You Bet Your Garden
Resolve to treat your garden better this year
By Mike McGrath
 Do you feed your plants the wrong food? Scalp your lawn of all its green growth? Act like every bug is a pest to be pilloried? Well, no more! Raise your right hand and repeat these resolutions:
I will be organic.
This means that you won't pour harsh chemical fertilizers, dangerous herbicides and poisonous pesticides all over the place.
I will make (or buy, borrow or steal) compost.
Feed your garden the way nature feeds the forests, with compost made from shredded leaves, grass clippings and kitchen garbage. One inch a year is all the food any plant needs.
I will water correctly.
Frequent, short sprinkles lead to weak, shallow-rooted plants. Your landscape needs one inch of water once a week. Don't water every day because plants do need to dry out.
I will mulch.
A thick layer of shredded leaves, dried grass clippings or straw (not wood chips) holds moisture in the soil, keeps your plants' roots cool and prevents weeds.
I will not kill my grass.
Adjust your mower to allow the grass to reach its natural height of 2 1/2 to 3 1/2inches. It will grow deep roots, crowd out weeds naturally, look great and require less cutting.
I will mulch my clippings.
Grass clippings are 10 percent nitrogen. Lawns eat nitrogen. The pulverized clippings from a mulching mower supply most of the food your lawn needs.
I will not panic when I see a bug.
Only a very small percentage of insects are pests, so don't kill every bug you see. A lot of buzzing and flying often means that your garden is thriving with beneficials and pollinators.
I will absolutely have fun.
Don't lose sight of why we love to grow things. Nature is beautiful and relaxing. Our gardens should be the same.
You Bet Your Garden can be heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on WHYY 91FM.
Visit You Bet Your Garden online.
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