On April 22nd we'll be celebrating the 54th annual Earth Day. While it's great to participate in Earth Day activities, why not make some changes to how we garden to support life on this planet better. I have some suggestions.

 Gardeners use a lot of plastic pots. Most of these plastic pots cannot be recycled and end up in the landfill. Instead of throwing out the pots, reuse them. As long as the pots are not broken, clean them well in spring with a 10% bleach solution for planting. For larger pots you don't need, ask your local garden center if they can reuse or recycle the pots. The less new plastic we purchase and use, the better for the planet.

 Create a mini meadow in your yard. Many gardeners want to help pollinators, but don't have the space or desire to turn their whole lawn into a pollinator garden. A solution is to find a small patch of your yard that isn't used much and create a mini meadow. 

Create a seed bed as you would for a vegetable garden, and plant wildflower seeds now. You'll grow a colorful mix of annuals and perennials that pollinators will love. Mow the meadow once in late fall.

Reduce the use of all pesticides by using row covers, micro mesh covers, traps, and companion planting in your gardens. Even organic pesticides can cause harm to beneficial insects.

Share your knowledge and time with some community gardening projects. Schools, churches, and libraries are some of the places that have gardens where you can help others grow food and flowers for all to enjoy.

On April 22nd we'll be celebrating the 54th annual Earth Day. While it's great to participate in Earth Day activities, why not make some changes to how we garden to support life on this planet better. I have some suggestions.
 Gardeners use a lot of plastic pots. Most of these plastic pots cannot be recycled and end up in the landfill. Instead of throwing out the pots, reuse them. As long as the pots are not broken, clean them well in spring with a 10% bleach solution for planting. For larger pots you don't need, ask your local garden center if they can reuse or recycle the pots. The less new plastic we purchase and use, the better for the planet.
 Create a mini meadow in your yard. Many gardeners want to help pollinators, but don't have the space or desire to turn their whole lawn into a pollinator garden. A solution is to find a small patch of your yard that isn't used much and create a mini meadow. 
Create a seed bed as you would for a vegetable garden, and plant wildflower seeds now. You'll grow a colorful mix of annuals and perennials that pollinators will love. Mow the meadow once in late fall.
Reduce the use of all pesticides by using row covers, micro mesh covers, traps, and companion planting in your gardens. Even organic pesticides can cause harm to beneficial insects.
Share your knowledge and time with some community gardening projects. Schools, churches, and libraries are some of the places that have gardens where you can help others grow food and flowers for all to enjoy.

Connecticut Garden Journal is a weekly program hosted by horticulturalist Charlie Nardozzi. Each week, Charlie focuses on a topic relevant to both new and experienced gardeners, including pruning lilac bushes, growing blight-free tomatoes, groundcovers, sunflowers, bulbs, pests, and more. Learn more about Charlie at gardeningwithcharlie.com.

Connecticut Garden Journal&nbsp;is a weekly program hosted by&nbsp;<a href="https://wnpr.org/people/charlie-nardozzi">horticulturalist Charlie Nardozzi</a>. Each week, Charlie&nbsp;focuses on a topic relevant to both new and experienced gardeners, including pruning lilac bushes, growing blight-free tomatoes, groundcovers, sunflowers, bulbs, pests, and more. Learn more about Charlie at&nbsp;<a href="http://gardeningwithcharlie.com/">gardeningwithcharlie.com</a>.

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