While our celebration of Mother Earth is still fresh and our Cincinnati weather is improving, let’s head outdoors!

There are some “green” things you can do in your yard and garden that can make a huge difference to your wallet and to Mother Earth.

Composting:

Composting is a great way to reduce waste and help your garden. And it’s quite easy. You can collect food waste such as fruit and vegetable peels, grain products, coffee grounds and filters and even some paper products like food-soiled napkins.

Thanks to modern technology, you no longer have to keep compost in a pile in your yard. Besides, this can attract unwanted animal visitors. But now there are a ton of easy and affordable drums you can purchase in which to keep your compost; (from around $100 to upwards of $400).

You can put your kitchen waste in the drum, as well as the weeds you pull, grass clippings, branches/twigs, etc. (If you start a compost in your yard, you’re going to want to read up on compostable items.)

As the compost matures it turns into great fertilizer for your garden. You’ll never have to buy a bag of soil again! And if you don’t garden, share it with someone who does.

The EPA says composting can:

• Suppress plant diseases and pests.
• Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
• Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
• Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
• Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
• Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
• Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
• Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.

Visit the EPA”s website for more composting info.

When you start your composting program, you’ll want to pick up a special airtight can you can keep in your kitchen like this. It includes a charcoal filter in the lid to keep odors contained.

Watering:

Okay, Cincinnati: You know how it rains for three weeks, then not again for another three? Well, capture the rain from your downspout and use it to water your garden during droughts.

You’ll see rain collection containers popping up around the city as people try to save money on their water bill. The containers have hoses attached, and you can use the collected rain to water plants and grass. Don’t collect ALL the rain, nature needs some run-off. One or two containers should be plenty to water a small garden. As a tip, don’t waste a lot of water on your grass! It does not need to be watered every day. And it’s always best to water in the morning or evening, not in the heat of the afternoon when water evaporates quickly.

Gardening:

It’s best to look for native plants. Ask your local garden store what plants are considered native. (In Cincinnati, this would include Black-eyed Susan, Goldenrod, Columbine, Coreopsis and others.) Native plants are natural to the area and need less water and care.

Speaking of watering, you might want to consider some new hoses if anyone in your family drinks from them, or if your children or pets play in the water. Hoses can contain lead and other toxins that break down into the water. Look for family safe, lead-free or FDA approved hoses if you’re in the market for a new one. Also be sure to use a water nozzle that has a shut-off valve so you don’t waste water (or get your shoes wet.) A misting feature is great for using less water on flowers, too.

Edibles:

It’s becoming more fashionable to grow edibles like tomatoes, lettuces or herbs at home. They can be hard to upkeep and, like compost, it can be hard to keep animals at bay.

Consider building/buying a raised garden bed. These look attractive, are more ergonomic, and are perfect if you don’t have garden space. Put it on your deck or porch and you’ll have easy access from your kitchen. You can also try one of those new hanging tomato or berry planters.

There are a lot of natural ways to deter animals from your vegetables. You can try a bar of scented soap nearby, wind chimes, garlic/red pepper sprinkles around the plants, predatory bird decoys (you know-those fake owls) or even a motion-activated sprinkler! (Unless you don’t want Fido to get blasted with water when he gets near the garden.)

Other ideas:

Wait, there’s more! If you have a small lawn, forgo the gasoline-powered mower and get a human powered one. They’re a lot more efficient than grandpa’s old model, and take up very little space and don’t use fuel. They are silent and incredibly economical. (And you can catch your grass clippings and put them in your compost bin.) There are also electric models that don’t use fuel.

Also try installing solar-powered garden lights. They are very easy to install (they literally stick in the ground) and don’t use power! They are also affordable, attractive and easy to find in stores.

Visit Clean Air Gardening and the green home improvement store at Amazon.com.

Happy gardening!

Related...

• May 8, 2009 -- Improve the Air Quality in your Home
• May 5, 2011 -- This Year’s Landscaping Trends
• April 20, 2010 -- Five Creative Ways to Go Green
• April 22, 2009 -- Earth Day: HGTV Green Home