Green Twist on Gardening

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During the past two decades, a crop of eco-friendly companies has started taking root around the Twin Cities, offering everything from rainwater conservation designs to recycled deck furniture to take your yard to greener pastures. And they offer a little something for everyone—from the Greenpeace card-carrier looking for tips to the occasional recycler wanting to take it up a notch.

Tip 1: Rain, Don’t Go Away
“Water quality is almost always [a] primary issue,” says Charlie Colvin of Outdoor Environments. A simple way for anyone to control water use is to purchase a rainwater collection barrel to contain runoff from drainpipes, which you can reuse on both the garden and the entire lawn.

Tip 2: Waste Not, Want Not
Composting is another easy way to cut back on wasting byproducts and to fill the garden with nutrients. All you need is a compost bin with air vents to keep oxygen moving through it. Add your food waste to it, garden clippings, and other organic materials, such as shredded cardboard or coffee filters, and within a year, you will have a great earthy product to put back into the garden—no expert help required.

Tip 3: Well-Grounded
Try to select plants and placements so that they have minimal upkeep and you don’t have to use any chemicals. The goal is to work to find “wise plant material choices and wise design to do things that will minimize overall impact on the environment as well as come up with the right kinds of solutions that won’t require pesticides,” says Jim Sweeney, founder of Mom’s Landscaping & Design.

Tip 4: Go Organic
When fertilizer is necessary, though, it’s best to choose an organic version that contains folic acid and other natural acids to boost the soil breakdown and make nutrients more accessible to plants. Colvin fertilizes with organic products made from worm castings and using ladybug larva to control aphids. Another do-it-yourself trick for controlling those nasty leaf-munchers: Spray leaves with mild soapy water.

Tip 5: Low-Maintenance
Whether the yard is full of flowers or barren, recycled patio furniture and accessories are easy on the environment and easy to care for. Family-owned By the Yard is in its fifteenth season of producing 100-percent-recycled-plastic (mostly from milk jugs) accoutrements for outdoor acres. The plastic has a faux wood look and is a snap to clean.

Tools of the Trade The latest and greatest products to get you on your way to green gardening. Photo courtesy of Mills Fleet Farm Rain Barrels Water your lawn by reusing this precious resource. $199. Oasis Rain Collection System, Mills Fleet Farm, three metro locations *Check with your city to see if it has reduced rates on rain barrels. Last year, through a $100,000 grant, the city of Minneapolis sold 2,000 rain barrels for $45 each—this year’s program will depend on funding. Photo courtesy of By The Yard Gliders These chairs are the best-sellers among the eco-friendly company’s more than 100 designs of outdoor accessories. $399. By the Yard. 16775 Greystone Lane, Jordan, 952-492-2777. Photo courtesy of Steve's Earth Engine Cedar Compost Bins Hand-crafted cedar compost bins. $175–$245. Steve’s Earth Engine Cedar Composters, 4841 Garfield Ave. S., Mpls., 612-822-1893 *Check with the county you live in. Last year, some metro counties sold compost bins at a reduced rate to its residents. Photo courtesy of By The Yard Faux Pots Use By the Yard’s faux-wood pots as accents to a yard or deck or as individual mini-gardens of herbs or other small plants. $89–$300. By the Yard. 16775 Greystone Lane, Jordan, 952-492-2777.    —LL