Let’s Get Eco-Friendly in the Garden

Last week, I wrote about things you can do in your garden from mid- to late fall. This week, I thought I’d mention some eco-friendly things you can do now.

One Big Eco-Friendly Action

Fall is a great time to plant, and one of the most eco-friendly things you can do is plant native plants. These plants provide habitat and food for our native wildlife, including birds, pollinators, and small mammals. Because they are natives and already used to our weather, they may reduce water use, require less maintenance, provide natural pest control, and be more environmentally sustainable.

Why Cover Crops Are Important

Something else you can do is consider planting a cover crop where your vegetable garden is. If you’re not planting fall or winter veggies or only planting a small patch with a lot of garden area left over, put it to work. Cover crops provide erosion control, and tilling them under at the end of the winter enriches your soil. Cover crops like crimson clover, hairy vetch, and buckwheat are attractive to late-season pollinators.

Leaves Make Great Mulch

Fallen leaves provide habitats for various pollinators, such as moths, butterflies, and native bees. So when you rake your yard, you can use some of those leaves to mulch around your shrubs—not only to provide a natural habitat and protection for our wildlife, but as they break down, they’ll add organic matter back to your soil and enrich it.

Let’s Support Pollinators!

Certain flowers make a seedhead at summer’s end that pollinators love—sedum, echinacea, rudbeckia, Joe Pye weed, Liatris, Russian sage, sunflowers, etc.  As we clean out our fall garden—dead and drying annuals—be sure to leave these. Remember, it’s all about feeding the good guys.

Start a Compost Pile – It’s Easy

Another thing you can do is start your compost pile. All that food we waste every year can be put to work in a compost pile, making compost to enrich your soil—and you can start by adding the pumpkins you bought for fall decorations.

Prepare Now For a Great Spring and Summer Garden

Doing these simple actions this fall will help set the stage for a fabulous spring and summer garden you can enjoy and be proud of.

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