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D.I.Y. Home and Garden Pest Control

February 3rd, 2010 Posted in Green Living & News

In 2009, all anyone seemed to talk about was the sinking economy. Unfortunately, everyone’s empty wallets still seem to be a focus in 2010.

But if 2009 was the year of “Doing With Less,” I dub 2010 the year of “Do-It-Yourself.” More importantly, “D.I.Y., but do it organically.”

Trend-watchers predict a jump backward to more traditional home and garden pest control methods.

The top gardening trends for 2010 include:

• Starting your own vegetable garden
• Switching to organic pesticides
• Completing small yard projects yourself

Starting your own vegetable garden

Not everyone has a green thumb, but for those willing to try, there are many benefits to growing your own veggies.

3 excellent reasons are home grown vegetables will taste better, save you money, and are better quality. Plus, you are engaging in your own home and garden pest control, so you know just what’s going in the dirt and essentially onto your plants.

For many skeptics, they see the time they spend weeding as money lost. But this investment has proven to be worth it. A writer for a personal finance website spent 2008 calculating how much he saved by growing his own vegetables.

This is what he found:

• Time spent: 60 hours
• Total money spent: $318.43
• Total harvest worth: $606.97

Broken down further, he harvested $225.74 in berries, $294.59 in vegetables, and $66.63 in fruit.

By growing at home, he almost doubled the amount he invested into his garden that year.

For first time gardeners, or those looking to improve, here is a list of tips from Gardening 101:

1. Plan in advance what you want to grow and how much time and money you want to spend
2. Start small to make sure you can keep your garden controlled and productive
3. Pick plants that grow well in your area (check with your state’s extension office to figure out what grows best)
4. Share seed and gardening tool costs with neighbors or family
5. Buy quality tools to ensure they last many seasons
6. Research growing practices and garden pest control tips in your area

Armed with these few leads, you can start thinking today about the produce aisle you can grow in your backyard.

Switching to organic pesticides

Another trend in 2010 is switching from chemical fertilizers to only organic products in your garden. Do-it-yourself home and garden pest control is very in this season. In fact, the number of people switching from chemical pesticides to organic products has doubled in the past 4 years.

For many, buying and growing organically is synonymous with healthier eating. But how much healthier are organically grown fruits and vegetables?

According to experts, including the National Resources and Defense Council, food grown without harsh chemicals are better for you and the environment.

Some of the dangers of synthetic pesticides are:

• Runoff washes in waterways, contaminating them and destroying habitats
• Chemicals in pesticides are toxic
• Chemical pesticides have been linked to respiratory problems, neurological disorders (including Parkinson’s disease), cancer and reproductive farmers

Many products, such as EcoSMART’s organic weed killer, avoid chemicals to protect the environment. They will not expose you to toxins or pollute ground water, but they will keep your garden and home free of pests, or in this case, weeds.

Completing small yard projects yourself

Besides planting your own organic veggie garden, there are many other gardening projects to tackle in 2010. Nothing is more beautiful in the spring than a green lawn and colorful garden. But some people think they need to pay professionals for home and garden pest control and general upkeep.

In reality, there are many easy ways to save money on organic gardening.

Container gardening

For first time gardeners or those with less space, decorative pots and containers are an excellent starting place. These containers can be kept indoors or outdoors and allow you to pay special attention to more delicate plants or grow your own fragrant herbs.

Reuse old pots and holders

Just because a pot is old does not mean it won’t grow beautiful plants. Instead of buying new plastic pots every year, clean them out at the end of each season and reuse them the following year.

Start a community garden

Community gardens not only encourage neighborly love, but save time and money, as well. For those people with little gardening experience (but lots of gardening space), garden sharing lets gardeners with less space utilize their neighbors’ land and share the cost and upkeep duties.

By starting small, you’ll be able to ease yourself into a D.I.Y. gardening and pest control lifestyle. Plus, you’ll have the added satisfaction of bringing meals into your home made with your own organic produce.

So this spring, don’t be afraid to get outside and stick your hands in the dirt.