How to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in Your Garden.

Compost, the 3

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"Leave the World a Better Place Then When you Found it." Simple, familiar words we can all appreciate.

Gardening is no different. Good gardening practices helps us become the good stewards of the Earth that we are meant to be.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

An open mind.

Step 1

A lawn can be your friend. Really!

Reduce: Start with the lawn. Did you know you can get free fertilizer every time you mow? Leave the grass clippings on the lawn (you'll have better results if you mow often rather than having long grass blades laying around to decompose). Grass clippings are not the cause of thatch, grass clippings break down fast and add Nitrogen to the soil... for FREE.

Reduce your carbon emissions by exchanging your gas powered mower for an electric or reel mower. (Lawn mowers are not inspected or regulated for emissions and they can potentially add more carbon monoxide than your car.)

When you shop for garden products, look for products that contain less packaging. This reduces the amount of garbage we send to our landfills.

Since we're reducing our waste, why not start a compost pile or a worm bin? Compost is the best garden product! It fertilizes; retains moisture; increases drainage; encourages beneficial organisms; and just makes your plants happy.
Step 2

An old drum becomes a flower pot.

Reuse: Donate! Instead of throwing away those old clippers or garden hat, why not make a tax deductible donation to your thrift store? Bigger stuff to get rid of (wheelbarrows, big tools), check with your county about metal recycling or list your items for free on CraigsList. Someone might be able to use or refurbish them.

Maybe building a retaining wall out of that patio you just had broken up into pieces, isn't your cup of tea. Many people would love to take that concrete off your hands for free, you just have to find them (CraigsList again). Or, look in your phone book under recycling. Some companies will take that concrete from you and grind it up to be reused for new roads.

Shop for products made out of recycled products. Trex decking; plastic composite garden benches; tumbled glass; farm yard manures are all reused materials.

Put that compost you've been making to good use. The ultimate garden reuse product, makes you plants happy and it's free.
Step 3

Recycle: Plastic turns into fleece clothing, as well as those composite decking materials.

Old bricks get a second life lining garden beds; becoming pathways; or weights to hold down that weed block.

Paper can cover bare earth and layered with mulch to keep the weeds from growing or shredded and added to your compost pile. (Think of all those credit card offers you've been throwing out, wouldn't you feel more secure knowing that private info has rotted down to a soil amendment and is now fertilizing your garden, rather then risking a chance some thief was able to steal your identity?)

Old windows can make wonderful cold frames or they can be added to the exterior of a blank wall for a country chic decoration.

Egg shells can go straight into the compost pile or crushed and scattered around prize plants to be protected from slugs (slugs can't cross the eggshells without damaging their bodies).

Compost, I just can't say enough about it. If you can't afford the room for a compost pile in your yard, get a yard waste recycle bin from your local dump. Then close the loop, buy the compost that your city run facility has been making with your curb side yard waste.