis of the existing soil.  Grow Green provides products that activate and feed soil organisms, a very essential requirement for healthy soil with rich nutritional value. 

After preparing the soil you might be interested in getting plants from Grow Green with their natural defense mechanism against diseases - one of the requirements for organic products.

There are solutions to help you to avoid using chemicals in your garden and to harvest organic products.  It’s not only satisfying being a green gardener, but also great to taste your own organic vegetables!

Planting a tree

Have you ever considered planting a tree in your yard?  There is the proverb that everybody should write a book and plant one tree in his life.

Planting a tree is a good activity when done together with the whole family.  But first, there are a few things you have to consider.

First, you need to choose the right type of tree depending on climate and soil.  Then take into consideration your personal tastes and expectations from a new tree.  Carefully estimate the future size of your tree because once planted and grown it’ll be difficult (and expensive) to relocate it!

Decide where you want to plant your tree by taking into consideration proximity to  buildings, sidewalks and streets.  And finally, make sure to take into account any septic systems.

After all this planning you should plant your young tree in good-quality, well-drained loamy soil.  The best planting times are in the spring and early fall.  Tree-planting.com has a lot of good tips about planting trees.

When you plant a tree, you’re never alone.  There are many efforts worldwide such as Trees Against desertification.

In the end, you and your family can enjoy your tree for years to come.

Eco-friendly garden

Looking at a beautiful yard makes us feel good.  We are even more delighted when we know it’s eco-friendly.  It may sound like you have to start from the beginning, but it’s easy to make steps toward an eco-friendly yard without having to redo everything.  Here’s some suggestions:

You have better things to do in the yard than mow the lawn.  Reduce the time you spend mowing by planting a wild flower meadow.  You’ll reduce your consumption of fuel and pollution and you’ll have envious neighbors.  A wild flower meadow attracts butterflies, birds and other wildlife.

Decide which flowers you want to plant.  Try to avoid exotic plants that need to be transported long distances.  Your local nursery can help you choose plants and flowers that can survive without artificial pesticides or extra watering.

If you’re interested in decorating your garden with some artful items you might be take a look at the Dragonfly Garden Stake.  It looks beautiful and is made of recycled steel.

I’m sure that after you take your first steps toward an eco-friendly garden you’ll realize it’s easier than you imagined!

 

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