Every year there are 136 million pounds of pesticides used on North American gardens and lawns. Surprisingly, homeowners are reported to use about three times the amount of pesticides as farmers. In fact, the majority of wildlife poisoning and water contamination is not from farms or other large organizations — it’s from single-family homes.
The best gardeners in the world have learned from their mistakes, but there’s no reason to repeat them. Learn from the mistakes of others if you’re just getting started in gardening. You can avoid a lot of problems, save time, and prevent the sad death of plants by learning some common and easy-to-make gardening errors before you make them.
Polly put the kettle on…but not for tea. Boiled water is an excellent asset in your garden and around your landscape. Did you know that when you use commercial pesticides and herbicides, you expose yourself, your family, and your pets to dangerous and even deadly chemicals? Why not go a safer route with something you drink every day – water? Let’s take a closer look at how to use plain ol’ hot water to end weeds and ants for good.
Yes, I get it; pests can be a problem. In just a few hours, pests gone wild can destroy your beautiful cabbage crop, annihilate your cucumbers, and leave your lettuce looking like it went through a war. All of this is heartbreaking, and I have had it happen to me more than once. There is a solution to this problem, and it is not to pour a vat of toxic chemicals into your garden either. Once I got the formula down – the best method to repel nasty pests – my garden has never been so beautiful. If I can do it, so can you.
In the early pioneering days of America, most people grew their own food, learning how to cultivate and grow it, not for fun but because a home garden was necessary for survival. In the 17th century, those settlers farmed their own fruits and vegetables, often using small, enclosed gardens that sat just outside their front door. Typically these gardens were focused on essential edibles, culinary and medicinal herbs. While food gardening has waxed and waned since then, it will never stop.
While all fresh produce has great value, especially when you grow it yourself, spinach is a crop that you don’t want to forget about. Not only is it easy to grow from seed, but it is loaded with nutrients and highly versatile in cooking. In fact, if you were to plant only one seed during the present crisis, spinach would be the winner!
Anyone who has been an avid gardener for some time knows that there are a few things you just need to get right to have a fruitful relationship with plants. Once you get the basics down and know what not to do in your garden, sit back and watch your plants amaze you with their beauty and fruitfulness.
Pesticides are a bitter pill. Without them, our lawns and gardens could quickly become overrun by pests. When we use them, they pollute the soil and water and even the air we breathe.
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