Here’s a guest post from my friend Karen Weeks. Enjoy!

Though green lawns have their place in suburban neighborhoods, thirsty grass isn’t the only way to achieve a gorgeous landscape. With a bit of effort, you can convert your yard into a beautiful and eco-friendly oasis. From saving water to taking steps to support local wildlife, here’s how to do it.

Mix Things Up

What’s so great about growing garden veggies in your flower beds or planting native grasses in bare patches? In short, mixing things up is a great way to encourage local ecosystems.

• Pair veggies with flowers to increase your yield and maintain plant health.
• Garden in containers to protect plants and control soil quality.
• Grow a flowering lawn for less maintenance and more beauty.
• Select drought-resistant groundcover in place of grass.

Be Conscious About Water Use

Using your hose less isn’t the only way to conserve water. Other methods can help you reduce your consumption while keeping your garden green.

• Water your greenery slowly and evenly.
• You can build a misting system to provide moisture where needed.
• Many gardeners prefer to have a misting system installed, which runs $600 or more.
• Learn how to tell when container plants need water.

Landscape for Longevity

Installing sod or temperamental plants may not be the best way to protect natural resources. Consider these landscaping techniques for longevity and conservation.

• DIY organic compost to nurture your lawn and plants.
• Choose extremely hardy plants that suit your location.
• Consider mulching to help preserve moisture and protect plants.
• Use techniques that conserve water in the garden.

While a sprawling green lawn is the average homeowner’s idea of a beautiful yard, grass isn’t always the best option. Whether you decide to replace the grass with other plants or take drastic measures to reduce water consumption, becoming more eco-friendly doesn’t have to be difficult. By implementing a few or all of these measures, you can help the environment while still enjoying a pleasant landscape.

Photo via Rawpixel

Karen Weeks created Elder Wellness as a resource for seniors who wish to keep their minds, bodies, and spirits well.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

This classic dressing works on most salads and pleases even the pickiest palettes.

You’ll need:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup EVOO
• 1 Tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1/2 Tsp pepper
• 2 Tsp Dijon mustard

This salad dressing is really easy to make, since you just place all of the ingredients into a jar and shake it (lidded, of course, you don’t want to make a mess) or stir it with a spoon. Once everything is mixed really well together, place the covered jar of dressing in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. This recipe makes about one cup of dressing, which is around 6 to 8 normal sized servings.

Italian Dressing

Idea – if you make a larger amount of this tasty dressing, you can even use it as a marinade.

You’ll need:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2/3 cup EVOO
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 2 Tbsp onion powder
• 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp basil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 Tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1/2 Tsp pepper

Pour all of the ingredients into a glass jar. Put the lid on tightly, then shake the jar until everything is mixed together. (You can also do this with a spoon, just leave the lid off.) Place the jar – fully lidded – into the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving. This makes about 1 cup of dressing, which is good for between 6 to 8 average sized servings.

Ginger and Sesame Dressing

For a taste of something a little different, try out this dressing that uses ginger and sesame. You might also find yourself using it as a glaze for your chicken.

• 1/3 cup EVOO
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 Tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tsp ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce

Like the other dressings, this one is shaken or stirred up until everything is properly mixed together. It makes around one cup of dressing, which divides into 6 or 8 standard servings. It also goes into the refrigerator for a few hours before it’s used.

Pic by Saaleha Bamjee

Gardening Tools

This one is fairly obvious because most gardeners can use more tools! Look for matching sets of trowels and shovels, useful hand tool organizers, and even pairs of high quality gardening gloves. Of course, if you are exceptionally close to the gardener in your life and want to spend some money on them, consider things like tillers or harvesting equipment. Other pricier options consist of wall storage for large garden tools, entire sheds, and even lighting systems to help grow seeds prior to outdoor planting season. Like most things, the price range for gardening equipment varies quite a bit, so you can spend as little or as lot, depending on what your budget allows.

Gardening Books

A quick search of Amazon pulls up a number of useful gardening books, including some on growing plants, starting compost piles, and canning everything that you’ve grown. Some suggestions include Edward C. Smith’s The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, Mel Bartholomew’s All New Square Foot Gardening II, and Jennifer and Ron Kujawski’s The Week by Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook: Make the Most of Your Growing Season. However, there are many more to choose from, including gardening books for kids, for the young gardeners in your life. Thinking beyond this, you might want to consider purchasing a nice unlined notebook, a ruler, and some quality writing instruments for your gardener. They can be used to map out planting locations, take note of when things go into the ground, and even sketch out potential layouts. Or take notes on what they find in the books.

Whimsical Gardening Items

This category is pretty much a catch-all for everything from cute signs that have gardening slogans on them to decorative things that can be hung or placed in a garden. Cute stepping stones with sayings on them, metal ornaments attached to metal rods, and ceramic faces that attach to trees and peek over the edge of the trunks all fit in here. They can make a garden look cute and comfortable. Remember: just because a garden has whimsical details does not mean that it isn’t capable of producing enough fruits to vegetables to be self sufficient!

Pic by erika g.

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Reflect On The Past Growing Season

Some things to think about here include which crops were a success? Which ones failed? Was there are anything that didn’t go quite as planned (and there always are)? How can you improve on this past crop? Spend a bit of time going over everything that happened this past growing season and come up with ways to improve. There are plenty of resources out there that can help you determine what you did wrong or could do better. Get a notebook and jot some of these things down. You can use the tips next season when planting your new crops.

Sort Your Seeds

If you’ve gathered seeds from your plants, take the time to sort them into labeled containers. Some seeds may need to be dried or processed (in a way) before they’re ready to be planted next year, so now is the best time to do this. Take note of which ones you have plenty of, as well as which ones you’ll need to buy in order to supplement your “stash.” You might also want to buy new seeds for new crops that you haven’t planted before.

Plot Out Your Next Garden

After reflecting on what you’d like to plant and noting all of the seeds that you have, spend some time sketching out your next garden’s layout. You’ll need to rotate your crops in order to keep the soil healthy, but do you also want to expand on any sections? Is there anything that you want less of or more of? Also consider the fact that you’ll need some walkways in order to properly weed, harvest, and water your plants. Since you can’t get outside to physically work on your garden, this is the time to design it and purchase anything that you’ll need for it, such as stepping stones or wheeled carts.

Get Your Seed Starting Spot Ready

Before you can start growing the seedlings for next year, you have to clear space for them. If you have a space in your basement or sun room where you tackle this, you’ll need to clean it, set up your growing lights, and get everything ready – short of actually planting the seeds, of course, as it’s still too early for this. After all of this set-up, you’ll be ready when the time comes!

Pic by Alan Levine

For many people, a fitness routine oriented around traditional forms of weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise is an unchanging part of their life. However, those who are currently working out and those who are seeking a more appealing way to get back in shape should consider one outdoor activity proven to benefit mental and physical health: gardening.

It is tempting to view gardening as a plodding, leisurely activity, and in many instances this is a fair depiction. However, the totality of what is known as ‘gardening’ includes some strenuous activities that, studies show, are beneficial to attaining physical gains and mental peace.

Tips for Beginners

For those who find themselves in a fitness rut, putting on some gloves and getting their hands dirty in the yard is likely more appealing than leaping right into a gym routine. The outdoor, often solitary environment which a yard provides can be far less daunting than entering a gym full of already-chiseled fitness buffs. However, this does not mean that the physicality necessary to proper gardening should be overlooked.

Stretching is advised prior to breaking out the trowel, while maintaining good form throughout all of your gardening activities will help to prevent injury, according to the Central Peninsula Garden Club. Reader’s Digest has also compiled several tips for beginner gardeners that will make their routines less strenuous, and therefore more enjoyable. Because, when it comes to gardening as exercise, a boost in mental health is another likely outcome.

Expected Mental Health Benefits

 While the aim of gardening, for the sake of this article, is to get into better physical shape, the mental health perks that are inherent to gardening serve as an added benefit which also helps improve physical wellbeing. The University of Washington details some of the benefits of gardening on mental health, including the fact that nature works to ‘restore the mind from the mental fatigue of work studies’.

The same report states that outdoor activities, including gardening, help alleviate symptoms associated with stress, depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s, which is why many have turned to horticultural therapy, gardening with the intent of providing medical relief. All of these mental health benefits, through their reduction of the stress hormone cortisol, also translate into feeling of physical well being.

The Physical Perks of Gardening

Make no mistake: gardening is exercise. Henry Ford Health System outlines some tips for approaching gardening in a manner that means it will qualify as moderate to high-intensity exercise. This is the level of activity which will eventually result in pounds lost and long-term benefits achieved.

These recommendations include foregoing modern technology for more labor-intensive old-school gardening tools, including manual clippers, shears, and push mowers. You can also make gardening revolve around more exercise-aimed activities as you progress. This includes intentionally carrying heavier bags of mulch, using good form to bend and reach for fruit and cuttings, mixing up your routine to encourage blood flow and cardiovascular activity. Further, mulching itself – applying a layer of either inorganic or organic material used to control weeds and increase water retention – is an activity that can prevent pesky weeds while providing a substantial workout.

A study comparing those who engaged in community gardening versus those who did not showed stark contrast between the populations in terms of healthiness. Men who gardened were 36% less likely to be overweight or obese, while women who gardened experienced a 34% reduction in risk. These numbers speak volumes in and of themselves.

Conclusion

Studies show, without exception, that gardening can qualify as moderate to high-intensity exercise, but attaining this level of exertion requires a certain approach by the gardener. Maintaining a high-tempo, engaging in activities known to require higher effort, and paying attention to your form are three ways to maximize the effects that gardening will have on your physical fitness. Mental health benefits, meanwhile, will arise simply from you being in the yard. Plus, your friends and neighbors won’t just recognize your newly trim figure and elevated mood, they take notice of your carefully tended to yard as well.

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Take Care of Any Remaining Crops

It’s possible that some crops are still in the ground, even though they aren’t producing anymore. You’ll need to gently remove them from the ground and compost them, if you have a compost bin. If not, this is a good time to set one up! If you have any remaining herb plants, cut them down as far as possible and save the tops sections by dehydrating them and placing them in a jar. Store the jar in a cool, dry place, and you’ll be able to use them throughout the winter. However, if you planted your herbs in a series of small pots, just place them in a warm, well-lit place inside and they will continue to grow.

Once you’ve removed any remnants of your plants from the ground, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Prepare Your Soil for the Winter

If you haven’t already drawn out a diagram of where you planted everything this past season, now is the time to do it, since you’ll need to keep rotating your crops to keep your soil’s nutrients in good condition. Once you’ve done that (if you hadn’t already), go ahead and start removing any leftover seasonal plants from the ground. If you have some, like berry bushes, that will grow back next year, simply cut them back and compost what you’ve cut off.

As you’re removing your corn stalks and other things from the ground, keep an eye out for any signs of disease. Any diseased plants can’t go in a compost bin, and should be burned or thrown away. Otherwise, those fungi or viruses can infect the soil produced by your compost bin, and go on to effect anything that you plant in it.

Store Your Tools Properly

Of course, once you’re done with your garden, the next step is to store your tools properly for next year. Some, like shovels, should be hung on pegs in a garage or shed. Before you do this, you’ll need to clean them well by shaking off any debris and hosing them down. Dry them well with a soft towel before wiping them a solution made of 10% bleach and 90% water. This will kill any microorganisms living on them. Next, empty out and roll up your hose and make sure that none of your watering cans (if you have any) have water in them. Turn them upside down for a few days to ensure that they are fully emptied. You don’t want any standing pools of water in your shed or garage. Lastly, do any required maintenance on your power tiller or lawn mower.

Pic by forestfolks

Before you begin canning, familiarize yourself with the two main processes: Water bath canning and Pressure canning.

Water Bath Canning

Water bath canning is exactly what it sounds like. Your jars are filled with fruits and vegetables that have been processed using your chosen recipes, and they are placed in boiling water for a particular length of time. You don’t need a fancy device to can your recipes this way – any pot that is large and deep enough will suffice. However, this method of preservation only works with things that are highly acidic. For example, if you choose to make your own spaghetti sauce from your homegrown tomatoes, you’ll need to add a little lemon juice to each jar before you place it in the canner.

Pressure Canning

Pressure canning gets a bad rap because people think that it sounds terrifying. Ignore the horror stories about broken jars and other things, and just be cautious and follow the directions. You’ll be fine. This method is recommended for canning fruit preserves, jams, and jellies that are on the sweeter side. You’ll need to place the jars in the canner, then observe the temperatures and time to ensure that everything has been “cooked” long enough.

What do you need?

Canning Jars and Lids

Remember that canning jars can be reused, but lids and bands (the part that goes over the lids and screws into the jar) cannot. However, canning jars and lids tend to be on the inexpensive side. If you wait until late August or early September to buy them, your local grocery store may even have them on sale. Yes, you can purchase them online or at a specialty store, but even if you go for the least expensive ones, they’ll work just fine.

Other Tools

Other things that you’ll need include oven mitts to protect your hands, and a jar lifter (the jars will be very hot right after they’re removed from the canners.) A funnel will also help, since you’ll be pouring your homemade concoctions into the jars, and this can get messy. You also need to wash and boil the jars (not the lids or bands, although you’ll want to wash them, too) before you use them. The boiling prevents the jars from cracking when they undergo the canning process. A simple pan with hot water will work for this.

Recipes

Last but not least, you’ll need some recipes! There are a ton of recipes available online for everything from pickles to jam. You should make a small batch of the recipe first, just to see how it turns out, before you start the canning process. Otherwise, you might end up with a huge batch of unappetizing jelly or sauce.

Pic by Rachel Tayse

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1) Know when to harvest your plants.

Different vegetables need to be picked at different times. This can be either based on the time that they’ve spent growing, on the size that they become, or the color that they turn. You need to know exactly when they can be picked, which might require a little research. Places to look for this information include gardening books, various websites (including this one!), the reliable Farmer’s Almanac, garden centers, and the company that you purchased your seeds from. Keep in mind that some vegetables will keep ripening on the vine, but their taste may change the longer that they stay on. For example, some pepper plants are like this. Once you know this information, you can move on to the next step.

2) Treat your plants nicely.

Even if you know for certain that your plant is done producing fruits and vegetables, you still need to treat it nicely. You spent a lot of time nurturing the plant, so think of it as being almost like a pet. (This sounds weird, but you do feed and care for your cats and dogs, right? They just don’t give you vegetables.) When removing your fruits and veggies from their vines, bushes, and plants, you should be gentle. Use a pair of gardening shears or wear gloves and be prepared to gently twist your new food sources off the plants.  Also, make sure that you harvest when the ground is dry, as you can spread diseases from one plant to another when it’s wet.

3) Know how to store your veggies.

Once you harvest everything, you need to know how to store it properly. Some vegetables, like potatoes and onions, need dry, cold temperatures, like those in basements. Others, such as tomatoes and cucumbers can go in the refrigerator for a bit, but will ultimately need to be processed and canned before they go bad. You’ll need enough storage space and supplies for everything in your garden right around harvest time, lest anything go bad while you’re searching for a place to put those extra ears of corn.

4) Gather seeds for next year.

Some vegetables produce their own seeds, or their plants do anyway, making it easy to set things in motion for next year. It’s always wise to think ahead when harvesting and processing your crops. This way, you can set aside the seeds and get them ready for springtime. This usually involves drying the seeds and storing them in a container but can vary.

Pic by Seth Vidal

Choose Your Plants, Then Your Pots – Or Vice Versa

The beauty of container gardening is the fact that it is simple to set up. You can either go with a series of containers or pots that you already have, choosing plants that will fit into them, or buy your plants first, then your pots. The trick is to ensure that you have enough space for them. For example, if you live in an apartment, then you definitely have to work within your space constraints. But, if you already have a backyard garden, you can place your containers on your patio, back deck, or around your vegetable beds. There is a lot of flexibility there.

Plants That Work Well In Containers

As long as your containers are big enough, you can grow just about anything, depending on your climate. However, some crops, like corn, for example, won’t grow in a container. (Feel free to try, though!) We suggest planting an array of lettuces, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, and zucchini in your container garden, plus the always-popular herbs. Just keep in mind that some of our suggested crops, like the zucchini and squash, need space to spread out horizontally, while others, like the peppers and tomatoes, will grow vertically and may need a trellis near their containers.

Soil and Watering Solutions

You cannot simply take soil from your backyard garden and plop it into a container. This soil might bring in pests and diseases that will effect the growing environment in the container. Since the containers won’t provide the plant’s roots with the right nutrients, you need to use a potting mix. Avoid those labeled as compost or bagged topsoil, since they won’t be light enough – over time they will compact, compressing the root systems in the process. Instead, look for a light and fluffy type of potting soil, one that preferably contains peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, lime and/or aged bark. These types of potting soil come out of the bag damp, and fluffy enough to not compact in the container.

Another problem involves watering. You’ll need to water your container garden daily, while making sure that the soil drains properly as the same time. Because of this, you shouldn’t use containers without drainage holes in the bottom. If these holes aren’t there, the water will pool in the bottom of the containers, creating a damp environment where the roots will begin to rot, killing the plants.

As long as the right conditions are created and the plants fit their pots, feel free to experiment with your container garden. You might find it easier to grow vegetables in them than in the actual ground!

Pic by cristina.sanvito

What Can Go In

Many things can be added to your compost pile. Scrap bits of vegetables and fruits, grass clippings, chicken manure (just not any parts of the chickens themselves), egg shells, coffee grounds, loose tea, bits of plants that have been pruned (flowers, shrubs, and so on), straw, wood ash, newspaper, cardboard, dryer lint, pine needles, wood chips… just about anything that is all-natural, or once was all natural, can be added. As you can see, compost piles are a great way of reducing your carbon footprint, as they save many things from going into landfills.

What Cannot

Certain things absolutely can’t be added to your compost pile. These include both red meats (beef) and white meats (poultry, pork), fish, and bones of any kind. You also shouldn’t add weeds, any diseased plants, or pet wastes to your pile.

Browns versus Greens – Keeping the Right Balance

The trick to having a successful compost pile lies in the balance between brown things and green ones. Browns tend to come from trees, so pine needles, newspaper, leaves, and so on count, as well as hay and straw. Greens include anything fresh and growing, so flowers, grass clippings, and fruit and vegetable scraps count here. Basically, anything that is rich in nitrogen is a “green,” while anything containing carbon is a “brown.” The ratio that you need to keep your compost pile from stinking (which is a sign that something has gone wrong – it should smell a little, but not reek) is two thirds “browns” to one third “greens.”

Keeping Weeds from Growing

At times, weeds and other plant life may begin to grow around the edges of your compost pile. This is usually a problem with the soil-based types of open air piles, not the ones that exist in plastic bins, simply because the latter types are inaccessible by these green and growing pests. Plants in general will be attracted to the nutrient-rich mixture in the compost pile. Thankfully, the center of the pile is usually too hot for anything to grow properly, so the issue is relegated to the edges, where they can be easily removed by hand or with a small trowel. As long as you keep an eye on your compost pile, this won’t be much of a problem.

After your compost pile set up and loaded with the right ratio of carbon and nitrogen based things, you’ll need to do a little maintenance. Make sure to turn it at least once a week, and include some water with each new layer that is added. You can also toss in a few shovelfuls of soil from your garden for good measure.

Pic by Lindsay