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Community Gardens
Community Gardens
Walnut Creek, California
Dr. Robert Stebbins spent his career as a Professor of Zoology at…
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we forget about the natural workings of things, and for the sake of appearances, we flood our yards with herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and water, all of which have negative consequences. Natural gardening techniques will not only give you more free time, they will give you new pleasures as well.
Compost
Compost is the richest fertilizer you can use, and as a bonus, you can make it yourself. Compost consists of decaying organic material.
To make your own:
1. Start with a layer of dry “brown” materials, like leaves.
2. Add a layer of moist “green” materials, such as grass cuttings, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells.
3. Keep adding alternating layers of “green” and “brown” materials to your pile.
4. Sprinkle the pile with water once a week to keep mixture moist.
5. Aerate the pile every week or so by turning it with a shovel or pitch fork.
6. In two or three months, when the compost is dark and crumbly, it is ready to use in the garden.
Note: Do not use cooked foods, weeds, or cuttings with thorns in your compost pile.
Mowing
Yearly, lawnmowers use an estimated 800 million gallons of gas that produces tons of air pollutants. Mower engines, which have had unregulated emissions until very recently, emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing up to 5% of the nation's air pollution. A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as 40 late model cars, or roughly the
same as driving a car for 100 miles.
Using a push mower instead of a power mower helps to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by 80lbs a year.
Mulch
Adding a 2 inch thick layer of mulch around trees, shrubs, and flower beds will help to keep the soil underneath moist and cool through
the hot summer days. Mulch also slows weeds and erosion.
Pest Control
Ants don’t like mint or coffee grounds. Plant some mint near problem areas, or sprinkle coffee grounds near the foundation of your house
to discourage them from entering. You can get coffee grounds by the bag full from your local specialty coffee shop.
Ladybugs and their 4000 species of cousins love to eat garden pests.
In fact, they control garden pests so thoroughly that their effectiveness beats the annual $30 billion dollars worth of applied commercial pesticides by 4 to 1. And unlike pesticides, ladybugs do no damage to the ecosystem.
Marigolds are one of Mother Nature’s best bug repellents. Plant them inner mixed with your vegetables to discourage hungry pests.
Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime,
and shade provided by trees will reduce your air conditioning bill in
the summer and shelter and insulate your home in the winter.
Power Equipment
Avoid using leaf blowers and other types of equipment that use a
lot of energy and natural resources, and cause air and noise pollution. Use a rake, push mower, broom, and human-power instead.
Soil
Amend soil with organic matter such as compost to help it absorb and hold water, and enhance plant nutrition.
Water Tips
Efficient water use means keeping the water where you want it:
Water plants early in the day, especially in warmer weather, to reduce evaporation loss.
Water deeply and thoroughly to encourage your plants and trees to send roots deeper giving them a greater tolerance to drought.
Be sure sprinkler heads are aimed properly and that there are no
leaks in the irrigation system.
Drip irrigation systems can save up to 60% of all water used in your garden, and are efficient ways to ensure each individual plant gets watered without any waste.
For areas where plants are tightly spaced, use a hand held nozzle instead of setting a sprinkler and walking away. This way you won’t forget about the water, and the water will be directed exactly where
you want it.
Weed frequently to keep the weeds from stealing water from your garden plants.
Landscape with native plants; native species require less water.
Consider the use of rock, mulch, paths, and patios as alternatives to lawn.
Weeds
Vinegar will kill weeds between the cracks in paving stones and sidewalks. So will boiling water from the teapot; both methods are inexpensive and safe.
Landscape Services
These landscape Services are recognized by the Eco-Logical
Business Program for their the high standards in minimizing their environmental impact:
Full Service Firms
Winterbloom, Inc.
14780 SW 98th Avenue
Tigard, OR 97224
503.598.0219
Design Firms
River City Gardens
3605 SW Canby Street
Portland, OR 97219
503.293.6114
Donna Giguere Landscape Design
3651 SE Bybee Boulevard
Portland, OR 97202
503.777.1177
Circadian Consulting & Design, Inc.
18376 S Upper Highland Road
Beavercreek, OR 97004
503.632.1191
p.o. box 1771 | hillsboro oregon 97123
503.681.2527