How to Create an Eco Garden
Make a compost heap., Add nutrients to the soil with natural remedies rather than chemical fertilizers., Conserve water for earth-friendly gardening., Choose native plants and flowers., Try earth-friendly gardening methods to control plant...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make a compost heap.
Compost is food waste and other organic material that has decomposed.
It adds nutrients to the soil and keeps organic waste from going to a landfill.
Material that can be composed includes shredded paper, fruit and vegetable parings, lawn clippings, dead leaves, coffee grounds, egg shells, and leftovers of meals.
Don't add meat or dairy items to a compost heap.
Gather enough material for the compost heap to generate its own heat as the material decomposes.
Keep the heap moist by adding water and aerate it by turning it over with a pitchfork.
You can also buy a tumbling compost bin. -
Step 2: Add nutrients to the soil with natural remedies rather than chemical fertilizers.
Consider using products like bone meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, and cottonseed meal along with your compost to amend the soil. , Water your garden with a drip line or soaker hose.
These devices water very efficiently because they target the roots of plants.
Set out barrels or other containers to gather rainwater from your downspouts.
Use the captured rainwater on your garden or lawn.
You can also install drain pipes to take water from your home's downspouts into your garden.
Eliminate your lawn or shrink the size of it.
Lawns require a great deal of water to stay healthy.
Make a rock garden.
A garden of rocks and stones adds beauty and conserves water.
Rock gardens are easier to care for than grassy lawns. , Native species will thrive because they are naturally adapted to your climate and specific growing conditions.
They require less water, fertilizer, and labor, and they benefit local wildlife by providing habitat and food. , Potassium bicarbonate, milk, baking soda and cooking oil are safer for the environment than synthetic products. , Use a push mower rather or an electric mower rather than one powered by gas.
Use gardening equipment powered by electricity rather than gas.
There are electric versions of garden tillers, weed eaters, and leaf blowers, among others. , Trees create wildlife habitat, provide shade, and improve air quality. , Most synthetic insecticides kill insects indiscriminately.
This means they kill the insects you're trying to eradicate, but they also kill beneficial insects like bees.
Select pesticides that target the particular insect you're wanting to kill, such as fire ants or grubs.
Choose pesticides that degrade rapidly with the elements and weather.
Use natural products to control bugs.
For example, use the milky spore bacteria to control Japanese beetles.
Attract bats by installing a bat house in your eco garden.
Bats eat a large amount of mosquitoes and other pests. , Use acetic acid at a concentration of 20 percent to kill weeds.
Acetic acid will also kill plants, so administer it with care.
Try corn gluten as a natural option for controlling pre-emergent weeds.
Use clove oil to burn weeds. -
Step 3: Conserve water for earth-friendly gardening.
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Step 4: Choose native plants and flowers.
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Step 5: Try earth-friendly gardening methods to control plant diseases.
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Step 6: Choose environmentally friendly gardening tools and equipment.
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Step 7: Plant trees in your eco garden.
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Step 8: Choose pesticides carefully.
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Step 9: Kill weeds with natural herbicides.
Detailed Guide
Compost is food waste and other organic material that has decomposed.
It adds nutrients to the soil and keeps organic waste from going to a landfill.
Material that can be composed includes shredded paper, fruit and vegetable parings, lawn clippings, dead leaves, coffee grounds, egg shells, and leftovers of meals.
Don't add meat or dairy items to a compost heap.
Gather enough material for the compost heap to generate its own heat as the material decomposes.
Keep the heap moist by adding water and aerate it by turning it over with a pitchfork.
You can also buy a tumbling compost bin.
Consider using products like bone meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, and cottonseed meal along with your compost to amend the soil. , Water your garden with a drip line or soaker hose.
These devices water very efficiently because they target the roots of plants.
Set out barrels or other containers to gather rainwater from your downspouts.
Use the captured rainwater on your garden or lawn.
You can also install drain pipes to take water from your home's downspouts into your garden.
Eliminate your lawn or shrink the size of it.
Lawns require a great deal of water to stay healthy.
Make a rock garden.
A garden of rocks and stones adds beauty and conserves water.
Rock gardens are easier to care for than grassy lawns. , Native species will thrive because they are naturally adapted to your climate and specific growing conditions.
They require less water, fertilizer, and labor, and they benefit local wildlife by providing habitat and food. , Potassium bicarbonate, milk, baking soda and cooking oil are safer for the environment than synthetic products. , Use a push mower rather or an electric mower rather than one powered by gas.
Use gardening equipment powered by electricity rather than gas.
There are electric versions of garden tillers, weed eaters, and leaf blowers, among others. , Trees create wildlife habitat, provide shade, and improve air quality. , Most synthetic insecticides kill insects indiscriminately.
This means they kill the insects you're trying to eradicate, but they also kill beneficial insects like bees.
Select pesticides that target the particular insect you're wanting to kill, such as fire ants or grubs.
Choose pesticides that degrade rapidly with the elements and weather.
Use natural products to control bugs.
For example, use the milky spore bacteria to control Japanese beetles.
Attract bats by installing a bat house in your eco garden.
Bats eat a large amount of mosquitoes and other pests. , Use acetic acid at a concentration of 20 percent to kill weeds.
Acetic acid will also kill plants, so administer it with care.
Try corn gluten as a natural option for controlling pre-emergent weeds.
Use clove oil to burn weeds.
About the Author
Nancy Reynolds
Enthusiastic about teaching lifestyle techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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