1. Go Natural
The local hardware store stocks products to help you fend of every potential threat to your garden. Bugs? Check. Weeds? Check. While tossing these items in your cart may seem convenient, it sure isn’t cheap. Not only that, but the chemicals you’re spraying aren’t any better for you than they are for the ground you’re covering with them. Avoid pesticides, chemical fertilizers, weed killers and poisons and use all natural composts instead. Making composts from your table scraps is probably easier than you imagine. Kitchen waste is often referred to as “gardener’s gold,” and for good reason. Not only does compost material enrich soil, it stimulates root development and improves the texture of the soil and water retention. Chemicals are expensive, and the stuff you find in your kitchen trash can is better for your garden than anything you can find at the store.
2. Preserve water
Drive down any street in America this summer and you’ll see homeowners moving hoses and sprinklers around, strategically placing and timing them for the greenest grass and the fullest flowerbeds. Not only are they paying for the water they use, it is often full of minerals and chlorine. You’ll notice quite a difference in your water bill if you use a rain barrel to catch the stuff falling from the sky. In addition to watering your garden or lawn, harvested rain water can be used to wash windows or cars. Experts recommend covering your rain barrel with a screen to keep insects and other debris out of your rainwater harvest.
If you can’t imagine life without your garden hose, consider using a soaker hose, which uses only half of the water that sprinklers do. Watering in the morning preserves water because evaporation and winds aren’t as big an issue as they are later in the day. If you must use the hose, water thirsty roots directly.
3. Mind your “R”s
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenScapes program emphasizes the four “R”s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rebuy. Reduce the waste you are creating. Reuse kitchen scraps and rainwater. Recycling involves being a good steward of your resources, and rebuying involves looking for products that are good for the environment. Consider lining your sidewalk with solar lighting rather than electric-powered fixtures. Purchase environmentally friendly planters and even recycled lawn furniture.
Puritan Financial Companies is a diversified financial services firm specializing in helping people from their peak earning years through retirement to secure their financial future. Visit Puritan Life Insurance at www.puritanlife.com. The information contained in this blog post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, tax, or investment advice.
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