For gardening enthusiasts, cultivating some New Year’s resolutions for planting is not only enjoyable, but easy to do, too. If you’re tired of the same old New Year’s resolutions to lose weight or get organized, why not try making some resolutions this year that you’ll enjoy keeping? The significance of sustainability may be as important in gardening as anywhere else, and there are many ways to incorporate environmental considerations into your garden. Adopting a more regionalized approach to planting and integrating more food into your growing repertoire round out these gardener’s resolutions.
Resolve to Go Green in 2015
Although growing things is a seemingly natural process, there are many ways to make your garden more eco-friendly. This year, resolve to get at least some of the chemicals out of yours. Instead of using a weed killer or herbicide, mix up your own from white vinegar or ground orange rind. Discover more natural ways to manage garden pests. And instead of applying chemical fertilizers that help grow showier plants but do nothing to improve the soil, make this the year you start your compost pile. Composting is a major component of sustainable gardening, allowing you to create healthy soil while reducing your contribution to the landfill.
Resolve to Regionalize Your Gardening
A growing movement on the horizon, known as beneficial landscaping, seeks to reduce the harmful affect people have on the earth. When you select native plant species for your garden, you reduce the garden’s water consumption, encourage the natural ecosystem of your area, preserve heirloom plant species and provide protection and shelter for local wildlife. Native plants require less care and fewer chemicals too, giving you more time to enjoy your garden.
Resolve to Grow More Food
It’s the food you grow yourself that most nourishes your soul, but there are many more reasons to grow edible plants in your garden this year. The cost of home-grown fruits and vegetables is negligible, especially compared to store-bought organic products. Knowing the source of your food (and having that source be your own back yard) gives you greater peace of mind. But perhaps the most important reason for increasing your edible harvest is what it teaches your children. Kids develop a love for eating right when you involve them in the process of growing food. They learn skills they can use to feed themselves and nourish their own family one day. And, in the process, your family gets to spend a lot of enjoyable time together in the garden.
In the Salt Lake City area, Millcreek Gardens supports your 2015 gardening goals, whatever they may be. Stop by and see how they can help you keep your gardener’s New Year’s resolutions this year.
