{"id":7342,"date":"2015-07-02T09:02:23","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T13:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/?p=7342"},"modified":"2024-11-01T10:15:11","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T14:15:11","slug":"greening-your-green-thumb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/giving-life\/featured-series\/greening-your-green-thumb\/","title":{"rendered":"Greening your green thumb"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog post was provided by Maggie MacDonald, Toxics Program Manager at Environmental Defence, as part of our featured series on the environment.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo Credit: Image by Flickr user Earthworm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using pesticides and conventional fertilizers may make your backyard look like an oasis on the surface, but they’re the real pests. \u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n

With summer in full swing, many people \u00a0are spending time outside gardening or \u00a0tending to their yards.<\/p>\n

Since 2005, Environmental Defence<\/a>, has helped people avoid toxic chemicals<\/a> that are harmful to human health and the environment, and the garden is a great place to start.<\/p>\n

Using pesticides and conventional fertilizers may make your backyard look like an oasis on the surface, but using these chemicals could impact your health without you noticing it.<\/p>\n

Chronic exposure to these chemicals can impact fertility, the brain and nervous system. And when it rains, water runoff can send these chemicals into nearby creeks and rivers\u2014ultimately ending up in our water supplies.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need to use a cocktail of toxic chemicals to keep weeds and bugs out of your garden. There are many ways that you can have a pristine backyard, while protecting the environment and your health at the same time.<\/p>\n

Here are a few tips to help you green your green thumb this year:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Stay natural<\/strong> \u2013Mother Nature knows best! Use all natural compost and keep pests at bay by using essential oils (lemongrass, cedar and eucalyptus can provide protection from an array of insects including mosquitoes, ants and fleas). You can also help to ward off bad bugs by finding ways to invite beneficial insects to your garden.<\/li>\n
  2. Choose plants that are native to your area<\/strong> \u2013 they are easier to grow and maintain because they are already adapted to the local environment.<\/li>\n
  3. Vinegar, the natural weed killer <\/strong>\u2013 nothing can drive a perfectionist green thumber crazier than a weed in their garden. Instead of pulling out the toxic weed killer, take out a bottle of white vinegar from your cupboard. It can repel any plant (especially if it\u2019s in a sunny spot) and is non-toxic and cheaper than conventional weed products. Note: be careful which plants you spray with it, because it doesn\u2019t discriminate.<\/li>\n
  4. Or just give weeds a yank<\/strong> \u2013 if you catch weeds early enough, you can simply pull them out of the ground. It\u2019s best to do it early in the morning. Morning dew makes the ground moist, which in turn, makes it easier for the weeds to be pulled out.<\/li>\n
  5. Make your own compost <\/strong>\u2013 save some money and help divert food waste from the landfill by making your own compost in your yard from scraps from your kitchen. Add some earthworms to help speed things along.<\/li>\n
  6. Be Nice to the Bees\u2013 <\/strong>in case you haven\u2019t heard, bees around the world are dying at a catastrophic rate<\/a>. Providing a pesticide-free spot in your backyard, and even creating a pollinator garden<\/a>, can be a great help to these bugs, which help put food on our tables.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Keeping your gardens and yards as natural and chemical-free as possible can go a long way to help protect your family\u2019s health. However, toxic chemicals can lurk in many places in your home.<\/p>\n

    To learn more about Environmental Defence please visit their charity profile >>><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This blog post was provided by Maggie MacDonald, Toxics Program Manager at Environmental Defence, as part of our featured series on the environment. Using pesticides … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":7346,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[603,612,614,613,611],"class_list":["post-7342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-series","tag-environment-series","tag-fertilizer","tag-garden","tag-green","tag-pesticides"],"acf":{"meta_description":"","author_bio":false},"yoast_head":"\nGreening your green thumb | CanadaHelps - Donate to any charity in Canada<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/giving-life\/featured-series\/greening-your-green-thumb\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Greening your green thumb | CanadaHelps - Donate to any charity in Canada\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This blog post was provided by Maggie MacDonald, Toxics Program Manager at Environmental Defence, as part of our featured series on the environment. 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