Earth Day on the Farm

Here are our favorite ways right now for farmers of all sizes--urban and rural--to honor the land we live on.

article-post
by Dani Yokhna

Think of at least ONE way to make a difference on your farm this Earth Day

What grows on treesWhat Grows on Trees
Cherie Langlois muses about lemon trees and other trees that provide food. More

Here are our favorite ways right now for farmers of all sizes, both urban and rural, to honor the land we live on.

In Garden, Field and Yard

  • Use a rain barrel. The typical roof on a house can direct as much as 200 gallons of water into its downspouts during a ¼-inch rain shower. In other words, they’re not just cute art projects anymore—they’ll help us save up one the farm’s most precious resources. You can find already-assembled rain barrels at many garden centers and online, or you can make your own (you’ll find step-by-step instructions in the March/April 2009 issue of Hobby Farms magazine).
  • Decrease the size of your lawn by 25 percent. Need inspiration, read a book about the benefits of natural grasses and plants–and even so-called weeds. Here’s a suggestion; this book is by an author who loves to see a mix of greens in her lawn: A Weed By Any Other Name: The Virtue of a Messy Lawn, or Learning to Love the Plants We Don’t Plant (Beacon Press, $23.95).
  • Plant a tree; make sure tree placement and type are appropriate for your region and for your property (i.e., avoid planting certain trees near electrical wires).
  • Avoid chemicals; instead, try one or two new ways to keep the bad bugs away from your crops.

In the Kitchen (And At the Store)  

In the Home

In Your Community 

Subscribe now

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CAPTCHA Image