In Your Yard

earthcare connections

| in your yard |

Our yards are personal parks over which we have complete control. But making them into “pockets of paradise” need not mean using pesticides to control the weeds and insects that want to share your space. There are many alternatives that can be experimented with. If it is necessary to use pesticides, be sure to follow label directions and use them in a safe and responsible manner.

| watering lawns and gardens |
In spite of what many people think, Canada does not have an endless supply of water. However, we are among the world’s highest users of this most essential resource. During the summer, daily residential water use can increase by as much as 50 percent, primarily because of lawn and garden watering, as well as car washing.

• Water your lawn and garden only when absolutely necessary and avoid over-watering. During dry spells, water lawns deeply (2-3 cm of water) every five days, rather than for a short period every day.

• Water in the coolest part of the day (before 10 a.m.) and on non-windy days to reduce water loss to evaporation.

• Collect rain water in a barrel or other large container, and use the water in your garden.

• Your lawn and garden soil cannot store water for long, so never over-water to cover times you will be away.

• Avoid over-cutting grass; keep it around five to eight centimetres (two to three inches) high. Tall grass holds water better.

• Freshly transplanted and young garden plants need small amounts of water applied frequently until they are established. Drip watering tubes are ideal.

• Use layers of grass clippings or wood chips around plants, shrubs and trees to hold and retain water. Mulches help reduce weed growth, retain moisture and maintain a cooler soil temperature.

• Select and plant new shrubs, trees, plants and groundcover that are native to your area. They generally require little more water than nature provides

• Sweep dirt and grass clippings off sidewalks and driveways rather than hosing with copious amounts of water.

| garden and lawn pesticides |
It makes good sense to avoid using pesticides in our yards whenever possible. Since the 1950s, the number of insects and mites known to be resistant to insecticides has grown from fewer than 10 to about 450. When pesticides are used, they must be applied safely and responsibly, according to the label instructions. Alternatives:

• Insects such as spider mites, aphids and mealybugs can be removed from your plants, bushes and trees by hosing them off with a strong burst of water.

• Wearing garden gloves, pick small insects such as lilac leaf miners, leaf rollers, Colorado potato beetles, and spruce budworms off your plants by hand. This is best done early in the morning.

• Dig out weeds by hand.

• Keep cutworms away from your tomatoes, peas, cabbages, and beans by removing both ends from cans and sinking them around the bedding plants, or by placing aluminum foil around the base of the plants.

• Scatter onions throughout your garden instead of planting them in rows, so that root maggots cannot easily travel from plant to plant.

• Hoe your garden regularly to control weeds and keep plants healthier.

• Rotate the species of vegetables and flowers in your garden from year to year, or at least rotate the same species between locations, to discourage soil diseases and insects from setting in. Slugs don’t like ginger, and for ants, purée orange peels with water and sprinkle around the ant hill.

• Plant marigolds, chrysanthemums, chives, onions, garlic, basil, savory, horseradish, mint, thyme and the like among and near your garden plants because their natural odours and root secretions repel some insects.

• Put bird feeders and bird houses in your yard; birds are a natural form of insect control.

| composting |
A compost pile reduces the amount of garbage you put out for collection by about one-third, and provides an excellent source of fertilizer. Information on composting is available from many municipalities, at most community libraries and from agricultural
organizations.

• Buy a pre-made compost bin, or make your own. If you do not want your own compost pile, perhaps a neighbour with one would appreciate your contributions.

• All kinds of kitchen waste can be added to the compost bin, including vegetable tops and salad extras, coffee grounds, tea leaves, egg shells and fruit peelings. Avoid meat scraps, bones or milk products or you will attract animals. Yard waste can include small branches, grass cuttings, straw, and soil.

| miscellaneous |
• Help slow down the greenhouse effect and reduce carbon dioxide air pollution by planting and looking after as many trees as possible in your yard. Trees absorb carbon dioxide.

• Use pressure-treated lumber for building backyard decks, borders and fences.

• Don’t use preserved wood or old railway ties near a vegetable garden. Rain can wash chemicals out of the wood and into the soil.

• Leave grass clippings on the lawn or compost them—don’t put them in the garbage.

• Re-seed bare patches in your lawn as soon as possible to avoid soil erosion.

• Try a push mower instead of a power mower. You’ll save gas or electricity, reduce air and noise pollution, and get more exercise to boot!