A beautifully landscaped yard does more than add aesthetic appeal. Creating a well-manicured environment has also been proven to reduce stress, encourage physical activity (while soaking up bone-building and mood-boosting vitamin D), and purify the air. However, to really reap the benefits of a green space, you should consider adopting eco-friendly practices that are as beneficial to the environment as they are your psyche.
Conserve Water
Lowering your water bill and saving H2O to ensure a sustainable future are two solid reasons to set up an eco-friendly irrigation system. Here’s what to consider.
- Water Your Grounds Early in the Morning
Midday heat makes watering less effective, so it’s best to water your property early in the morning. Additionally, if the shrubs and buds don’t dry before sunset, they are more vulnerable to disease.
- Install a Weather Sensor to Your Irrigation System
This nifty device can help reduce water waste by setting off controllers depending on current weather conditions — especially rain, high winds, and freezing temperatures. It’s a low-cost investment that can help prevent costly damage.
- Experiment with Xeriscaping
While dry, rainless weather can occur anywhere in the United States, those who live in the Southwest (Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico) are more prone to experiencing a drought. Xeriscaping can provide year-round protection — particularly when there’s a water shortage — by replacing water-dependent plants with those that require less hydration (think succulents, yucca, California Tree Poppy, Allegheny Spurge, and sedum groundcover) without compromising aesthetic.
- Collect Rainwater
While it might not get you through a drought, collecting rainwater by attaching a barrel to your gutters can save gallons, so it’s still a good practice to conserve water.
- Use Mulch
By regularly mulching your garden, you are proactively trapping moisture. Bark and wood chips are effective for fruit trees, while pure grass clippings (sans pesticides) can help vegetable gardens thrive.
Take Care of Pests the Natural Way
Bugs can ruin all of the hard work you put into your landscaping, but instead of using chemical-based pesticides that can harm your family and pets, take the natural, eco-friendly approach instead. For example, don’t destroy the helpful critters. Ladybugs and lacewings feed off of pests such as the blackfly that destroy crops, so welcome the good bugs into your yard by planting vibrant buds such as sunflowers, marigolds, and candytuft, as that’s where they’re apt to lay their eggs. Birds can help by eating crawling, plant-destroying pests such as caterpillars, grubs, snails, and slugs, so install bird feeders around your yard to encourage visitors. Another good way to get rid of slugs and snails is to place a band of copper or a layer of petroleum jelly around the rim of containers that house shrubs and buds. Scattering crushed eggshells around vegetation can also be effective.
Try Companion Planting
Instituting the buddy system can be an effective way to make your plants (especially vegetables) flourish without little effort on your part. For example, cucumbers do well near beans, peas, and radishes, but not potatoes. Cabbage and broccoli thrive when surrounded by celery, beets, spinach, onions, and chard — but beans will not get along with onions. However, other vegetables are a great choice. Like a salad, tomatoes gel well with cucumbers, carrots, and onions.
Once you transition your yard into an eco-friendly space, you may find it’s easier than ever to maintain. Make sure you ask your local gardening store about the best types of shrubs, flowers, herbs, and vegetables based on the environment (from climate to soil to the amount of sun and rain) you’re living in. Before getting started, conduct an inventory to ensure you have the proper tools to include a trench shovel for digging channels, a round-mouth shovel for digging and lifting, a wheelbarrow for transporting materials, a tamper to compact dirt, and a good pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands.
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