The Garden Shedde

After using pesticides for many years on our lawn and in our garden, we have completely changed our approach to lawn and garden care over the last few years and now do not use anything but natural substances. I will admit it is not near as easy as going out and spraying or spreading but after learning what these pesticides are doing to our environment, we felt there was really no choice.

We also don’t know why others have not joined us because the use of these materials are killing thousands of insects and birds every year and polluting the water we drink. I am amazed how many people don’t realize that the ground water that we end up drinking can easily be toxic and full of all kinds of chemicals we are using on our lawns and gardens because they are absorbed into the ground. What is not absorbed is found in the runoff that ends up in our rivers and streams. This water kills butterflies, bees, birds and other small animals and it drank by livestock that ends up in our food system. Living with a few bugs becoames easy once you learn the high cost of pesticides.

The big buzz word these days is “green” but what does that really mean? In some circles it’s everything that is “earthy”, back to nature. In other circles it’s anything that is environmentally friendly like electric cars that have to have batteries, which are not earthy at all but help save energy. What green means to me is anything that brings more life to your world and to the world around you and that includes a robust inner life as well.

If you are doing everything you can for the earth and energy savings yet are neglecting yourself, then what you are doing, though wonderful, is not meeting your basic needs. If your basic needs are not met then you will eventually give out, give up or die. I see this in people who have gotten older and have just given up on changing the way they world works because they’re “tired” or because “nothing ever changes anyway”. These people have let the fire inside them go out because they have taken care of everything and everyone else but themselves. Don’t end up spent and tired. Take the time out today to recharge your internal batteries as this is the ultimate “greening” of the world.

Before the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, many of our friends and family have felt that becoming environmentally active was a little bit over the top. However, since this disaster has now come “home to roost”, so to speak, all of a sudden these same individuals who have given us a hard time in the past are stark raving mad! As much as I like the fact that they are finally seeing the light of day it’s too bad it took an actual disaster to make so many see that this has been a possibility for years.

It seems it’s much more popular in America to react to what is happening as opposed to anticipate what might happen and have some things planned out just in case. The environment is not the only place we seem to have a short sided view because we also do this in healthcare, military action, politics, taxes, business and finance, just to name a few. Is it not time we got involved with the environment as well as with every other thing that touches our lives? If not now, then when?

While you might think that it is easy to plant a tree there are a few things that you need to think about before you start. The first one is about the type of tree you would like to plant; is the tree a native tree to your area? If not, you will want to talk to a gardener at your local nursery to make sure the type of tree you have chosen will do well in the region or area you live in. The next thing is to find out how big the tree will be once it has reached its full growth potential and make sure the place you have chosen will accommodate the future growth. There’s nothing like having to cut down a tree that is now interfering with your house, shed or fence after a few years.

Once you have determined everything is good to go dig a hole that’s about a inch shallower than the distance from the bottom of the root ball to where the trunk starts to flare and about three to four times the width of the root ball. Place a water hose in the bottom of the hole and place the root ball on top of it in the hole. Make sure someone is there to tell you if the tree is straight or not and fill in the hole with good dirt. Turn the water on very low and watch for it to come back out of the hole (it could be a few minutes). Pull the hose out and you are done!