| Picture taken through the window from the comfort of home. |
Jan at Thanks for today blog is sponsoring a Gardeners' Sustainable Living contest where bloggers all across the world can post about the ways they are living sustainably. Gardeners are normally sustainable people and live very responsibly within our world. It is neat seeing how all the participants approach this topic of sustainable living. Well today is my take on my sustainable living. If you'd like to see my post on sustainable living from last year just click here.
This year I am outlining one small area I try to live sustainably and responsibly. I look at sustainable living as a means of promoting environmental diversity and living in harmony with the natural world. My natural world includes my little footprint here in my gardens. I try to promote environmental diversity here by gardening organically and using natural materials found on my property in order to maintain the gardens. I limit my use of pesticides preferring instead to garden mechanically (read: pull weeds and pick off bugs by hand) but I do occasionally resort to pesticides. When I do use pesticides I use them according to the label instructions and I use them responsibly. Today I'll examine one small change I have made when using pesticides. I have decided not to treat my lawn with pesticides.
My gardens include many living things in all forms ranging from the tiniest ant to the the peskiest vole to the colorful butterflies, a plump and wet robin and all the way to the sky with the whispering hawks that glide overhead. My gardens (and I consider my lawn part of my garden) are used by not only the wild things, but the friendly dogs who reside here or who are just visiting.
| Sadie, our foster dog. She will be on a transport to New York this weekend. |
Sadie, a coon dog mix, is one such friendly dog who loves my yard. I've never had a hound dog but geez, she is always on the job! That nose is to the ground all over the place. Rain and storms? They don't faze her. Given her druthers she'd be in the garden all day long tormenting the rodents who live here. Ever see four dogs go after a chipmunk? Who do you think won the race? It wasn't the silly dogs that's for sure. I have a very genuine concern for my dogs and I don't want them walking/sniffing/playing or anything in turf grass that has been treated with chemicals. Not treating my lawn is a major change I am making to live sustainably with my natural world; including those cute friendly dogs who live here.
Not using chemicals on my lawn will be a big trade off for me. I hate weeds in my lawn. I can't help it, I just hate the weeds and I know that come this summer I will be gritting my teeth when all the goosegrass shows its ugly white stems amongst my tall fescue. But I already have a plan in place to deal with the goosegrass and other weeds. Are you ready for it? I will dig the weeds out by hand and failing that, I will pretend I don't see the weeds. I'm leaning more towards not seeing the weeds-how about you? What do you think?
| Mr. C's farm pond. Picture taken from the back of my property by the fence. |
Another bonus of not treating the lawn is I can ensure there is no run off from my property to the adjoining properties. I am a very lucky lady who has a lovely farm pond behind my home and the natural lay of the land allows for the flow of rain to that pond. I've been most careful in the past when applying fertilizers and herbicides here but I think I'll just forego them altogether now....
in the garden....
In addition to Jan's Blogorama I am linking to another blogger who has a similar meme going as well. You can find that post here.
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden