January 5th, 2011 
Tushar Mathur Are you one of those people who truly take the time to separate plastics and cans from the rest of your residential waste products and make sure the recycling bin goes out to the curb on its proper day? Have you started making extra efforts to be conscious about what you buy? How much packaging is included and what is it’s constructed from? Would you like to try your hands at gardening, but are also interested in being as aware of the environment as you possibly can?
If even stewarding your little plot of earth fills you with pride and the desire to perform a job well done, you’ll be glad to know there are a number of activities, purchasing decisions and various other tips and tricks you can do to further maximize your efforts. The hobby of gardening can truly be greener if you make even the slightest bit of extra efforts to make it so.
First, realize you are doing amazing things just by undertaking the project of setting up a garden in what is likely a limited amount of space available to you. Unless you are living in a more rural area of the country, any yard your home may have is likely extremely small and limited.
But don’t let this concern you. Even roof top gardens in major metropolitan areas are making a resounding surge into existence. Seems there are a ton of folks that would love to get their hands dirty and transform their thumbs into green digits of eco-friendly success.
If you are fortunate to have a bit of space, and would like to have your garden do double duty, why not consider the addition of low voltage or solar powered lighting to the equation? For very little money, both at initial purchase as well as ongoing operational costs, you can artistically set lighting in and around your garden area. Well placed landscape lighting creates amazingly dramatic backdrops for the natural areas around your home.
But you need to be able to grow lush, lovely plants, and another very green technique you’ll want to master is the art (and science!) of composting. There are a number of different techniques depending upon the volume and needs your garden presents.
One of the easiest ways is to buy a low cost composting system. These systems usually require a very small footprint and can produce usable soil enriching materials in very short amounts of time. The reason this is so green is that it helps you remove even more materials from heading out to your local landfill. Any organic, non-animal/meat product can pretty much head into your compost device. Now, in addition to separating out the recyclables, you can remove the bulk of organic items as well.
Once you’ve gotten into several seasons of your gardening habits, you’ll be able to add another level Eco-friendly activity to your task list by growing soil rejuvenating crops in the off season. Do a little research to learn what grows bestwhere you live, and be sure to plan those types of plants or crops after you’ve harvested your spring and early summer crops.
Now you’ll have a beautiful winter garden that does double duty for re-integrating needed nutrients and minerals into your spring garden soil. These types of green gardening techniques are drawn from our ancestors farming habits and they are making a comeback. We can now incorporate the commonsense activities into our personal gardens and make the world and our environment a better place with very little extra efforts.
About the Author
Vern Marker is a freelance writer on a variety of topics including home gardening. The first step in maintaining your garden is installing landscape lights to help illuminate your work space.
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