Green Living

Chemical-free ways to win the war on weeds

I’m waiting for the kettle to whistle. After I steep my tea, the remainder of the boiling water will go on the dandelions in my herb beds. I’ll pour it on their roots and watch as they shrivel up like the Wicked Witch of the West.

Not that I have anything against dandelions. They have free rein-along with the clover, violets, and wild strawberries-on my lawn. (I think they’re pretty, plus, the rabbits love them and stay away from the vegetables.) And they’re a nutritious green to cook in the spring while still tender.

But I want my food-producing areas to grow without competition. So, death to the dandelions.

Many of my neighbors use conventional herbicide sprays and treatments. But the synthetics in these chemicals-many petroleum-based-can kill beneficial organisms in the soil, including the garden’s best friend: worms. They release pollutants into air and water sources-and our bodies. Many require or lead to the use of more water. So even if they turn the lawn into an emerald-velvet carpet, I see nothing green about their results.

A couple of great resources are www.beyondpesticides.org and www.greengardenista.com. They offer other tips for terminating weeds, from drowning them in vinegar to smothering them with plastic.

Rain barrels give the garden hose a rest and cut down on summer water bills

As spring creeps closer, I’m spending more time outside in the garden. I’ve put in the radishes and carrots, beets and Swiss chard, and spinach and lettuce. Soon, it’ll be time to get in the annual herbs, and before you know it, I’ll be planting tomato, pepper, and cucumber seedlings.

But this week, I’m moving my rain barrels outside and into position — at the ends of my gutter downspouts. That way, I’ll capture all that spring rainwater that falls in April and May, and — as I have the past three years — dramatically reduce my water consumption and water bill.

My rain barrels are recycled pickle containers retrofitted to collect and dispense water. But now I’m finding that almost all garden shops sell them. You can even find them on WalMart, Target, and Home Depot Web sites.

I’ve been advised, however, to use the captured rainwater only on flowers, lawn, and nonedible growth: The water may contain chemicals from the asphalt roof and other pollutants that you don’t want to eat along with your salad caprese at the end of summer.

Reuse newspaper in the garden

An unseasonable warm spell in March coaxed me into the backyard. The new patch I dug up and filled with compost last fall awaits its first seeds — lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots. As I dug down to measure the depth of the bed, I hit the thick layer of newspaper I put down before winter. I could still make out an article about the Palin-Biden debate.

When it comes to the daily paper, I subscribe to the three Rs — with the emphasis on reduce and reuse before recycle. Reducing by canceling paper delivery some years ago. Reusing in oh, so many ways (I confess to pilfering my supply of daily newsprint from nearby recycling bins.)

Newspapers are a gardener’s greatest green weed suppressor. A thick stack of wet newspapers laid down in a new bed deters weed growth so your plants have a chance to stake their place in the soil. The paper is biodegradable and, according to most garden resources, the soy-based inks — both black and color — contain no toxic chemicals that could harm the soil or plants.

Garden pros do advise you to verify that your daily paper uses soy-based ink rather than a petroleum-based solution. And avoid the glossy color circulars and inserts, which are printed on a different paper stock and may use less Earth-friendly inks.

The no-sweat way to turn kitchen waste into black gold

My friend Bill is a composter extraordinaire. He has no less than four steaming heaps of decomposing kitchen scraps working at any given time, generating enough fertile output to produce a cornucopia of vegetables throughout the growing season.

Me, I’d always been totally intimidated by the thought of overseeing something that had to “cook.” I mean, Bill’s a chemist: He understands the complex alchemy for building a pile of waste that can heat itself up to 140 degrees or more. (more…)