Saturday, September 11, 2010

Simple List of Green Gardening and Landscaping Techniques Includes a Manual Lawnmower

I've been puttering around this subject on the drawing board since the spring and have never quite gotten it down to a neat, clean post. Finally it seems like the best idea might be to just throw some sustainable practices out there and then I'll add to them via comments or later posts.

There are numerous guides and top tens out there. Several of them, I found, didn't really take the bull by the horns. Many of these lists are designed to sell various products, etc. Still, they are definitely worth looking at.

One is the Top 10 Sustainable Garden Methods someone put together on Squidoo. Some of these guides are quick and practical. Others are quite general and theoretical, such as the extensive site, Sustainable Landscaping, by Dr. Marietta Loehrlein, Professor of Horticulture, Western Illinois University. Dr. Loehrlein was spending an hour a week on her riding mower when she started the project!

Anyway, as much as I check these lists and "tips", I keep seeing that most of them don't even mention the concept of using a manual lawnmower, so it's hard to take them seriously. Better to start another list!


Co2 Art's Best Practices and Solutions for Sustainable Landscaping and Green Gardening

1. Leave or return your landscape as wild as possible
2. Reduce areas of lawn
3. Use manual lawnmower
4. Use manual trimmers, etc.
5. If hiring landscaping contractors, insist on green practices
6. Conserve water by using rainwater, redirecting run-off
7. Compost
8. Use Native Plants
9. Mulch
10. Exploit shade and windbreak benefits when planting trees
11.Recycle and use sustainable materials

Additions to the original list:

12. Snow shovelling - manually!!

3 comments:

JimBobby said...

Whooee! Well, I gotta give most of the credit to Ma but we get a 10 outta 10 on yer list. I think we're the onliest ones on the street with a manual mower. I get plenty of cars slowin' down when I'm cuttin' the boulevard. Some of 'em even stop to ask how we like pushin' the mower, how do we sharpen it, etc..

One of the big advantages is that our manual trimmers, mower, hedge clippers, rakes, etc. make a lot less noise than the powered contraptions the dang neighbours is runnin' at all hours. I gotta shut the windows lotsa times on accounta their weed whackers an' leaf blowers are disturbin' the peace.

Another thing to add to yer list is diggin' weeds by hand. I ain't a lawn freak but the little bit of lawn that's still left is nearly dandelion free. The neighbours always relied on herbicides and now that a lot of them are banned here in Ontariariario, their lawns are all full o' dandelions. I probably spend a grand total of three hours a year diggin' weeds.

Another thing... shovellin' snow is quieter and better exercise than drivin' a snowblower. Less CO2 and other exhaust fumes, too. Cheaper, too.

JB

Offroad Artist said...

yep

* diggin' weeds by hand
* shovelin' snow

LOL - and the cars slowin' down to check out the manual lawnmowerin' - ain't that the truth!?

Offroad Artist said...

What would be very cool to see would be a landscaping / grounds maintenance operation that would haul its manual equipment around either by cycle power or even a horse-drawn wagon.