Our summer reading program this year is dedicated to the world's oceans and water supplies. Only about 1% of the world's water is drinkable and every living being needs water. Meanwhile, the Great Lakes account for more than 22% of the world's fresh water supply. It is an incredibly valuable resource that we have been made stewards of by living in the Midwest. It's time we take a look at what we can do to keep it healthy and usable. As such, we are taking a look at some of the things we can do to help take care of our waterways. Every week this summer we will be taking a look at some of the little things we can do to keep our waters clean, healthy, and usable, maintain the ecosystem, and in general do our part to take care of our planet. Let's take a look:
Let's Get Down & Dirty
You've heard the phrase "Charity begins in the home?" Water conservation does as well. We started in the home and are moving into the yard and garden. We'll look at some easy changes you can put into effect that can have a significant impact on the quality of our drinking water and waterways.
#7 - Gardening
We have probably done more inside the house than you thought was possible. We've strayed briefly into the wider world, or at least the driveway and lawn fertilizer, but now it is time to get our hands dirty with a little gardening.
When you think about water conservation, outside of California's lawn watering legislation that has been going on for years, you might not think about gardening and yardwork. Truth be told, there is a decent amount of work we can do to help conserve water and be ecologically sound in our gardens and yards. I know we aren't in California, but some of what they say holds water, pardon the pun. Wisconsin DNR agrees. If you have to water your yard or garden, don't do it during the height of the day. Either water in the early morning or wait until evening depending on whether you want that water to be soaked up throughout the day or soak your plants throughout the night. Even then, if it is within 48 hours of a rain storm, wait. The more your natural environment can be responsible for watering your plants, the better. Leave your lawn clippings on the grass. It helps with fertilizing, weather insolating, and with keeping the water from evaporating. For that matter, use mulch in your garden to similarly help with the fertilizing, insolating, and evaporation prevention. Use soaker hoses and drip irrigation for all your lawn and garden needs so water goes and stays where you want it without wasting on areas that won't absorb anyways (and watering cans in gardens are also great alternatives to water-wasteful sprinklers that shoot water high and away). You also don't need to water your yard more than two or three times a week, at worst.
Another great way to conserve water is to create a rain garden. According to Groundwater.org, rain gardens are generally native plants planted in a slight depression, often naturally so, that help to filter out a significant amount of pollutants and extra nutrients naturally. Not to be confused with water gardens or wetlands, these areas are not submerged and are dry most of the time. The soil is modified to increase filtration and drainage.
Utilizing native plants is a good gardening practice anyway. As we have and will again mention in regards to waterways, introducing foreign wildlife to a closed system can disastrous side effects. The same can be said for plant life (see the introduction of kudzu plants from Asia into North America). Most isn't as extreme as the kudzu, but maintaining primarily native plants allows you to modify the soil less, using fewer fertilizers, pesticides, and waters, and helping to limit erosion.
According to the US Forrest Service, focusing on native plants in your gardening also helps to promote greater biodiversity which leads to healthier, heartier environments. If you head over to their website (above), you will have a whole host of information at your fingertips to get you started finding native plants that will work for you. In addition, they have information on natural pollinators like butterflies, bees, ladybugs, etc., what plants to avoid because they are invasive, and a whole host of other information that will really get you on an exciting adventure towards ecological stewardship in your garden.
One more important thing to note: When trying to keep weeds out and stay ecologically sound, you might be tempted to try out landscaping fabric. What is landscaping fabric I recently had to ask? It is a semi-permeable synthetic cloth that is spread over garden beds to keep weeds and the like out of the garden by preventing sunlight from getting through, thus making plant germination impossible. While it might seem like a great solution to avoid using harsh chemicals, there is evidence to suggest that it can also be harmful to the environment and depending on which environmental study, it can be quite controversial. Many professionals don't even like it. Why you ask? Because landscaping fabric isn't biodegradable. It does break down, sort of, but not in a timely manner or in a healthy one. You will have pieces of it for years afterwards even after tilling it up and most of it is made up of plastics and chemicals. This can become even more of an issue with some of the additional points brought up below. It compacts the soil rather than allowing for it to be able to breath (plants need arable soil). It stops a lot but not all weeds and those that do become enmeshed in the fabric which makes weeding even harder. Being fabric, you might think it chemical free, but it isn't and some of them are really not good. Landscaping fabric is also expensive and doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room.
So if it is so bad for you and the environment why do it? Because at first glance it seems easy. I would recommend weighing your options before jumping onto the landscaping fabric bandwagon. Some of the best alternatives are the most natural. Whatever you decide though, know your options. You have more of an effect on your environment than you realize and you have to live with your choices.
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