Pesticides

I am issuing an alert to all gardeners. Try to avoid all pesticides. Grow pest resistant varieties of vegetables, fruits and ornamentals. If you have pests, try a non-chemical solution to the problem. There are two. One, keep an eye on your garden. If you see unwanted insects, pull them off by hand (wearing gloves, of course) and kill them. Or, put a high power nozzle on a hose a wash them off, then squash them. Also, realize that one or two bugs are not a problem; you just don't want an infestation.

Why the concern? Simple. Bees. As any gardener knows, bees are your friends. They are pollinators and darn near every plant you grow, needs pollination. An announcement was made the other day. We now have an endangered species of bees. This is a trend that has been going on for years. More and more bees are dying off, probably due to a combination of pesticides,, disease and loss of habitat.

I am not by nature an alarmist, but this is serious. Without bees, many crops will be difficult, if not impossible, to  grow. Food prices will skyrocket and famine will result, and not just in all those third world countries that you see on the news.

We must change our cultivation habits.

Do You Really Need A Grass Lawn

Americans love their lawns, I guess. I am not really sure they give it much thought. It is more of a custom, a habit. We mow and weed and water and feed and generally spend a lot of time, and money, on our massive green carpets, but, ask yourself this. Why?

Now if you play a lot of croquet or badminton, yes, you need a lawn. If you chip golf balls or play touch football, okay, you need at least a small lawn. Otherwise, no.

Well, you say, I can't leave bare dirt. Correct, but, there are alternatives. The simplest and cheapest is to cover your grounds with gravel or mulch but, that is boring. But there are alternatives that are beautiful and easy to maintain.

Patios are great. You can entertain or just hang out yourself, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. You can plant gardens, vegetable and flower. Trees break up the flat landscape, just make sure you allow for full growth - don't plant an oak 3 feet from your bedroom window. Vary the styles and shapes of your plants and mix in color. If you spend time out at night, perhaps you have a pool, consider surrounding it with a white garden, composed of plants with white flowers; when your night lights come on, the effect is very nice.

If you don't have or want a pool, consider other water features, a small pond or simple fountain is a nice effect, as are bird feeders. Got a dog? Build, or but, him/her a nice house; They love having a shady spot of their own to hang out in.

Use stone, gravel or mulch to lay out walking paths. Now, you are still going to have some space left. Fill that with ground covers such as juniper, loriope, or mondo grass; You rarely have to feed these, once established they need little water and there is no mowing; if they get too high, top them with a weed whacker. Ivy works great, but you will have to stay on top of that or it will soon cover you house.

Better still, check with a local nursery for hints on xeriscaping. This involves using plants that like your local climate. They will need far less care. Remember, water is going to become a serious problem. It already is in many parts of the World. Do you really think you should be pouring vast quantities on grass when there are other more interesting choices?

Think about getting rid of all that grass. You will save yourself a lot of time, labor and money. When your neighbors are out on a hot August afternoon, you can be sitting with a cold drink, watching a ball game.