How gardeners can help reduce climate change

Those of us that spend a lot of time in our gardens have already started to see the impact of climate change. Die-hard gardeners here in the San Francisco Bay Area have noticed that we are getting plants growing at odd times of the year and plants that generally used to be safe to grow are not always safe anymore.

In a quest to understand our changing environment, we gardeners have many challenges ahead of us. Although by nature most gardeners like to experiment anyway, we are now faced with having to rethink some of our gardening strategies in response to climate change. For those of us that are really serious about reducing our carbon footprint in our gardens, there are a few things that we can do to help the environment and still have a fruitful and bountiful crop of the things we love.

 

Here are few things we can do to go “even greener” while we are out gardening this spring:

• Instead of using a gas sucking lawnmower, consider buying one of those old fashioned push reel lawn mowers. Yes I know you are thinking that’s crazy but did you know that gas powered lawn mowers spew as much pollution in one hour as a new car does in 40 hours? (and just think of the added benefit of the exercise from using a push lawn mower)

   

• Consider making your own compost instead of bagging up leaves into those big hefty plastic bags. Compost is easy to do and saves our landfills from those unnecessary plastic bags. Compost can also reduce the need for water in your garden, again saving a precious natural commodity.

  
  

• Grow your own food. It’s cheaper (and who doesn’t like that?) It’s fresher and doesn’t require gas to go to the market to buy. And there is nothing quite like harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables right out of your backyard!

  
  

• Put up a new ornament in your backyard - an old fashioned clothes line! Although some yards are smaller in the newer houses nowadays, there is still usually room to tuck a clothes line in there somewhere. Your clothes will have that fresh breezy scent and you will save energy by not having to use your dryer

  
  

• Consider “plant-swapping” with your gardening buddies, neighbors or even at an official plant swap. One mans trash is another mans treasure. Maybe you have too many of those irises growing or are eyeing your neighbors beautiful tomatoes. Recycling and swapping plants is great on your pocketbook and great for the environment.

  
  

Happy gardening to all of you this spring and don’t forget that every positive change you make in your garden makes a positive impact on the environment. Climate Change may be wreaking havoc in our gardens but we gardeners can fight back!

For more information about plant swapping:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Go-Green-By-Plant-Swapping