Unkle_John
01-03-2008, 08:41 AM
Grow a Beautiful Lawn without Chemicals or Fossil Fuels
by Tabitha Alterman
The recent wave of information about climate change, fossil fuel
dependence and the ubiquitous presence of toxic chemicals in our
environment has inspired many of us to look for greener approaches to
the routine things we need to do. This amped-up awareness is
increasing the popularity of "natural" lawns. For most of us, this
means eliminating chemical fertilizers, dyes and weed-killers from
the lawn's diet. Others have decided to plant drought-tolerant native
plants that need less water. Or food-bearing plants, such as
strawberries, which cover more of the ground so their lawns require
less all-around maintenance. The great news is that you can have a
gorgeous, low-maintenance lawn that's safe for your family and our
environment.
One inspiring lawn-keeper is Ed Smith, author of The Vegetable
Gardener's Bible and Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering
Containers, who is about to embark on a 100 percent fossil fuel-free
lawn care plan. Recently, Ed answered a few questions about what
motivated him to begin this plan and how it's going to work.
Q. Tell me about your lawn maintenance plan. What made you
decide to forgo fossil fuels completely?
A. Most lawn-keepers make their lawns pretty by applying
lots of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides--and
irrigating like the dickens. That is, in a nutshell, bad for the
earth, for the air, and for water. Too much water used for lawns
could be used for drinking or irrigating food crops, and chemicals
leach from lawn soil and end up in streams, rivers, lakes and
oceans.
I don't use chemicals on my lawn and never have. But until recently
I've thoughtlessly used standard operation procedure:
gasoline-powered rotary mowers, a riding mower, a couple of push
mowers, and a gas-powered weed whacker. My increasing awareness of
climate change and peak oil compelled me to ask myself if cutting the
lawn that way is OK. It became increasingly difficult to avoid the
conclusion that I really should find a better way. I decided to
switch from fossil solar energy to here-and-now solar energy: me,
combined with electricity from the sun.
Q. What is your lawn like now? What kind of maintenance does
it require?
A. It's not one of those Better Homes & Gardens creations.
It's just whatever comes up: a mix of grasses and some "weeds" like
dandelions. It requires fairly regular mowing of whatever nature has
seen fit to plant around the house, the vegetable and flower gardens,
and the fruit trees and berry bushes. There are a lot of rougher,
hilly areas. Yeah, you can play croquet on my lawn, but it is a much
more interesting and challenging form of the game than you might be
used to!
Q. Are you starting cold turkey, or easing into the system one
phase at a time? Will you allow any exceptions?
A. The first to go was the riding mower. That tool uses a
lot more fuel than a push mower, because it's not just cutting grass,
but also carrying its quarter-ton self plus me around. It was in the
picture in the first place because the lawn was too big for a push
mower alone. So there's the first element in the plan: Make the lawn
small enough that I can tend it with appropriate tools. I'll be
putting more of the lawn into white clover, which doesn't have to be
mowed as much, and low-growing ground covers.
My next step is to replace the remaining gas-eaters with
human-powered and/or electric-powered alternatives. My home is
completely solar-powered, so all electric implements will be fueled by
the sun. The only exception might be the gas-powered weed whacker
that I use to trim the tall pasture around my gardens.
Q. So what kinds of equipment will you be using now?
A. 1. Person-powered reel mower. I've been surprised at how
effective this tool is, and it's not much more work to push it
provided the ground is pretty level. It's not a good option on most
of my lawn because it's hilly and humpy, and it isn't effective on
grass more than about 3 inches high. For the smaller areas that are
fairly level and mowed regularly, this option works.
2. Scythe. Yet another step even farther back in time. I'm talking
about the European scythe, not the American ones you still find at
garage sales in the hinterlands. With a few ifs, this option will
work: If I'm willing to take some time to practice the right swing of
the tool. If I'm willing to learn to sharpen it. And if I keep it
sharp. According to the fellow from whom I bought my scythe, there
actually are "green landscapers" who make a living cutting urban lawns
this way no pollution, no noise. And I'm still looking for more
options, because I'm not yet skilled enough to do as much lawn as I
want this way. So far, like the reel mower, I'm more effective with
it on smooth and level lawns.
I already prefer my scythe over the gas-powered weed whacker in
spots where the grass is high because I only mow there two or three
times a season.
3. Electric rotary mower. I'm about to get at least one
battery-electric mower to replace the multiple gas-powered ones I've
been relying on for the more difficult parts of my lawn. Along with
the change in mowers, I'll be switching to a higher setting, which is
better for the grass.
4. Electric weed whackers. I'll use these for trimming in places
where the other equipment has trouble.
Q. Have you calculated the cost difference of your fossil-fuel
free system versus the methods you currently employ? Do you expect to
save money in the long run?
A. The electric equipment will cost more initially but it'll
cost less to operate. But "saving money" is not my motivation for
doing this. The real costs of doing lawn maintenance the American way
are way more than the monetary ones. I'm going to reduce my costs
even if I increase the amount of money I spend.
Q. What about the difference in time? It seems like you'll
probably have to spend more time and effort maintaining your lawn
this way.
A. I'll probably spend more time, though I may choose to
decrease the size of the lawn to a size that will require about the
same amount of time I spend now. I do expect the time spent to be
more pleasant, though, and far less noisy.
Q. What do you think will be the main benefits of eliminating
fossil fuels from your regular lawn maintenance?
A. I'll be doing a small bit to ward off climate change and
to get ready for a time when I won't be able to have a lawn if I
can't tend it without fossil fuels. And I'll be helping other people
do the same. Lawns are a big deal in this country--they cover an area
about the size of New York. That's the state, not the city. Things
could be different in our world if that New York state-sized lawn
were tended without fossil fuels.
To learn more about time-tested ways to keep a natural, healthy,
beautiful, chemical-free lawn, your best bet is Paul Tukey's
excellent and comprehensive book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual (
http://tinyurl.com/2kz4q4 ).
:bud:
by Tabitha Alterman
The recent wave of information about climate change, fossil fuel
dependence and the ubiquitous presence of toxic chemicals in our
environment has inspired many of us to look for greener approaches to
the routine things we need to do. This amped-up awareness is
increasing the popularity of "natural" lawns. For most of us, this
means eliminating chemical fertilizers, dyes and weed-killers from
the lawn's diet. Others have decided to plant drought-tolerant native
plants that need less water. Or food-bearing plants, such as
strawberries, which cover more of the ground so their lawns require
less all-around maintenance. The great news is that you can have a
gorgeous, low-maintenance lawn that's safe for your family and our
environment.
One inspiring lawn-keeper is Ed Smith, author of The Vegetable
Gardener's Bible and Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering
Containers, who is about to embark on a 100 percent fossil fuel-free
lawn care plan. Recently, Ed answered a few questions about what
motivated him to begin this plan and how it's going to work.
Q. Tell me about your lawn maintenance plan. What made you
decide to forgo fossil fuels completely?
A. Most lawn-keepers make their lawns pretty by applying
lots of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides--and
irrigating like the dickens. That is, in a nutshell, bad for the
earth, for the air, and for water. Too much water used for lawns
could be used for drinking or irrigating food crops, and chemicals
leach from lawn soil and end up in streams, rivers, lakes and
oceans.
I don't use chemicals on my lawn and never have. But until recently
I've thoughtlessly used standard operation procedure:
gasoline-powered rotary mowers, a riding mower, a couple of push
mowers, and a gas-powered weed whacker. My increasing awareness of
climate change and peak oil compelled me to ask myself if cutting the
lawn that way is OK. It became increasingly difficult to avoid the
conclusion that I really should find a better way. I decided to
switch from fossil solar energy to here-and-now solar energy: me,
combined with electricity from the sun.
Q. What is your lawn like now? What kind of maintenance does
it require?
A. It's not one of those Better Homes & Gardens creations.
It's just whatever comes up: a mix of grasses and some "weeds" like
dandelions. It requires fairly regular mowing of whatever nature has
seen fit to plant around the house, the vegetable and flower gardens,
and the fruit trees and berry bushes. There are a lot of rougher,
hilly areas. Yeah, you can play croquet on my lawn, but it is a much
more interesting and challenging form of the game than you might be
used to!
Q. Are you starting cold turkey, or easing into the system one
phase at a time? Will you allow any exceptions?
A. The first to go was the riding mower. That tool uses a
lot more fuel than a push mower, because it's not just cutting grass,
but also carrying its quarter-ton self plus me around. It was in the
picture in the first place because the lawn was too big for a push
mower alone. So there's the first element in the plan: Make the lawn
small enough that I can tend it with appropriate tools. I'll be
putting more of the lawn into white clover, which doesn't have to be
mowed as much, and low-growing ground covers.
My next step is to replace the remaining gas-eaters with
human-powered and/or electric-powered alternatives. My home is
completely solar-powered, so all electric implements will be fueled by
the sun. The only exception might be the gas-powered weed whacker
that I use to trim the tall pasture around my gardens.
Q. So what kinds of equipment will you be using now?
A. 1. Person-powered reel mower. I've been surprised at how
effective this tool is, and it's not much more work to push it
provided the ground is pretty level. It's not a good option on most
of my lawn because it's hilly and humpy, and it isn't effective on
grass more than about 3 inches high. For the smaller areas that are
fairly level and mowed regularly, this option works.
2. Scythe. Yet another step even farther back in time. I'm talking
about the European scythe, not the American ones you still find at
garage sales in the hinterlands. With a few ifs, this option will
work: If I'm willing to take some time to practice the right swing of
the tool. If I'm willing to learn to sharpen it. And if I keep it
sharp. According to the fellow from whom I bought my scythe, there
actually are "green landscapers" who make a living cutting urban lawns
this way no pollution, no noise. And I'm still looking for more
options, because I'm not yet skilled enough to do as much lawn as I
want this way. So far, like the reel mower, I'm more effective with
it on smooth and level lawns.
I already prefer my scythe over the gas-powered weed whacker in
spots where the grass is high because I only mow there two or three
times a season.
3. Electric rotary mower. I'm about to get at least one
battery-electric mower to replace the multiple gas-powered ones I've
been relying on for the more difficult parts of my lawn. Along with
the change in mowers, I'll be switching to a higher setting, which is
better for the grass.
4. Electric weed whackers. I'll use these for trimming in places
where the other equipment has trouble.
Q. Have you calculated the cost difference of your fossil-fuel
free system versus the methods you currently employ? Do you expect to
save money in the long run?
A. The electric equipment will cost more initially but it'll
cost less to operate. But "saving money" is not my motivation for
doing this. The real costs of doing lawn maintenance the American way
are way more than the monetary ones. I'm going to reduce my costs
even if I increase the amount of money I spend.
Q. What about the difference in time? It seems like you'll
probably have to spend more time and effort maintaining your lawn
this way.
A. I'll probably spend more time, though I may choose to
decrease the size of the lawn to a size that will require about the
same amount of time I spend now. I do expect the time spent to be
more pleasant, though, and far less noisy.
Q. What do you think will be the main benefits of eliminating
fossil fuels from your regular lawn maintenance?
A. I'll be doing a small bit to ward off climate change and
to get ready for a time when I won't be able to have a lawn if I
can't tend it without fossil fuels. And I'll be helping other people
do the same. Lawns are a big deal in this country--they cover an area
about the size of New York. That's the state, not the city. Things
could be different in our world if that New York state-sized lawn
were tended without fossil fuels.
To learn more about time-tested ways to keep a natural, healthy,
beautiful, chemical-free lawn, your best bet is Paul Tukey's
excellent and comprehensive book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual (
http://tinyurl.com/2kz4q4 ).
:bud: