Landscape Rocks and Stones to Beautify Your Space

Colorful Rocks

Rocks and stones in the landscape offer stunning color, texture, and diversity. Plus, they function as an enduring groundcover that needs little to no upkeep.

Landscape rocks are attractive for a variety of reasons, one of which is their natural appearance. They instantly make a drab view look a bit more interesting and natural. Rocks are nature’s own artistic sculptures which come in so many different shapes and sizes that you can easily find some to fit with your landscape plan

These hard elements may blend in beautifully with the plant life in your space, or offset it with striking contrast, bringing movement and texture to your yard.

How to Choose the Best Landscaping Rocks

You have so many choices! Landscaping rocks and stones come in different sizes, colors, and textures. So, before you make your choices, get to know the most common stones you can use to improve your landscape.

Keep in mind that rocks are so very common throughout the world and have so many variations, that it is not uncommon for the same type of rock to go by several different names depending on where you are. My advice to any homeowner would be to actually visit a few rock yards and see the rock up close. Don’t just assume that you and the rock supplier have the same rock in mind just because you are using the same term.

We will show you a bunch of different rocks in this article with a bunch of different names, but realize that there is no rock police going around making sure people call rocks by their proper names. Wholesalers and retail suppliers might just call a rock anything that they think will sell more rock.

You also need to be aware of forms versus names, versus types of rock. It gets a bit confusing, and is not always clear which is which.

  • Forms – Many rocks are labelled by their form such as slab, flag, gravel, washed, outcropping, boulder, pebble, crushed, fractured, chunk, etc.
  • Names – Many rocks are named for where they came from or what they look like. Names like Wisconsin Fieldstone, Colorado Mountain Boulders, Black Beauty Stone, Black Mountain Stone, River Rock, etc.
  • Types – Stone and rock is technically separated by specific types, but that doesn’t mean that they are selling it by type.
    • Metamorphic Rock – These are made of rock that has been changed by heat and pressure. Schist and Marble are common metamorphic rocks.
    • Sedimentary Rock – These rocks are formed when sediment settles out of water or air. Sandstone and Limestone are common sedimentary rocks.
    • Igneous Rock – These form when molten rock cools. Granite and Basalt are two common igneous rocks used in landscaping.

A Bunch of Examples

Pea Gravel

Pea Gravel

Pea gravel is made up of pea-sized stones that have been polished and eroded over time by the continual flow of water. These stones are can be used for various applications, including pathways, driveways, patios, flower beds, and garden borders. This is a type of washed stone, so they contain no fines. This and their smooth surface means that they will not compact and bind together, so if you are considering using them in a driveway or patio, you need to understand that they will move around.

Pea gravel is available in many earthy tones, and you can find them along streams and other naturally occurring sources of water.

The stones’ smooth texture makes them ideal for walking paths if you don’t mind the soft feel underfoot. Pea gravel will never be fun to walk in while wearing heels, so only use it in casual garden paths.

It also works as an excellent stone mulch because it controls weeds and does not disintegrate like organic mulch. However, on warm days, your plants surrounded by rock mulch can get too hot, causing them to lose water.

The best thing about pea gravel is its cost-effectiveness. This is one of the cheaper decorative stones to purchase.

River Rocks

River Rock

Do you want rocks that can draw attention, contrast with green grass or plants? River rocks will be perfect for the landscape.

River rocks are naturally shaped into what they are (rounded) by flowing water. When you go to rivers, lakes, or oceans, you will see many of these river rocks. They can appear in a variety of sizes and colors, but they will usually have small imperfections on a mostly smooth and even surface.

River rocks are very popular in backyard ponds and waterfalls and are often used as a long-term replacement for wood mulch on garden beds. River rock is also often used in landscaping to help control erosion and to channel excess water flow.

Gardeners also like putting river rock pebbles at the bottom of succulent plants in containers to encourage drainage. Why is it important? Proper drainage is crucial to prevent root rot.

And, as mentioned earlier, your options for river rocks are limitless! Although, expect to pay more to get rarer colors such as burgundy, red, and green.

Lastly, river stones have long been a landscape staple due to their beautiful colors, smooth texture and long lasting durability. Whe installed over a high quality landscape fabric, river rock on your beds can last you a lifetime.

Crushed Limestone

Crushed Limestone used as a base for Brickwork

Limestone is a raw material utilized in several applications worldwide, such as infrastructure, agriculture, and industrial products. For your landscape, though, limestone’s color is sure to impress if you use it as a loose-fill material in pathways, driveways, and patios.

Crushed limestone is still one of the most popular landscaping stones with high reliability, accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and aesthetic appeal.

Crushed limestone is some of the hardest packing material that you can find. The sharp angles of the fractured stone along with the dusty fines will cause this stone to compact very hard over time. Often referred to as traffic bond (TB), this is a very economical stone offered in a wide range of sizes that is often used for the foundations of roads, driveways and walkways.

Also, crushed limestone is high in nutrients and can help plants, flowers, and vegetables grow faster. The calcium carbonate component of agricultural lime (from limestone deposits) may be used to neutralize part of the acid in the soil when you distribute it over the soil.

Stone Dust

Stone Dust

Stone dust is a by-product of the crushing industry. It’s coarser than sand yes not as course as 3/8″ traffic bond.

Property owners commonly use it in outdoor landscaping projects or as an easy to work top coat over a base of crushed limestone when installing brick paver or stone patios and walkways. It is easy to work with , yet will set up much more solid than sand. Once this material is watered down, it will become very hard. to fill in gaps.

Crushed Granite

Crushed Granite

Crushed granite, like other crushed rock, is perfect for large-scale projects. Landscape professionals prefer to put crushed granite around the margins of their paths to create a good transition between the trail and the greenery since it blends in well and compacts nicely.

Crushed granite is more expensive than some stone, but it is a very popular and long lasting alternative to the more pricey river rock. It is often used as a bed cover and also in walkways as it will compact fairly hard over landscape fabric and create a quick to install solid path.

It also has a delicate, organic aesthetic that works nicely in a relaxed setting and is simple to install by yourself! If you don’t want your landscape looking dull, perhaps don’t take these rocks for granite.

Decomposed Granite

Decomposed Granite and Outcropping Stones

Decomposed granite and crushed granite may well be the same stone, with decomposed being just a bit more fine. It is granite that got broken down to the point that it is made up of very minute and fine fragments. They are referred to as “Masado” (Japanese) and are considered unique soil. Some folks refer to this stone as rotted granite also.

You can choose from various colors, which makes it great for making your pathways and trails. But you’ll mostly see decomposed granite appearing tan with a hint of red. Anyway, it will give your landscape a warm, rustic feel.

It’s also reasonably priced, that’s why it’s among the best rocks for landscape beds!

Decomposed granite is a fantastic option to use in planting beds, as it is so fine that turning it into the ground while planting some new perennials wont be a problem like it would with other stone ground covers.

Lava Rock

Lava Rock

Lava rock is volcanic rock formed by the crystallization of actual lava after it has cooled. You can classify a lava rock as an igneous rock.

But what’s so special about lava rock? Well, I’m not really sure, but people sure do like to use them in their landscapes. They are inexpensive, lightweight, and water moves freely through them. They can be an ideal, long-lasting bed cover for homeowners who don’t want to lift some of the heavier alternatives.

Furthermore, they can hold some water in their pores and then send it to the plants over time. They’re also fantastic weed and insect deterrents.

Lava rock has also been used extensively in the water garden industry as a light and porous rock with a lot of surface areas for bacteria to collect and colonize. Mesh bags of lava rock can often be found holding down the filters in a waterfall box.

Crushed Shells (not actually Stone)

Crushed Shells

Let’s get this out of the way: by using crushed shells for your landscape, you’re helping the environment.

According to Dr. James Morris (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences), seashells are always discarded; by doing so, people throw away an astounding volume of biomaterials that may be beneficial. See how big of a deal your choice of landscape rock is?

While not technically rock or stone, this natural material sure does act like it in the landscape. For gardens, flower beds, and other spaces in your landscape, this sustainable material can be utilized as a composting type mulch. The shells will break down over time, providing important minerals and sustenance to your soil and enhancing the health of your plants.

Using crushed shells can help restore poor soil and annoy pests.

Crushed seashells are often used to line walkways, giving them a soft and shiny sort of sparkle.

Flagstones

Flagstone Walkway

Most lovely stone pathways, flooring, and roofing you’ve seen in pictures are built from flagstone. Did you know that flagstone is actually a classic roofing material? For instance, stone shingles are required to cover ancient structures in the Aosta Valley, Italy.

The term flagstone can refer to almost any variety of stone that breaks out of the quarry in flat , thin slabs. They are most often used for some of the most decorative patios and walkways in upscale neighborhoods. Flagstone can be randomly shaped as it naturally broke out of the earth, or it can be pattern cut (meaning cut into a specific pattern of square and rectangular pieces).

This versatile stone can be laid over dirt in a more relaxed, stepping stone path setting , laid over crushed stone in a slightly more formal and very durable application, or wet set using mortar over concrete for a very formal, very durable patio or walkway.

Because the term flagstone is such a general term that refers more to the stones shape than it’s make-up, be sure to ask about what type of flagstone it is. Flagstone can range from very hard slate and bluestones to very soft sandstones, so one flagstone is certainly not every flagstone.

Below are examples of different stones that might all be referred to as flagstone.

Slab Stone

Another beautiful way to use stone in your landscape is to create patios, walkways and bridges using slab stone.

Slabstone is typically larger slabs of stone broken out of a quarry that is thicker than flagstone, yet not as thick as outcropping stone.

In my area, limestone slabs are the most common type, but I would imagine that there are other varieties. For a stone to be used as a slab stone like this, it needs to be strong enough to support its own weight when it is picked up. Layered stone such as this isn’t nearly as common as the smaller flagstone pieces.

Riprap

Riprap is a long-lasting lining of big, angular stone or boulders that is generally used to protect, reinforce, and shield the soil surface from degradation in locations where there is a significant activity.

Riprap comes in many different shapes according to the stones used, such as limestone, trap rock (basalt and diabase), granite, etc.

It has a more even tint and is less ornamental than the other rocks mentioned, though it has a really natural look that plays nicely in various settings.

It’s usually placed only on shorelines and steep slopes due to its massive size (4 inches to 2 feet in diameter). Riprap will protect these structures from scour. So if you have a property in front of the beach, you’ll want to have these huge landscaping stones to protect it from being washed away.

Outcropping Stone

Outcropping stone is typically stone that is broken out of a quarry in big, thick chunks.

This stone is usually just left with its broken edge (called snapped edge), but is also sold as weathered edge which has one side of the stone that was exposed for a very long time to the elements and has become weathered. Obviously the weathered stone is always more expensive since it is much more rare.

There are many uses for large outcropping stones, such as building walls, steps, decorative outcroppings in the landscape, etc.

Wall Stone

Stone can be specifically purchased to make walls. These stones are usually cut to size and sometimes may then be tumbled to give them a more rustic look.

They are very popular to use in the landscape since they are easy to carry and stack together nicely.

All types of stone can be used as wall stone, even if the stones are not cut to shape and size.

Bull Rock

Bull Rock

Bull rock is a term used to describe a type of smaller stone that is often used in garden beds and fsmaller flowage ways. It is not crushed stone and it is not river rock, but it is somewhere in between. It is often found in the Southwestern United States and is somewhat smooth, but not necessarily rounded.

You can recognize bull rock by the size of the individual pieces (three to five inches) and the distinct, earthy brown tones. These rocks would be appropriate landscape edging material or included in rock gardens. Bull rock reminds me of desert rock.

Landscape Boulders

Landscape Boulders as Accent

First, what counts as a boulder? According to geologists, a boulder would be any rock with a diameter that goes above 10 inches.

Most people are afraid to get really big boulders for fear of being excessive. But you can never go wrong with a few big pieces of rock carefully positioned in your vast landscape! Once the landscape boulders are in place, the whole site will be perfect.

Even one big, irregularly shaped boulder can function as the center of attention. A boulder can be a neat accent in a small yard, where an attractive shrub may get too big or wild.

If you’re looking for nice focal points in your landscaping project, why not try the biggest rocks in existence?

Once again, this is a very general term that more refers to the size and shape of the rock than it does to its make-up. A landscape boulder can be any type of rock, so once again, use caution. Boulders can be as solid and strong as granite or as prone to wear and erosion as sandstone and everywhere in between. It is always wise to ask what type of boulders do you carry?

When people use the term boulder, they are typically referring to a large rock that is fairly rounded and natural looking. These stones can also be referred to as fieldstone since they are often naturally occuring in fields. A squared off block of stone that was blasted out of a quarry might instead be called fractured rock or block.

Here are some examples of the many types of boulders that you might come across.

Brick Chips 

Brick Chips

Brick chips are tiny fragments of brick that have been disintegrated. They have a unique red shade that makes them stand out from other landscaping rocks. These are simply recycled clay bricks, so this is a great way to re-purpose the old clay bricks.

Use brick chips if you want to add a pop of color to your landscaping beds, pathways, patios, and other areas! If you decide to use them, lay down landscaping cloth first to keep the pieces from sinking into the ground and keep weeds at bay.

What’s more, is they can serve as low-maintenance mulch too. You can count on them to keep their texture and color for a very long time.

How to Use Rocks in a Landscape  

Have you already decided on which landscape rocks you like? We’re sure you’re now looking for inspiration! Here are creative ways you can use rocks and stones in your landscape.

Stepping Stones for the Landscape

Stepping Stones

If your landscape needs a little something more going on, maybe it’s time to lay down stepping stones. These well-placed stones will add extra character, dimension, and color to your otherwise bare landscape!

Use them to form casual trails that wind their way around your property, link the main points of attraction, bridge water elements, and visually add a cohesive look to your landscape elements.

Crushed Stone Driveways 

Crushed Stone Driveway

Crushed stone is an excellent choice for people who want to incorporate some style into their driveway without spending a fortune. It is plentiful, readily available, and reasonably priced.

Crushed stone driveways complement any setting and enhance any landscape. This is due to its adaptable look, which appeals to a wide range of tastes. It very often provides an impression of raw charm and never appears inappropriate.

Seating Areas in the Garden

Seating Area in the Garden

A sitting area decorated with beautiful rocks will always look inviting. You can start by lining the surrounding pathway with flagstones.

Of course, you should always consider the plants first. Plants with matching hues to the rocks will provide harmony. 

To distinguish between the garden seating area and the rest of the garden, put together a variety of irregularly shaped stones on the ground. Lighter colors and bigger sizes will be easier to piece together and will look more lively.

Walkways with Stones

Do you want your yard to have a vintage vibe to it that harkens back to the streets of old Italy? Your best option would be to place cobblestone on walkways. These are rectangle-shaped blocks of natural stone with a surface that is mostly cracked.

You may even go for granite that is structured like cobblestone! Either way, you’re getting extremely long-lasting materials.

Dry Riverbed Landscaping

Why do people choose to landscape with dry riverbeds? It’s because they reduce ruts in the grass by preventing drainage problems.

They also contribute to your well-being.

So if you’re looking for a quick way to enhance a dull space in the landscape and help control storm water flow, maybe try it!

Water Features with Rocks

There are a million ways to design your water features with landscaping rocks! If you’re wondering where to start, you can always build a rock waterfall in your garden.

You can also make a bubbling rock water feature—the sparkle of water combined with the natural beauty of the rocks will always look delightful.

Edging Using Boulders

Edging Using Boulders

Boulders placed as edging can liven up your landscape and add more detail to it. Edging with boulders can elevate the appearance of your outdoor environment.

Surround the Edible Garden

Raise Rock Bed for Vegetables

Raised beds that house your essential edible crops can use a little style around the edges. And there’s no better way to do that than to lay uniformly sized stones along the perimeter! It’s certainly a nice approach if you want to add depth to your veggie garden.

Rustic Rock Garden

A rock garden might help you save up on maintenance costs. Quite often, a densely laid out and planted rock garden will fend off most weeds, so it’s a nice way to add some low maintenance interest to your yard. Rock gardens can be of any size and shape. The beauty of a rock garden is more about the various heights and textures of the rocks when planted with low growing plants.

This style of garden almost looks like a mountain range viewed at a distance.

Zen Garden Landscaping

Zen Garden

A Zen Garden can just be your ultimate place of relaxation. You can calm down for a bit and spend time with nature when you feel stressed.

You should arrange rocks in odd-numbered groups. For instance, get three stones of the same kind, but in different sizes. You can put them in a triangle arrangement. Bam! You now have an interesting detail to your Zen garden.

To explain: three-rock clusters were once utilized to represent the Buddhist trinity.

Create a Mosaic Walkway

Mosaic Walkway

Mosaic walkways are a labor of love and only really used in smaller backyard settings due to their intricacy and the time it takes to install them.

They can be installed over a gravel base, or even on the bare ground in areas that don’t freeze, but in areas with freezing temperatures, you will need to set these stones in mortar over a poured concrete base.

You can use almost any type of stone. The trick is to make it creative and find colors and textures that compliment each other.

Alpine Rock Garden

Alpine Rock Garden

Alpine plants are those that grow in mountain terrain. Water is used sparingly in rocky alpine gardening, which is nice if you’re into low-maintenance, easy landscaping. And the best thing is the rockery will last for a long time.

To give you an idea: colored gravel should be strewn around the bigger rocks. This creates a nice touch, so play around with different textures and sizes to add variety.

English Rock Garden

English Rock Garden

Probably the oldest rock garden was created in Orford, England, around 1767.

Having an English rock garden means mixing elaborate rockwork and beautiful shrubbery. This will give you a lovely, peaceful space in the landscape.

Use it as Bed Cover

Rock Installed Instead of Mulch

Using any type of rock as a bed cover has become a popular way to cut down on yard maintenance. Be sure to install a top quality landscape fabric under the rock to be sure the weeds aren’t going to jump up in between the rocks.

Frequently Asked Questions About Landscaping Rocks

  • What is the least expensive landscaping rock? – It varies by region, but crushed gravel, pea gravel, and decomposed granite are usually the cheapest. Pea gravel is tiny and lightweight, and purchasing by the pound will provide more coverage. Meanwhile, keep in mind that rarer colors of decomposed granite will cost more.
  • What kind of rocks are landscape rocks? – The most common rocks used for the landscape are granite, pea gravel, river rock, lava rock, and flagstone.
  • What type of rock is ideal for flower beds? – Lava rock is highly regarded among property owners as an excellent substitute for mulch in flower gardens. These irregular red chunks of rock are kind of pricey, but they’re great to have in your landscape.
  • Do rocks attract termites? – There’s always a possibility for termite infestations to occur when rocks are present in outdoor spaces. Termites are drawn to moisture. Therefore if the soil close to the rocks is frequently damp, that spot will have a higher chance of infestation.

REFERENCES

www.usbg.gov/sites/default/files/images/mulch_science_page.pdf

https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=14317

https://books.google.ca/books?id=MVoEMNI5Vb0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=limestone+uses&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwje2dHc2YDvAhWviK0KHSb7CGcQ6AEwAHoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=limestone%20uses&f=false

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/472-limestone-uses

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291075103_Stone_Dust_in_Concrete_Effect_on_Compressive_Strength

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038080620327347/pdf?md5=54896c2ca9d14b48311d0c612e58f647&pid=1-s2.0-S0038080620327347-main.pdf

https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-igneous-rocks?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128095881/assessment-restoration-and-reclamation-of-mining-influenced-soils

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James-Morris-21

https://bryophytes.science.oregonstate.edu/page25.htm

https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/sea-shells

https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12225

dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2007.12.005

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-017-0450-x

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352710220337001

https://stormwater.pca.state.mn.us/index.php?title=Erosion_prevention_practices_-_Riprap

https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128111918/geology-and-landscape-evolution

https://www.usgs.gov/news/earthword-scour

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812726-1.00008-5

https://books.google.com.ph/books?vid=ISBN978-0922152896

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041621000656

https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/lee_yoon_j_200505_mla.pdf

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1390452

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258375012_Alpine_Plant_Life_Functional_Plant_Ecology_Of_High_Mountain_Ecosystems

https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/13989/

https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef605

Are Decks Really Functional?

Deck

When it comes to backyard gathering areas, our choices are decks or patios. The term deck usually refers to a wooden structure raised off of the ground, and the term patio more often refers to a flat masonry surface installed in the ground.

There are definitely those who feel very strongly one way or the other, but many homeowners prefer to install a deck over a patio. We will explore this choice a bit further and try to figure out exactly why some people have such great admiration for their deck.

A well-built deck can transform your backyard into a cozy spot where you can host parties or private gatherings. It can also serve as an area where a family can relax after a stressful day at work.

Despite their popularity, many homeowners are still undecided and overwhelmed by the idea of planning and building a deck on their property. There are so many options to consider and decisions to make that it can seem like a daunting process.

If you’re one of these people that could use a backyard gathering space but are still on the fence when it comes to decks, let me help you decide whether a deck is the thing for you or not. I’ve listed every deck’s function and answered some frequently asked questions about this popular landscape feature.

What is a Deck?

A deck is a raised platform built from wood or a wood-like product that can be freestanding or attached to a house. Its primary purpose is to give you a comfortable and convenient place to sit and relax with your family. Decks can have many options, but most will have railings and stairs.

One of the most common materials used in building decks is natural wood. Pine, cedar, and redwood are popular choices, but composite wood materials and vinyl have gained popularity recently.

One nice aspect of decks is that you can easily add additional structure for some privacy or shade. If you’re not a fan of roofs, you can add a pergola that can make it look more natural and provide some shade while helping it blend with the surrounding landscape.

Similar to a patio, you have the option to add extra features to your deck, such as an outdoor kitchen and a firepit. However, this is a raised wooden platform, so it does have some inherent limitations to consider.

The Good Things About Owning a Deck

You may be thinking about decks and wondering if they are a good fit for you, your family, and your home. Here are some of the good things that come along with deck ownership.

Decks increase the value of your home

According to most experts, relative to their cost, decks can boost the value of your home more than adding other outdoor living spaces. Data suggests that you can expect a 100% return in value for your deck if you decide to sell your property in the future.

Apart from this, decks have a certain appeal to people, so you might be able to sell your house more quickly.

The increase in home value and desire to purchase a home with a deck only applies to homes with well-built and maintained decks.

A poorly built or worn-down deck can definitely lower your home value and make it a less appealing purchase because the potential buyer will see it as something that needs to be fixed.

The moral of the story is if you are going to install a deck, make it a nice one and plan to keep it well maintained.

Decks offer more functionality to your property

Outdoor living has become a popular trend, and decks make this possible. Adding chairs or a sofa on your deck can give you a space to relax and unwind when you feel like a bit of relaxation in the great outdoors.

What’s more, if you decide to add an outdoor kitchen or maybe a roof to your deck, you’ll be able to enjoy sumptuous meals with your family regardless of the weather.

The addition of a well-built, sizeable deck can allow you to do more in your outdoor living space than ever before.

Decks increase your living space.

Having an additional sitting or gathering area gives you more entertaining flexibility and more space for the family to spread out a bit.

When the weather is good, decks are a great family and friends gathering space unlike anything inside your home.

Decks can be gardening space.

Some homeowners also decide to use their deck for their container garden. They set out some decorative pots and grow some select veggies and herbs to use for cooking.

Decks enhance social gatherings

Decks are perfect if you like to stage parties and gatherings. It offers a less claustrophobic atmosphere, and your guests won’t need to worry about being in close quarters or needing to take off their shoes. Decks are also great gathering places for those who like to enjoy a good cigar from time to time. Now your cigar smoking guests don’t need to stand in the driveway to enjoy a smoke.

Your deck can be like a second kitchen

If you are having a party and the inside kitchen is full of cooks and food, your outdoor cooking area can be put into action to help take some of the load off the indoor oven. Fire up that grill, and let’s see what we can do.

If your deck is big enough to house an outdoor kitchen, it would be even better. Having all the features of a secondary kitchen out on your deck could be a very cool way to interact with your guests while cooking an excellent meal.

Your deck can have fire.

Another cool thing you can do on your deck is to gather your visitors around a fire pit for some effortless, cozy late-night chats. Of course, if you will be burning wood up on a wooden deck, you will need to be sure to have a high-quality fire mat below your portable fire pit. If you plan to use your deck in this way, be sure that there aren’t piles of leaves or woodchips below your deck that could catch fire should a hot ember drop down between the boards.

Decks improve the aesthetic appeal of your yard.

While adding flower beds, privacy fencing, and outdoor living rooms can dress up your yard, building a high quality, creatively designed deck can add some height and structure to your yard at a reasonable price.

With the wide variety of materials that you can use in your deck construction, you can really be creative and make this deck an integral part of your landscape design.

The height of the deck can add to the intrigue by offering multiple levels and differing viewpoints of the yard.

Decks can give you more privacy

If you want to enjoy your outside space without worrying about the prying eyes of your neighbors, then build a deck. The rails of the deck will already increase your feeling of privacy. Add to that the height difference, and your deck can be much more private than a patio in the same spot.

Many other privacy features can also be added to decks, such as latticework, pergolas, gazebos, seat walls,  curtains, and privacy panels.

By having a deck, you can increase the private space in your yard in a comfortable way.

Decks can double as additional storage

Since decks are often elevated, the space below it can be used as dry or wet storage.

Dry deck storage requires a waterproof barrier between the space below and the decking board, and this would require an under-the-deck drainage system to keep your stuff dry and protected.

On the other hand, Wet deck storage doesn’t need protection from the elements. All the items you’re going to store here are weatherproof, and some great examples are kayaks, pipes, plastic toys, etc.

If you enclose the underside of your deck with latticework or privacy walls, you are essentially creating a storage shed on your property.

Decks can serve as a stage for kids

Consider the excitement of your children when they realize that they can perform a play up on stage in their own yard. I’ll be that you’ll have some fun and impressive performances if you have a well-built deck to use as a stage.

You can gather some blankets and lay them on the grass, so you have a seating space while your children are up on your deck performing whatever it is they want to perform.

Decks can be great play areas.

I know several people who have gates on their decks and can close them and use them as contained and controlled play areas for their toddlers. Now they have a space where the little tike isn’t going to wander off and will not come back into the house covered in mud since the deck is high and dry—no muddy mess to be found here.

Even when the kids get a bit older, the deck can be a great palace to play when the grass is wet. Because it is elevated and well-drained, the deck will be the first surface to dry off after a storm.

Decks can be a fun outdoor office

It can be difficult to stare at your computer monitor or your office wall for days on end. This is where decks become extremely helpful. By moving to your deck from time to time to work, your mind becomes more refreshed. The change of scenery encourages the production of serotonin in your brain, which makes you happier, and therefore, more productive. The deck can also be an excellent place for your teenager to get some homework done in an area away from the younger kids.

Decks are relatively inexpensive.

Compared to other similarly functioning features of your home, decks are relatively cheap. Building a deck can be much more economical than building a patio due to the materials’ ease of construction and economy.

Decks may be safer than patios.

No matter what you build on your property, there will always be codes to follow to ensure safety. Compared to patios, decks can be seen as safer because handrails are all around the deck. These rails can make walking sitting, and standing easier for the elderly and provide a barrier to the surrounding gardens for the young children.

Decks can be fairly low maintenance

There are a lot of landscape features that are high maintenance (fountains, ponds, outdoor kitchen, etc.) Luckily, decks aren’t one of them. Sure, you will need to clean it every once in a while to remove dry leaves and other air-born debris just like you would with a patio, but you won’t need to worry about pulling weeds and adding mortar or sand as you might with a patio.

Decks might require power washing, sealing, and staining every so often, depending on the type of wood and finish that you’ve chosen.  

Decks provide peace and quiet

Living in a fast-paced world means we experience constant stress. The good thing about having a deck is that we have an area outside our home where we can have some peace and quiet when everything seems overwhelming. Just a few minutes spent lounging on your deck can significantly change your mood.

Decks allow you to be creative

Decks are among the most customizable home features. That being said, you can use your creativity to design one that fits your home. There are so many deck styles that one can choose from, such as single-step designs, multi-tiered, or those which have extra amenities like planters, seats, bars, fire pits, and hot tubs. Your options are practically limitless, and you can customize them according to your taste.

Decks are relatively fast and easy to install

Many homeowners delay the installation of their outdoor gathering space because they fear that it will be a long and drawn-out project. Compared to patios that can take weeks with heavy equipment and stone or brick dust, decks can be constructed in a shorter time period with less yard disruption.

Decks can be built where patios cannot

A patio requires excavation to hardpan and the installation of a base below the patio surface. We still need to excavate with deck construction to set the support posts, but there are only a few of them, and we can design the deck to place those support posts wherever we would like. We can design a deck to avoid buried utilities, tree roots or any other objects that may interfere. If you’ve got a prize tree in the area where you would like to have your living space, you can build the deck around it or right up close to it to take advantage of its shade without the fear of damaging its root structure.

Decks can be installed on uneven terrain

This is where the flexibility of deck design and construction can really shine! Decks are quite literally designed to be installed on uneven terrain. Decks can be installed practically anywhere as long as there is a suitable and durable foundation.

On a steeply sloped backyard where you would need to do a great deal of excavating and create multiple very expensive retaining walls to build a patio, a deck can be built with no problem at all.

In fact, decks become much more interesting in an interestingly sloped backyard. The deck and its potential for multiple levels and stairways can be your access to some areas of your property that might be otherwise inaccessible.

Decks make your place a little cooler during summer

Decks can literally make your yard cooler. Unlike brick and stone, which absorb the heat and then release it back into the yard as the night air cools, the deck boards do not take in as much heat, and they actually shade the ground to keep the overall yard temperatures cooler. The lighter the color of your deck, the more heat it will reflect rather than absorb.

Decks help improve health

Fresh air and sunshine will indeed do a body good, and more time outside will get you more of both of these vital elements. Especially if you have a deck that provides you with some shade, you will be able to spend long days out on the deck, which will lower stress levels as well as provide fresh air and sunshine.

The Bad Things About Owning a Deck

To be fair in our analysis, I need to let you know about some of the negative aspects of owning a deck.

Decks are made of wood or wood-like materials

The fact that the entire structure is made out of wood comes with some disadvantages.

  • Wood needs to be maintained – no matter the type; eventually, wood will need some maintenance.
  • Wood changes over time – Wood will move, crack, twist, and generally change over time.
  • Wood is flammable – The fact that your deck is flammable can limit how you are able to use it.
  • Wood can give you nasty splinters – If you’ve ever gotten a sliver of wood stuck into your foot, you know what I am talking about.
  • Wood can deteriorate over time, especially in wet areas or areas with termites and carpenter ants.
  • Squirrels and chipmunks can chew on wood.
  • Composite, wood-like materials tend to be really hot in the sun and tend to sag and fade over time.

Decks are raised off of the ground

The fact that your deck is off of the ground will come with some disadvantages

  • Because they are off of the ground, this will limit the type of products that you can use if considering building an outdoor kitchen. Most outdoor kitchens are constructed of masonry materials, which will not work on top of a deck. Large masonry structures need a solid footing on the ground, which means that masonry fireplaces would not work on a deck either.
  • Because they are raised off of the ground, a deck will usually need to have stairways and railings by code.
  • Because they are off of the ground, decks might increase falls – I know that this contradicts some of the safety aspects listed above, but the fact that a deck is raised off the ground means that it is possible to fall off the deck or down the stairs.

Decks can be cooler

Being raised off of the ground and allowing the wind to whip up underneath them can make a deck colder during the windy and cold times of the year. Decks can also be cooler simply because they may catch more wind being up higher in the yard.

Decks are constructed with metal fasteners

These metal fasteners, will loosen, crack and corrode over time, so one day, your deck may not be as strong as it once was.

Decks can be slippery

Depending on the wood that they are constructed of, and depending on whether or not they are finish coated, decks can be very slippery when wet. Also remember that a deck in the shade may grow some moss, which can be very slippery also.

Decks have space below

The fact that there is space below the deck means that you may need to close the area off using lattice or privacy walls. This space can be helpful for storage but can also be a place where animals make nests and leaves and debris can pile up. This area can be very difficult to clean out. If the underside of the deck is left open, it can look a bit messy. How can you landscape an area below the deck?

Most decks are mounted to the house

Most of these structures are connected to the house with a ledger board. This sometimes requires removing siding to mount it properly. The real struggle comes twenty years later when you decide to remove the deck and then need to find a piece of siding to match the house.

 Frequently Asked Questions About Decks

What is the cheapest way to build a deck?

If you are on a budget and you don’t want to break the bank, it is still possible for you to have a beautiful deck. One way to build a cheap deck is to choose an affordable but durable material. Using pressure-treated pine rather than some exotic species will definitely save you a few bucks. Choosing to build a square or rectangular deck rather than some unusual shape will cut costs. Planning your deck to take full advantage of nominal board lengths is important so that you don’t end up with a bunch of useless cutoffs at the end of the project. If you are a handy person, you could always build your own deck. If you are planning to hire a contractor, take your time. Talk to a bunch of contractors and choose the one that you think is trustworthy. Then, ask the contractor if you can get any sort of discount if your deck were installed in the offseason.

Will adding a deck increase my taxes?

Property tax laws vary, but generally speaking, your property tax will likely increase when you do renovations or improvements to your home. In the case of decks, your choice between freestanding and standard styles will directly affect your property tax. Standard decks attached to your home can be considered improvements that increase your home value, and therefore, they can raise your property tax. Freestanding or floating decks may not require a building permit since they aren’t connected to your house.

Does homeowner’s insurance cover a deck?

Like property taxes, whether or not your deck is attached to your house may affect whether or not your homeowner’s insurance covers it. However, if it is freestanding and situated near a pool or other areas of your landscape, its insurance coverage may be limited. Usually, insurers approve a claim if your deck is destroyed or damaged by unpreventable incidents such as theft, fire, storm damage, vandalism, etc.

Can an amateur build a deck?

Technically, an amateur can build a deck given enough information. If you are a handy person who has the patience and ability to measure and mark accurately, dig holes, use a level, operate a saw and power drill, and generally maintain accuracy in your work, then you should be able to handle the project. Most DIY projects that look unprofessional are due to a lack of quality control and accuracy of work rather than lack of knowledge.

How long do decks usually last?

Your deck’s life will greatly depend on the material you use to build it. On average, natural wood can last from 10 to 30 years if you maintain it properly. Meanwhile, some claims state that cedar, mahogany, and pressure-treated lumber can last 40+ years.

Do I need to power wash my deck?

Most people power wash their decks to prepare them for painting or staining. While this method is quick and efficient, this is not always suggested. A pressure washer can do significant damage if your deck is made from softer wood. If you need to refinish your deck, you may want to simply sand it down. For simple maintenance, deck cleaning solutions are recommended since you only have to wash it with water and a hose.

How do I clean my deck naturally?

There are many types of deck washers and cleaners, and a good number of them are all-natural. Two of the top choices are borax solution and the mixture of dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar. Borax is a versatile cleaner that you can buy at local stores. The correct ratio is one cup of borax for every one gallon of water. Scrub the areas of your deck where you sprayed some borax solution in order to remove that unwanted mildew and algae. Another inexpensive and natural cleaning solution is the combination of baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, and water. All you have to do is sprinkle baking soda on your deck, and then apply the mixture of water, dish soap, and vinegar before you scrub.

What is a good deck size?

If you are looking at creating a small deck that can hold a round dining table and four chairs, you are looking at around 144 square feet. However, on average, a deck should be about 300 to 400 square feet for you and your family to be more comfortable using it. Some of the things to keep in mind are your personal preference in shape and layout, the amount of furniture you need on the deck, and its location. To get a good feel for your future deck, just take a long rope or garden hose out in the yard and lay it out on the ground. This will give you the opportunity to place tables and chairs and really get a feel for the size and useability of the deck.

Are pallets strong enough for decking?

Pallets are often used by homeowners who want to DIY their deck. And this makes sense since pallets are versatile and can be cheap or free. Pallets are also very strong, and they come in different sizes, but their slats are often not close enough together to walk on comfortably. You can use them to build a deck, but they will still need support beams to tie them together.

Can you build a deck directly on the ground?

Yes, it is possible to build a deck directly on the ground, but always use wood rated for ground contact. Keep in mind that no matter what wood you use, prolonged exposure to moisture is its worst enemy, aside from maybe termites.

Final Thoughts

The popularity of decks has been longstanding. Whether or not a deck is the right choice for your home has more to do with your home’s layout and your personal preferences. I personally prefer a patio over a deck because I like having a solid, hard surface dug into the ground, and I really dislike sanding, staining, and painting, so a deck is not for me.

When considering how the deck will fit with your home, a big decision is whether or not you will or can connect it to the house. If your rear yard entrance to your house is a step or more higher than the backyard, then a deck might work well as it could be fastened to the house just below the door. But, if your door is at ground level, an attached deck might be out of the question, in which case a patio might be a better choice.

Vermiponics

Vermiponics

What is Vermiponics?

Vermiponics is a combination of two techniques, “Hydroponics or Aquaponics” and “Vermiculture or Vermicomposting.” It involves the utilization of diluted worm tea (water run through the worm poop), which is a nutrient-rich material as the source of nutrients for growing plants. The difference between aquaculture and vermiponics is that the vermiponics technique utilizes vermicompost as a nutrient source instead of using fish waste as they do in aquaponics.

Vermiponic Garden Establishment

A vermiponic garden is a great idea for anyone who doesn’t have the space or the soil quality to grow a conventional vegetable garden. By creating a somewhat closed system of water circulation and worm composting, we can create a system that can grow vegetables for the family, regardless of local rainfall, soil fertility, and water restrictions.

 Most folks who hear the term worm tea get a bit turned off at first, but once they realize the growth potential and environmental benefits of this system, they understand the value.

There isn’t much information out there about creating your own vermiponics setup, so we will do our best to get you the essential information you need to get started. The beauty of a system like this is that it doesn’t need to be built in any particular way; you can use whatever resources you can get your hands on, as long as they serve their purpose.

The Advantages of Vermiponics

  • Use yard and kitchen waste to create nutrients for your vegetable garden.
  • The water used in the system is recycled over and over again.
  • As long as you don’t add anything weird to your compost, the” worm tea” will be organic.
  • The system is contained, so it can function almost anywhere that it can get sun.
  • The system is contained, so it won’t make a big mess and can sit in a driveway or on a patio.
  • The system can help collect rainwater to be even more efficient.
  • The worm tea is very rich and beneficial for plant health and growth.
  • The entire system can be run on solar energy if you would like.
  • The system can be built using salvaged parts if you are clever and creative.

The Basic Concept

  • One tank up high – Water from the bottom tank (worm tea) is slowly pumped into this upper tank. When the tank fills, a bell siphon is used to draw the nutritious water from this tank and sprinkle it on the mid-level tank.
  • One tank down low – This bottom tank collects and holds the worm tea (mix of water and worm poop). A small pump in this tank (can be solar if you like) slowly pumps the tea into the top tank to fill it.
  • Middle tank or tanks – There are three ways to approach the middle. You can use one tank with a perforated bottom, fill it with compost and worms, and plant right into it. When the water from the upper tank gets sprinkled on this tank, it will drain through and fall back into the bottom tank. Or, you can use two or three middle tanks. In addition to the compost and plant tank, an upper middle tank with gravel or some other fast-draining material that you plant into and a lower-middle that holds only compost and worms.

The one middle tank setup is the quick and dirty approach which may not be ideal. With this approach, compost, worms, and plants are in the same tank, so adding and stirring compost will be tricky when it is full of plants.

The two or three middle tank setups separate the plants from the worms and compost, making it easier to manage the vermicomposting activities without disturbing the plants.

This entire system is very experimental, so if you are going to attempt this, you should do so with the understanding that it will take a bit of trial and error before you get it right.

Design Considerations

  • Having the tanks stacked makes it easy to have water draining from one tank to the next using gravity and very little plumbing but makes tending the plants and compost more difficult as stacked tanks are hard to work with.
  • Having each tank separate will take up more room and require more elaborate plumbing but will make planting, harvesting, and working the compost much more manageable.
  • Realize that any time that you have plumbing fittings entering and leaving tanks, you have the potential for leaks.
  • Consider placing the upper tank somewhere where it can collect rainwater to lessen the need to fill the tank.
  • This system can also be built without the upper tank and simply have a pump on a timer to move water from the lower tank to sprinkle the middle tanks. The use of the upper tank allows for constant slow pumping, simplifying the system (maybe).
  • Different plants will want different growing mediums. While lettuce will do well in gravel washed in water, other plants such as vine crops might need some soil to grow in.
  • Make sure that the middle tanks have excellent drainage on the bottom. Usually, washed stone covered by a geosynthetic cloth will do.
  • Understand that with any water flow system, composting, and plants, it will take some time to get the correct water flow and media for the system to work correctly.
  • Pipe sizing, perforation sizing, siphon construction, media type, tank size, and plant type will all vary depending on your individual needs and wants.
  • The material added to the compost tank will determine the nutrients in the worm tea, so be sure to add a wide variety of compostable materials and make sure that they are all organic.
  • It is always beneficial to aerate water, so adding a small aerating diffuser to the bottom tank will help to keep the water healthy.
  • Adding goldfish to the bottom tank can help keep the water healthy and alleviate any concerns about mosquitoes.

Building a Vermiponic System

1: Material required for Vermiponic garden establishment:

  • Tanks – These can be any sort of tank, barrel, IBC(intermediate bulk) containers, storage bins, or any other kind of vessel that you can get your hands on. You are the designer and the builder, so feel free to use whatever you think will suit your needs the best.
  • Growing medium – This can be plain compost or any smooth gravel, husks, clay balls, perlite, coco coir, etc.
  • Pump – The pump should be small and submersible. The size of this pump will depend significantly on the size of your system. More water flow will require a bigger pump. It can be 110 volts, but running it on solar might be more earth-friendly.
  • Fittings – These are usually either plastic or PVC. Choose fittings that match the rest of your materials. Mixing different plastics, etc., will often result in leaks.
  • Piping – pick what is easiest to work with for you. Many people choose PVC for its rigidity and ease of coupling, while others select poly for the ability to curve and flex.
  • Fabric – This must allow water to pass readily and should not decompose. It will be used above the drainage stone to keep the soil separate. Geosynthetics are typically chosen for their economy and longevity.
  •  Drainage stone – You will need this on the bottom of the middle tanks to make sure that water flows freely out of the bottom of the tank. Typically a few inches of 1″ washed stone will work. Without the stone, the perforations on the bottom of the middle tanks will get plugged with soil, and the tanks will stop draining.

2: Assembly

I will not give you specific building instructions but rather some basic diagrams to illustrate the concepts. The exact layout and design will be dictated by your abilities, the availability of materials, and your project’s scale. I would recommend getting the system working before planting to ensure the health of the plants.

The five-tank stacked vermiponics system – This system will work well once the proper water flow is established.

Five Tank Stacked Vermiponics System

The four-tank stacked vermiponics system – This one is just a bit more simple, removing the lower plant tank; otherwise, all of the same concepts apply. You can simplify it further by planting directly into the worm and compost tank, turning it into a three-tank system.

Four Tank Stacked Vermiponics System

The four-tank horizontal vermiponics system – This is the same concept, just spread out horizontally to make it easier to work with each tank. This will simply take more structure and plumbing.

Four Tank Horizontal Vermiponics System

The three tank and trough vermiponics system – This system works just like traditional hydroponics where the worm tea is run through planting troughs. These work well for leafy plants like lettuce.

Three Tank and Trough Horizontal Vermiponics System

Benefits of Vermiponics

  • Enhanced Plant Growth and Development – Earthworms partially digest the organic matter and excrete that partially digested food without absorbing its nutrients. That is the secret behind the nutrient status of worm castings. Vermiwash or worm tea is composed of micronutrients (Ndegwa and Thompson, 2000), Cellulose and Amylase, Vitamins, Phosphate (Das et al., 2014; Tripathi et al., 2005), and decomposer bacteria involved in growth, solubilization of minerals, soil buffering, and pathogen control respectively. That should about cover it!
  • Easy to Maintain and Grow – Worms are easy to keep alive compared to fish. They can withstand wide changes in alkalinity and acidity, reproduce rapidly, and have a longer life span than fish. Earthworms, specifically red wigglers, tolerate extreme summer and winter temperatures, while fish cannot withstand such large temperature fluctuations. Earthworms have an average life span of 7-10 years, so one investment in worms can mean a whole lot of worm poop. This system will take care of itself for years to come.
  • Sustainable Gardening Practice Growing vegetables sustainably can benefit people of all lifestyles and help our earth at the same time. Imagine all of the additional plants and healthy people we would have if this idea caught on and became popular. Aquaponics is an expensive investment and more challenging to manage, while hydroponics usually relies on the purchase of synthetic fertilizers, which are much less earth-friendly than worm poop. Neither of these can hold a candle to vermiponics.
  • Organic Food Supply – From preparation to harvest, everything is natural. Vermiponics is a sustainable source of food production that utilizes earthworms to convert waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer. People usually confuse Vermiponics with vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is a natural organic compost prepared by feeding the earthworms upon organic waste, whereas, Vermiponics is the production of plants by utilizing the worm tea as a source of nutrients.
  • Waste/Pollution Control – According to the EPA statistics, an average American produces almost 4.40 pounds of solid waste per day, and that is a lot! If every 4 out of 10 persons started utilizing at least some of their waste in a Vermiponics system, we could sure grow a lot of yummy vegetables.
  •  Vermiponics is Economical – You have to make an initial investment and get food at home for the next ten years with minimal to no effort. Singh, R. P., Singh, P., Araujo, A. S., Ibrahim, M. H., & Sulaiman, O. (2011)
  • Suppression of Soil Diseases – Earthworm castings are antibiotic containing several phenolic compounds that are very useful against soil pathogens and insect pests. They establish a symbiotic relationship with the soil microbes, producing plant growth hormones and suppressing plant rot diseases. For example, Fusarium fungi are damage-causing pathogens of all winter vegetables, cereals, etc. and earthworms are suitable in controlling Fusarium infection (Hendrix, P. F., & Bohlen, P. J. (2002)
  • No Watering or Weeding – Compared to your conventional vegetable garden that takes hours of weeding and many gallons of water to maintain, this system practically takes care of itself. Even if you have a vast tract of land, you may still be interested in vermiponics for these two reasons alone.

Conclusion

Creating a vermiponics system that suits your lifestyle isn’t necessarily an easy or straightforward endeavor, but it certainly has the potential to pay big dividends over time. Keep in mind that we are trying to get the best that nature has to offer in a small space. We need to take care to ensure the plants and worms in our system stay healthy. Circulating too much or too little water through your system can undoubtedly influence the health of both. It is up to you to take the time to experiment with different variations until you find the proper balance. Start small and grow the system as your comfort and knowledge grow.

FAQs:

Question: what is the difference between Aquaponics and Vermiponics?

Answer: Aquaponics is the production of plants by utilizing the farmed fish or other aquatic animal waste (nutrient-rich) as a nutrient source for the plants. While in Vermiponics, worm castings or worm tea (and not fish waste) is utilized by the plants as a source of nutrients for their growth and development.

Question: Why prefer Vermiponics over Aquaponics?

Answer: Vermiponics has many advantages over aquaponics. For example, earthworms are tolerant to wide temperature fluctuations; hence, they are easy to keep alive. They have a life span of more than eight years, while fish are challenging to raise and maintain. Worm castings are wholesome food for the plants, while fish waste is not a complete plant food.

Question: Which species of earthworms are suitable for Vermiponics?

Answer: The following 4 are the most commonly used earthworm species by gardeners and Vermiculturists:

  • Red Wiggler (Eisenia fetida)
  • European Night-Crawler (Eisenia hortensis)
  • African Night-Crawler (Eudrilus eugeniae)
  • Blue-worms (Perionyx excavates)

Question: How do you practice Vermiponics?

Answer: Vermiponics is not difficult to establish and maintain, and it just needs a few types of equipment, e.g., containers, soil, compost, and most importantly, “earthworms.” You can seek help from the above article to establish and maintain your very own vermiponics system.

References:

Gudeta, K., Julka, J. M., Kumar, A., Bhagat, A., & Kumari, A. (2021). Vermiwash: An agent of disease and pest control in soil, a review. Heliyon, 7(3), e06434.

Roy, R., Singh, S. K., Chauhan, L. K. S., Das, M., Tripathi, A., & Dwivedi, P. D. (2014). Zinc oxide nanoparticles induce apoptosis by enhancement of autophagy via PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibition. Toxicology letters, 227(1), 29-40.

Singh, R. P., Singh, P., Araujo, A. S., Ibrahim, M. H., & Sulaiman, O. (2011). Management of urban solid waste: Vermicomposting a sustainable option. Resources, conservation and recycling, 55(7), 719-729.

Hendrix, P. F., & Bohlen, P. J. (2002). Exotic earthworm invasions in North America: ecological and policy implications: expanding global commerce may be increasing the likelihood of exotic earthworm invasions, which could have negative implications for soil processes, other animal and plant species, and importation of certain pathogens. Bioscience, 52(9), 801-811.

Low Maintenance Front Yard Landscaping

Low Maintenance Front Yard Landscaping

The front portion of your house is a way of “presenting yourself” to the public. You should always ensure it’s beautiful and well-taken care of since it is the most exposed part of your property.

Front yard maintenance is no joke! The amount of time and energy that a typical homeowner commits to front yard maintenance can border on insane. If you want to portray your best image to neighbors and passers-by alike, then you will want a beautiful and flawless front yard landscape.

I know what you are thinking, “If only there were a way to have low maintenance front yard landscaping”. Well, it would be wonderful if someone could tell you how to have just that. As I will point out in this article, a low maintenance front yard is possible, but some of it has to do with perspective.  

Low Maintenance Landscaping for the Front Yard

There are many elements to consider when landscaping the front yard. And you’re about to make a good impression by giving each of these things some attention.

Still wondering if your front yard matters? Here is a bit of reading for you.

Make the Biggest Impact

Whether just starting out with a blank slate, or starting with a fully established front yard, you need to start the same way. You only have so much time in the day and assuming that you are employed, you don’t have all day to sit around and maintain your front yard landscaping, even if it is low maintenance.

So, my advice to you is always start with the portion that makes the biggest impact. For some front yards, it will be one big stately tree in the front yard. For others, it will be the way that the perennial beds flank that grand walkway up to the front door. For others, it will be how the house ties into the landscape.

Whatever it is for you, this is where you need to start for several reasons. As we have learned, the front yard is important and we are being judged by it.

Before you begin the front yard maintenance, do yourself a favor and step out into the street to see what all of the hubbub is about. Actually walk or drive past your home a few times as passers-by would to get a better idea as to what is truly important.

If your time is limited, you certainly don’t want to spend the day working on a corner that doesn’t even get noticed from the street, at least not on the first day. Go out and make a big impact. Pick the most important part and start there. This way, you have made a difference to what your neighbors see, and you will feel good about your first day on the front yard.

Perspective is Important

As I mentioned earlier, having a low maintenance front yard landscape that leaves a good impression on your neighbors is important, but some of this is perspective.

You can have an impressive looking front yard without spending your weekends out in the yard, you just need to plan it properly. Unlike your backyard, where you and your guests might be strolling around or lounging on the patio, your front yard is more of a pass-through feature.

It needs to give a nice and tidy impression from the road, but it doesn’t need to be overly detailed. It is not likely that anyone will be standing in the front yard critiquing your beds, they will give a look from the road, or maybe a quick glance on their way up the driveway, but no one is looking that closely.

Don’t go crazy with the details. The majority of folks will be judging your yard from the road. Concentrate on this, not the tiny details.

Make a Good First Impression

Mulch

In the spring it seems like our eyes are open just a little bit wider, it seems like we appreciate the outdoors more and everything just seems fresh. Well, maybe everything except that stale old mulch that you have laying on your beds.

A great, high impact way to improve the curb appeal of your home is by freshening up the mulch. You don’t necessarily even need to replace it all, it just may need a bit of touch up and raking.

Chances are, some of your front yard could use a bit of whatever mulch material you have used in the past, so order a bit and freshen the place up. Use care to spread it evenly and neatly and the mulch will provide a crisp, clean look and help to hold back the weeds.

Mulching can reduce soil evaporation, regulate soil temperature, conserve moisture, prevent weed development, and improve microbial activity. This will save you time later in the summer.

Get an Automated Irrigation System

Automatic Irrigation

If you live in one of those areas where consistent watering is required to maintain that lush green lawn that you love, let me offer you a bit of advice. The best and highest impact thing that you could do would be to eliminate the turfgrass. If turf doesn’t grow well in your area, then your front yard will never be low maintenance no matter what you do.

But, if turf is of great importance to you and you feel it is necessary for your home to have a turf front lawn, then installing an automated irrigation system may just be money well spent. If you are relying on yourself or your children to set up and move lawn sprinklers, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Get an automated irrigation system and you can check watering off of your list of things to do.

Get one with a rain sensor, moisture sensors and a time clock so that you can schedule the lawn to be watered only when it needs it, but at exactly the correct time that it needs it. Then, be sure to set it to water the turf deeply to encourage deep roots.

Setting an automatic sprinkler to water every day or twice a day is foolish. This will create a lush green, very sensitive and shallow rooted lawn. You want those turf roots to grow deep into the soil, so water deeply, but only when absolutley necessary.

Plants that are Native to Your Area are Easy

Even though there’s a diverse selection of plants that would look amazing for your front yard landscaping, it’s best to stick to native species. Sure, browse the web for ideas, get together a bunch of pictures of how you would like the yard to look, but then figure out how to get it close to that look using only native plant species.

Sure, if you live in Wisconsin like me, you will not be able to have the brightest colored, most astonishing landscape, but I’ll bet you can get close to the look that you want while still using native plants.

By using native plants, you are greatly increasing your chances of having your weekend time to do something other than yard work. Native plants will take care of themselves, because they are very comfortable and well adapted to their surroundings. Site adaptability is very important for the survival of plants.

There’s a strong possibility that if you try to defy nature by choosing a plant that does not suit your geographical location, it will die. Plants in a suboptimal environment will be uncomfortable, prone to stress, more likely to have pests and diseases, and need more upkeep.

Plant Perennials in Your Front Yard

Plant Perennials in your Front Yard

I’m assuming that you would like to see some blooms in your front yard from time to time and I am assuming that you don’t want to spend a great deal of time tending the flowers. If my assumptions are correct, you had better choose some perennials to plant in your front yard.

Once again, go for native, hardy types, but take some time to stagger bloom times and plant heights and you can have a bed that looks astounding from the street, yet takes very little time to maintain.

But what makes perennials the perfect low-maintenance plants? Perennials grow in habitats where resources are scarce, typically owing to plant competition, and they grow more slowly than annuals.

Perennials have devised strategies to grow and live for several years to reproduce effectively. Perennial crops are commonly grown in areas with a climatic constraint, including a relatively brief growth season or a harsh climate, or when plant capacity to obtain nutrients is restricted due to constant interference, such as grazing.

Furthermore, the root systems of perennial plants are long and deep. These root systems are good at maintaining soil stability, absorbing nitrogen, and keeping weeds at bay.

Utilize Potted Plants

Potted Plants

Maybe digging and cultivating aren’t high on your list of fun activities to do around the house. If you want an easy way to add a splash of color and texture to your front yard, installing a few pots filled with dazzling annual flowers might be just the thing for you.

Your front yard will benefit greatly from potted plants. They’re a great low-maintenance, adaptable option for landscape! It is proven that having decorative plants around you improves memory recall and focus. But it would certainly be nice if these plants are arranged attractively and are hassle-free.

Of course, mobile pots standing tall in the yard will need more water than plants in the ground, but if you have your automated irrigation system, you can take care of that easily enough.

If you have any sort of eye for design, you can certainly use potted plants to make a beautiful accent border or to just create a bit of color and height in a few choice areas. The nice thing about the potted plants is that you can easily rearrange them if you don’t like the way they look the first time that you lay them out.

Succulents, Ruscaceae, Araceae, spider plants, and Commelinaceae, are among the hardiest plants that survive in pots, but don’t be afraid to go crazy with the most colorful and exciting plants that you can find at the local garden center. Sure you will need to replace them every year, but buying flowers is fun and it allows you to have a different look each season.

Plant Some Annuals

Annual Flowers

Annual flowers do need to be replaced each year, but by going to the garden center and buying a few flats of some colorful annuals, you can bring a bit of excitement and color to your yard with very little actual work.

It is fairly easy to create one of two annual areas in your front yard landscape at certain points where they are sure to draw attention and catch your eye. You can have a few larger beds, or simply plant small groups in and among the existing plants to change things up a bit.

Clumps of annuals in your groundcover beds is a sure way to liven up the look of your front yard.

Plant Some Groundcover

Pachysandra Groundcover

Rather than mulch, which needs refreshing and raking, planting groundcover plants can do a great job of filling your open bed areas. The groundcover plants will help to prevent erosion and they will crowd the weeds out over time which will really cut down on your time spent in the yard.

Try Synthetic Grass

Synthetic Grass

Okay, you might think that I’ve stepped off of the deep end here, but hear me out. If you live in an area that requires consistent watering to maintain turf, then might it not make a lot of sense to install fake grass instead?

What constitutes 80% of your front yard and requires the most attention? It’s the grass that needs regular upkeep. Watering, fertilization, mowing, thatching and aeration can all be things of the past if you install high quality synthetic turfgrass.

So why not try fake grass? Get one that’s greener than your neighbor’s. So when they see that the grass IS greener on the other side, you can tell them about the wonders of fake turf.

Today’s synthetic grass is not much like the stuff you remember sing that was all faded and torn up at the local mini-golf center. Some of today’s synthetic turf is hard to distinguish from the real stuff. Let’s see what it’s made of.

Synthetic grass is made of a polymer—nylon, polyethylene, or polypropylene—that is melted at a high temperature, combined with colors and UV stabilizers for sun protection. Then, this is formed into thin ribbons of grass-like proportions.

Depending on the color that you choose, your neighbors might not even know the difference until a drought or the fall comes and their lawns turn brown while yours looks as green as ever.

Instead of Grass, try Clover

Clover instead of grass

There are several reasons to have a clover lawn! If you’re tired of the expensive and time-consuming nature of the usual grass lawns, give clover a try.

Clover fixes nitrogen, which benefits plants close to it. And because clover has deep roots, it doesn’t have as high a water requirement as regular grass. It also doesn’t need fertilizer and rich soil; it’s not a very picky plant!

Clover is a sustainable lawn replacement. And if you don’t want your lawn to be completely covered (clovered?) in clover, you can gradually incorporate it into compatible grass.

Clover is also great for wildlife.

Consider Xeriscaping

Xeriscaped Front Yard

Another low-maintenance practice you can do for your front yard is xeriscaping.

Xeriscaping aims to decrease or eradicate the requirement for watering in the landscape. This implies that xeriscaped landscapes only require as much water as the natural climate allows.

But take note that because of cultural standards and a total absence of landscape knowledge, the public’s impression of xeriscaping is often unfavorable, with some supposing that these landscapes are unattractive stretches of cactus and gravel. To prove this wrong, you have to have an eye for design and choose the right plants.

This is all about figuring out how to make a beautiful front yard that doesn’t rely on you to look beautiful. This goes back to our premise that there are better things to do that labor in your front yard for the weekend. Xeriscaping isn’t any particular type of plant or look, it is simply drought tolerant choices and groundcovers that will thrive and last in your climate.

Xeriscaping in your part of the world will look quite different than the xeriscaping in another part of the world.

Lay a Strong Foundation

Good Topsoil

Low maintenance requires a strong foundation. If you are starting a new front yard landscape, don’t be a fool and skimp on the foundation. the foundation is what everything is built upon.

For your home, the foundation is likely concrete. For your driveway and walkways, the foundation is likely crushed stone and for your plants and yard, the foundation is the soil.

New or old, the foundation that you begin with will dictate the long term maintenance and feel of your finished yard.

If you skimp on the foundation of any of these areas, the features that they support above will falter given time. Driveways will crack and settle, walkways will dip and roll and garden plants and trees will lose vigor when planted into and on top of poor quality soil.

In each one of these cases, the foundation is important. If you have an existing house and landscape, then you may be stuck with what the prior owner did, but if you are planning a new front yard landscape, invest in the foundations, it will pay off in the end.

When you establish a good, sturdy foundation, you’re going to be set for decades! You can forget about mundane tasks like picking up stones, removing weeds from walks, fixing cracked driveways, filling potholes, and fertilizing plants.

Choose Some Stone

Stone Bed Covering

Stone in landscaping beds has always been common in low-maintenance front yards. Placing stones is a fantastic one-time activity. Stones do not need to be replenished after they have been set and they can last for many years with very little attention.

Adding the proper stones can make a difference! It’s a way to add a different texture and a touch of color to an otherwise lacking scenery. My suggestion would be to bring home some buckets of sample stones that are available in your area and lay them out to see how they will look in your yard.

For instance, a sprinkling of river stones creates a discreet but noticeable border between the garden bed and the grass. These stones will beautifully contrast with the green of the front yard (don’t get green rocks, though).

But when you choose stones, once again think about foundations and longevity. Lay down the best landscape fabric that you can afford underneath it and be sure that you lay down at least two inches of stone to make sure that you aren’t looking at the weed barrier in a few months.

Build a Rock Garden

Build a Rock Garden

Even though it’s a garden, the rocks won’t grow, so be sure to buy them big enough to make a statement and so that they can be seen from the road. Big rocks can really make a statement. Each one is unique and they add structure and color to a front yard landscape.

Plant your rock garden with drought resistant, creepy, crawly plants. The only maintenance that you are likely to need will be trimming away some of the plants over time to expose more of the rock.

Drought-resistant plants that don’t demand much monitoring are common in rock gardens. Furthermore, the rocks themselves are décor that does not require any watering or maintenance and nevertheless have a natural aesthetic appeal similar to plants.

Use Succulents as a Backdrop

Succulent Garden

This will only work in areas that will readily support their growth, but if you live in one such area, then succulents might just be a great way to minimize your maintenance.

Cacti (Cactaceae) and succulents have a morphology that has been developed to save water. They don’t require as much attention as other front yard plants due to their tolerance to dry conditions. But that’s not all! You have a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes for these plants. You can pick anything that catches your eye!

And if you just can’t get enough, you can just as easily grow another one by propagating. It only takes one snip.

Even in the hottest of summers, you can count on your succulents to keep your front yard looking fresh.

Careful Plant Selection can Help Control Soil Erosion

Some areas are blessed with proper drainage and minimal runoff, so if your home is in one of these areas, then this section won’t apply to you. But, if you live in a place where storms bring erosion, then it is paramount that you find a solution to your erosion problems before you do anything else.

There is no sense in doing any of the detailed work until your erosion is under control. Having nature wash your landscaping away is definitely not low maintenance. As a matter of fact, needing to start over when it all washes away sounds like to opposite of low maintenance.

Plants with large root systems can do all of the work in controlling soil erosion. They keep the soil intact, absorb water, and protect the ground from wind and water exposure.

But did you know? The microscopic hairs present on plant roots serve an important role in reducing soil erosion. They do so by enhancing soil cohesion.

Why is soil erosion a big deal?

Soil erosion is a problem not just because of its effects on plant development and your landscape, but also on water quality.

Having plant covers is one of the most efficient strategies for erosion control and regenerating previously damaged soil. Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis), creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), and Cotoneaster are good examples of some erosion-controlling ground covers for the front yard.

Add Low-Maintenance Flowers for a Beautiful Landscape!

It’s been scientifically proven that flowers are a natural and healthy mood stabilizer. Earlier, we talked about how important perennial flowers can be to your low maintenance front yard. The presence of flowers in the front yard is a must! There are many flowering plants that don’t demand a lot of care and attention, but here are a few you can get familiar with.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Lavender

Plant lavender. This stunning flowering plant will give your front yard a splash of color and a soothing scent.

Lavender is a low-maintenance plant that needs little watering and trimming once established. You can do so much with lavender plants! You can use them as informal hedges, as a walkway border, or even as companion plants.

For example, you can strategically place lavender in front of rose bushes to cover their bare stems.

These plants are hardy in USDA zones 5-9. If you live somewhere cold (think -10°F in the winter), get some cuttings and keep them indoors. This way, you’ll have saved lavenders if ever your plants succumb to the cold.

Common bugle (Ajuga reptans)

Common Bugle

Bugleweed and Carpetweed are other common names for this plant. This would look great in your front yard with its upright growth habit gives its bloom arrangement a unique look.

Its purple and blue flowers set out in an upward direction will surely grab attention. But it does not demand your attention when it comes to upkeep! For you only need to cut unruly stalks and dig up some runners two times a year.

Periwinkle (Vinca Minor)

Periwinkle

Vinca minor, often known as periwinkle, is certainly a beautiful, low-maintenance blooming plant you can grow in your yard.

It does not just provide an amazing backdrop; it also helps in weed control! Expect purple flowers in spring and summer. Even its foliage is pretty—shiny, dark green, and nicely rounded. You can even use this plant as a groundcover.

What makes this plant low-maintenance is its root system which quickly spreads. This plant can take the heat and the shade, but it does best in part to full sun.

Coreopsis

Coreopsis

Coreopsis thrives in well-drained soil and can be grown as a border plant in the front yard. You can even grow it in containers!

The only upkeep this plant needs is deadheading the blooms. If you do this, you prevent the plant from becoming weedy.

Check the USDA Hardiness Zones to determine which climate and soil are best for particular varieties.

Dianthus

Dianthus

Dianthus, also known as Carnations (D. caryophyllus), Sweet Williams (D. barbatus), and Pinks (D. chinesis), are a favorite front yard flowering plant.

They are great for your low-maintenance front yard landscape because of their wonderfully scented, fringed flowers in shades of pink, red, and white and because of their deer resistance! It’s also nice that they multiply easily.

Dianthus will do well in borders or pots, and when clumped together, they make excellent bedding plants.

Daylilies

Daylilies

Daylilies come in many different varieties and bloom times, they grow like crazy and can choke out weeds in your beds.

Not only do they provide great color, they help to reduce weeding. What could be better.

Hostas

Hostas

If you have some shade in your front yard, then a rich and beautiful bed of various leaved hostas can really make a profound statement.

Hostas don’t like much sun, so you do need some shade. There are hostas of many sizes, colors and leaf textures, so create a nice mix of these hardy, weed snuffing plants to help with your yard maintenence.

Roses

Climbing Roses

Now many of you will think that I am nuts for even listing roses in a low maintenance article, but that is why I couldn’t’ resist. Contrary to what you may have been taught, there are many roses, that when planted in a suitable location, can grow readily and beautifully on their own.

Be sure to pick the hardiest varieties that you can for your area and go for a nearly wild climber if you really want some fun.

Rose blooms can be wonderful if you can get the right variety for your yard.

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Black-Eyed Susan

It’s a great idea to plant Black-eyed Susans in your front yard. Aside from beautifying your yard with its flowers, another reason you’ll like Rudbeckia hirta is that it is native to most of the United States.

Various sizes and colors, including reds, oranges, and browns, have resulted through widespread hybridization. So this leaves you with plenty of options!

Plant Trouble-Free Shrubs for a Low-Maintenance Landscape

Shrubs play an important role in the ecosystem of any yard. These plants offer shade, increase soil integrity, help out animals, and improve air quality. Pretty important, right?

Here are some front yard shrubs you can’t go wrong within low-maintenance landscaping.

Forsythia

Forsythia

Forsythias are low-maintenance plants with yellow blooms that indicate the arrival of spring. You’ll only want to trim your forsythia shrub now and then and put it in full sunshine to keep it in good shape.

Forsythias are adaptable, and you’ll enjoy seeing their lovely flowers early in the spring.

Weigela (Weigela florida)

Weigela

Florida is not just a state; it is a word that means “profusely flowering.” And if there’s one flower that deserves to have florida in its scientific name, it’s Weigela! You’ll be in awe when you look at your front yard and be greeted with the sight of these gorgeous pink (or white, or rose-red) flowers.

Weigela florida is easy to care for since it’s not prone to serious diseases or pests. Furthermore, it can handle even clay soils. Although, the ideal conditions are full sun in well-drained, moderately moist, fairly average soils. You won’t have a problem maintaining this plant!

Yew (Taxus spp.)

Yew

Yew bushes require very little care due to their drought tolerance and acidic soil adaptability. They’re the most basic plant to cultivate in the front yard. These plants can grow into a thick hedge that may be trimmed neatly, and it’s popular in the topiary.

This species of plant has existed for more than 200 million years! They live for a very long time.

Yews flourish in Zones 4 to 7 in part to full sunlight and produce lovely-looking fruits early in the fall.

Rockspray Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)

Rockspray Cotoneaster

The best thing about Rockspray Cotoneaster is its adaptability to any type of soil. It can withstand the poorest of soil conditions! It also has a self-supporting growth habit.

Rockspray cotoneaster is a coarse, thick, slowly growing shrub that grows to a height of 2-3 feet and a width of 6-8 feet. You’ll want it in your front yard for its four-season interest.

Rockspray cotoneaster shrubs are easy to grow and care for. You just have to plant them in spring to let the root system fully establish.

Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)

Texas Sage

This Texas native plant is sometimes known as purple sage or Texas Silverleaf. Their leaves are thickly coated with silvery hairs, giving them a gray appearance.

It is a non-fussy evergreen coastal shrub with beautiful purple flowers! It favors an environment with low humidity, but it can withstand drought and heat well. And once it’s fully established, you won’t have to worry about its upkeep.

Goldthread cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’)

Cypress

The Goldthread cypress is a non-flowering shrub. Its beauty lies in its thread-like, needled foliage that boasts a vibrant yellow color.

It’s hardy to zone 4, and it needs moderate sun exposure (too much sunlight can damage the leaves).

Because this shrub does not look good with columnar plants, you should put it near wide-spreading plants.

Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)

Bottlebrush Buckeye

If you live somewhere shady, this is one of the finest summer-flowering shrubs you can add in the front yard. This deciduous shrub’s got a great thickness and height (6-12 feet tall). Plus, its suckering, upright form, and white flowers will stand out.

You’ll like this plant for its slow growth, which means you don’t have to care much about pruning it. It’s also quite disease-free!

Its luxuriant leaves become a gorgeous gold in autumn, which will certainly brighten up your front yard.

Boxwood (Buxus)

Boxwood

Incorporate a simple but tasteful boxwood hedge anywhere in your front yard. The dense foliage of boxwood shrubs may be readily sculpted into various patterns, despite looking basic at first. Boxwood is commonly preferred in its stunted form, but if permitted to grow freely, it may reach a height of 12–15 feet.

A variety called Littleleaf Boxwood (Buxus microphylla) originally came from Asia. It grows best in USDA zones 7 and 8, as shown in the USDA Boxwood Report. USDA zones 5 to 9 are suitable for growing littleleaf boxwood.

Try it! They would effectively beautify and accentuate any feature of the landscape you like.

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)

Barberry

Barberry has been shown in studies to offer a variety of health advantages, including anti-inflammatory properties. It may also be used as a medicinal plant to treat various ailments, including diabetes, liver illness, gallbladder discomfort, digestive, urinary tract, and gallstones.

It is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 10 feet in height. If you’re considering planting barberry in the front yard, there’s not a lot of reasons not to! It will look nice and lively all year because of its attention-grabbing, colorful foliage. Who wouldn’t want shades of orange, red, and yellow in their yard?

It is a hardy plant, too! It can survive in temperatures as low as 40 °F. This makes it such a staple in every front yard.

Fuss-Free Grasses can do a lot for the Landscape

Which grasses are native to your area? Native grasses are the best choices for low-maintenance grass. It depends on your location, so doing a little research wouldn’t hurt!

Anyway, here are a few examples of nice, easy-care grasses for your front yard.

Chinese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)

Chinese Silver Grass

Chinese Silver grass belongs to the Poaceae family. It is still a renowned decorative plant in several parts of the US. It also acts as a barrier plant surrounding the sides of roads and in agricultural fields.

There’s a variegated variety of this plant called Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus.’ It forms a huge cluster of strongly serrate 3-4′ long leaves that creates attractive grass. You can see the variegation is in white stripes running vertically.

The best thing about Chinese Silver Grass is its adaptability to all soil types. It can also adapt to partially shady areas even though it prefers to be in full sun.

Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)

Bermuda Grass

Bermudagrass is a quickly growing grass that spreads by seeds and stolons, invading new places quickly and producing thick mats.

This plant is a warm-season perennial. It will do well in your place if your summers are hot and the winters are mildly cool.

Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus)

Mondo Grass

Mondo grass, also known as monkey grass, is a perennial, too. Its scientific name comes from the Greek words ophis, which means snake, and pogon, which means beard, and most likely refers to the flower spike.

Having this grass in your front yard will ensure you don’t need to mow a lot. It won’t just look great in the front yard, though! You can spice up your rock garden or flowerbed with Mondo Grass.

Fountain Grass (Pennisetum spp.)

Fountain Grass

Fountain grass is decorative grass that may be seen in the front yards of houses, shops, and golf courses. You can totally use it as a specimen plant in the front yard if you’re too afraid of it becoming invasive.

Fountain grass grows in 2 to 3-foot tall bunches. These are green plants with beautiful pink or purple bottle brush blooms. Both the bunched-up plant and the bristly seed heads dry to a pale brown hue.

You can’t go wrong with fountain grass because it is low-maintenance and highly adaptable—it does not even need frequent watering.

REFERENCES

https://d31kydh6n6r5j5.cloudfront.net/uploads/sites/75/2019/05/BrennerMcFaddenWirshing.pdf

https://meridian.allenpress.com/jgb/article-pdf/14/2/177/2403328/i1943-4618-14-2-177.pdf

https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=WTYYYrLKn1MC&redir_esc=y

https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W175.pdf

https://bnrc.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s42269-020-00290-3

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0198546

https://newswire.caes.uga.edu/story/3748/Drowning-plants.html

https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/a_guide_for_the_selection_and_use_of_plants_in_the_landscape_e2941

https://extension.psu.edu/choosing-plants-wisely

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/39762916_Plant_Physiological_Ecology

https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_supply/student_materials/1102

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-817732-7.00015-8

https://plantbiology.siu.edu/facilities/plant-biology-facilities/greenhouse/topics/house.php

https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/department/publications/publication/natural-grass-vs-synthetic-turf-study-report

https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/science/87/8709sci2.html

dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045926

https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/54/5/article-p824.xml

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/xeriscaping

https://www.science.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aau6974

https://plantbiology.siu.edu/facilities/plant-biology-facilities/greenhouse/topics/cacti.php

https://forestry.usu.edu/trees-cities-towns/tree-care/mulching-tree-health

dx.doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-0886-4

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00886458/document

scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1/5708/31762100149390.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-stolonifera/

https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=22348

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/

https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender-history-taxonomy-and-production/

www.misin.msu.edu/facts/detail/?project=misin&id=64&cname=Common%20bugle

https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/vinca-minor

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vinca-minor/

https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=COREO2

https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/weigela-florida

www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c367

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/dianthus.html

powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:223740-2

www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200024393

https://extension.umn.edu/trees-and-shrubs/forsythia

https://www.soils4teachers.org/soil-and-environment/

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/?cid=nrcs143_023553%20

dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2018.03.004

https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0107280

https://www.britannica.com/plant/yew

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/idpmcpg13144.pdf

hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/taxbaca.pdf

https://eol.org/pages/632659

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cotoneaster-horizontalis/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/leucophyllum-frutescens/

https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/chamaecyparis-pisifera-filifera-aurea

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/best-conifers.aspx

https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/aesculus-parviflora

https://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/Boxwood.htm

griffingarden.latech.edu/PlantPDFs/08%20Littleleaf%20Boxwood.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4678494/

https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/50620500/Barberry/pdp_thesis.pdf

https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US19860024969

https://plantscience.psu.edu/outreach/plant-id/grasses

https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/21907/bot_Peterson_Poaceae_eLS_2013_final_a0003689.pdf

https://www.se-eppc.org/manual/MISI.html

https://www.depts.ttu.edu/plantresources/Pages/Landscape_Information_Sheets/Herbaceous_Info/Miscanthus_sinensisVariegatus.php

https://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/ChineseSilvergrass.asp

https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/17463

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/turf/publications/Bermuda.html

https://turf.purdue.edu/fountain-grass/

https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/fountain-grass.htm/index.htm

11 Amazing Tips for Garden Plant Maintenance

Garden Plant Maintenance

Plant care and proper periodic maintenance practices are essential to keep your plants healthy and happy. In some ways, maintenance can be more important than planting. While many plants have similar needs, such as light, water, and nutrients, there are also many differing needs between different groups of plants. Ornamentals, fruits, vegetables, and grasses all need slightly different kinds of care.

This is a super broad topic upon which books can be written. We are not attempting to provide a complete discussion on all things plant maintenance-related, but instead, we would like to present you with a brief primer on the things that every home gardener should know.

1. An Eye for Simplicity

Perhaps the best advice that I can give you when planning out a garden or a bunch of gardens in the case of a landscape plan is to plan for simplicity. Time and time again, I have seen immensely imaginative and complex landscape and garden plans go to hell in a short period of time due to a lack of commitment to maintenance. It is better to start small and grow as your enthusiasm grows than it is to go big and find yourself overwhelmed.

Unless you are a very avid gardener, keep it simple. The more complex and grandiose your plan is to start, the more maintenance it will be in the end. Don’t get me wrong; you can still have a creative and beautiful backyard; just plan it out to make it as maintenance-free as possible. Using easy-to-grow and maintain plants that are well suited to your area and planting them in areas of your yard that they will be happy in will all tie into the simplicity. Your thoughtfulness while planning the garden will pay off for years to come.

2. Soil Nourishment

The “Give and Take” rule is fully applicable in Gardening. When you continuously harvest the nutrients, oxygen, and water from the soil, you will need to give it back. Organic composts, including well-rotten farmyard manure, vermicompost, biofertilizers, wheat straw, etc., are long-lasting, slow-releasing, soil and environmentally friendly materials that restore the soil fertility and also enhance soil aeration and water holding capacity.

Don’t worry if you don’t have access to commercially available compost; adding any sort of organic matter back to the soil on a consistent basis will help.

Keep in mind that some organic matter will actually pull nutrients from the soil before these nutrients are returned, so it’s best to let the stuff sit, turn it a few times and let it begin to rot before putting it on the garden.

On the other hand, if done regularly, organic matter can be lightly added to the soil at all times of the year. This is how nature works, right? Dead plant material and animal waste falls to the ground, breaks down, and nourishes the soil. We can help nature along by adding our grass clippings, leaves, kitchen scraps, etc., to the soil.

3. Annual Pruning 

For some plants, pruning can be an essential part of plant maintenance, and for others, it isn’t necessary at all. Pruning is the removal of plant parts such as branches, flowers, buds, or sometimes fruits. Different pruning practices will have different effects on different plants. Sometimes pruning is important for a gardener to get the best crop yield possible, and sometimes pruning betters the health and shape of the plant.

Keep in mind that some plants, especially when pruned severely, will respond by sending out many new shoots in an attempt to recover from the perceived “injury.” So sometimes, pruning can result in more than you started with. Crab trees are notorious for this. For the most part, pruning is not normal for a shrub or tree. If the plant is well-shaped and fits its space, it may never need to be pruned.

How you Prune – Your pruning technique is important. Always use sharp cutting tools sized for the cut. All cuts should be clean and free from cracking or splitting wood. Clean cuts are easier to heal. All cuts should be just after a branch or bud. Stubs left after the bud will just die back and open up the potential for rot or disease. Never cut the leader from a tree. Trees grow differently from shrubs, and when you cut off the leader (highest central stem), it will really mess up the growth of the tree as all of the surrounding branches will now grow to try to make up for the loss, and the tree is likely to be forever misshapen.

How you prune is often determined by the type of plant you are pruning. Low-growing, multi-stemmed shrubs such as dogwood will grow tall and lanky as they would in the wilderness, but if you want them to stay small and pretty, you will need to remove several of the biggest woody stems right down to the ground. A shrub that is sheared for shape year after year will end up

Timing your Pruning – The time of the year that you prune can significantly impact how the plant reacts. In general terms, it is typically better to prune a plant when it is dormant during the colder part of the year. Pruning a plant as or shortly after it begins pushing growth in the spring will almost certainly reduce its growth for the season.

Old Wood or New Wood? – Plants that set their buds in the fall and bloom on old wood in the spring, such as lilacs, ninebark, rhododendron, azaleas, forsythia, some hydrangeas, and some roses, need to be pruned shortly after their bloom ends. If these plants don’t have at least three months of good growing weather before their next season’s bloom, they will not be able to set buds and produce blooms, meaning that pruning old wood bloomers in the spring will result in no blooms for that season. These plants tend to have more of a solid shrub structure and really don’t need to be pruned much at all unless the shape is undesirable, in which case they can be pruned back to the shape that you want over several years.

Plants that bloom on new wood can be pruned in late fall or early spring as they will send out shoots and buds to bloom as soon as they become active in the spring. These would include plants like most spirea, the spreading hydrangeas, and all perennial flowers that die back in winter. Plants such as these do really well when they are cut back every spring, and the cutting back inspires new growth and ensures full blooms.

In general, if a plant blooms first thing in spring, it is blooming on old wood, and it is likely blooming on new wood if it blooms mid-summer or later.

Pruning of Fruit Bearers – Pomegranate, Grape, Guava, Mango, Citrus, and Strawberry are easy-to-grow fruit plants that home gardeners often prefer. Pomegranate, guava, and grapes need severe spring pruning; otherwise, they will not be fruit in the next season. While mango, citrus, litchi, pear, apple, etc., do not require annual pruning, you’ll just want to remove the dead, broken, or diseased branches. Prune the young trees to give them a proper framework that will help them fit into the space and sunlight availability in your garden.

Pruning of Perennial Vegetables – for the most part, other than perhaps pinching off some buds or removing some lower foliage, vegetables are not commonly pruned. In vegetables, weeds are the primary issue. Keeping the plants at standard row-to-row and plant-to-plant distance will be excellent to avoid fungal attacks and pests attacks and reap a healthy harvest. Garrison, N. (2005).

4. Wise Water Usage

“No Water, No Life.” Wise and efficient water usage is good for the plants and the environment. The best-case scenario is that all of the plants in your yard are native to the area, and they don’t need any watering. Planting only native species severely lessens the plant’s dependence on us for survival. Native plants have developed mechanisms to allow them to thrive in your area, so it’s usually only the non-natives that need our help.

If you have newly planted plants or non-natives, grow them in a place where the soil conditions are to their liking and water them deeply for the first few months after they are planted. Once the roots establish, the non-native plant may still need some attention, but hopefully, it will be minimal.

 If watering is necessary, water the plants early in the morning, before the sun rises, take care that the plants absorb every drop you are pouring, and always mulch over roots to help them conserve every drop of water they get.

5. Weed Control in the Garden

The complete removal of weeds from the garden is almost impossible, so controlling them is often the best way. Weeds compete for nutrients, space, and light and suppress actual crop growth. Organic mulching, hoeing, crop rotation, use of the pure seed, and clean irrigation water are the easy-to-do methods for controlling weeds in your garden. Never resort to damaging chemical weed killers when a hoe and a hand are all that is needed.

In ornamental landscape beds, planting density and mulching below plants will hugely affect weed growth. Densely planted perennials and mulch will drastically slow down the weeds.

6. Let the Climbers Climb

“Do not Grow Horizontally, What You can Grow Vertically.” Vining plants are stalked to save space and can be a magnificent addition to your garden. Vines will grow on almost any structure, like decorative, colorful cages, stalks, trellises, trees, shrubs, pergolas, gazebos, houses, etc.

Depending on the type of vine, you may need to nurture its growth and encourage it to climb, or you might need to fight hard to control it. Vines such as ivy and wild grape can be overwhelming and destructive to whatever they grow on, while some veggie vines like cucumbers need support and nourishment and will simply die and wilt at the end of the season.

Viney plants seem to always do better when climbing rather than simply growing along the ground. Some horticulturists claim that the stalked tomatoes and cucurbits yield double what the un-stalked ones will. When left to grow horizontally, vines are more susceptible to pests and disease.

Here is a list of plants that like to climb.

  • Vining Tomato
  • Cucurbits (pumpkins, melons, squashes, and gourds)
  • Pole beans and Scarlet Runner Beans
  • Grapes
  • Malabar Spinach
  • Ivy
  • Climbing Hydrangea
  • Clematis
  • Kiwi Vine
  • Trumpet Vine
  • Climbing Roses
  • Bougainvillea

7. Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is the sequential practice of growing different kinds of crops in the same area of land to keep a balance in nutrient restoration, weed control, improved soil fertility, and control of insect pests. For example, a crop utilizing excessive potassium from the soil that is a host of a specific insect pest, when planted repeatedly in the same area, would cause the severe deficiency of that particular nutrient in the soil, and the insect population would become uncontrollable. Ultimately, the gardener has to provide that nutrient artificially and pesticides to control the pest pollution.

By rotating our crops, the soil can be replenished, and the pests can be minimized. It is best to rotate by crop families, and it works best if you actually map out your rotations so that you can keep track of which crop goes where from year to year.

8. Companion Planting

This entails planting two crops together or planting more than two kinds of crops together, each providing benefit to each other, or maybe one providing benefit to the others. It could be simply varying plant heights so that the companion plants get the sun or shade that they need when they need it. It could be planting one crop that repels a garden pest that the companion plant is susceptible to.

This technique can be used with plants of all types. You will need to research and use some common sense when planning out your plantings to make this work, but sometimes, the most straightforward solutions are the best. Companion planting is an excellent organic garden practice in pest control by providing alternate hosts to the pests or discouraging the pests altogether.

Inter-cropping is another method of companion cropping in which the early-maturing crops are planted within the rows between late-maturing crops. For example, spinach, lettuce, beans, onion, and radishes are early maturing and maybe planting between the rows of late-maturing, i.e., cabbage, tomato, pepper, corn, etc. (Parker, J. E., Snyder, W. E., Hamilton, G. C., & Rodriguez-Saona, C. (2013).

9. Sprouted Seed Teas

Here is a little known trick that not many are talking about. SST is a liquid nutrient-rich organic food for plants, and it is easy to apply and can be used in place of chemical fertilizers. It is made of seeds of any crop, including alfalfa, corn, barley, mung, beans, pulses, or whatever you have, and you can easily prepare it at home. The most important role of SST is that it provides the growth hormones to the plants they need to develop. It is also very important to suppress fungal diseases, and it is referred to as a “Wholesome Food” for the plants.

Sprouted seeds differ from non-sprouted seeds because the process of sprouting increases the availability of the multitude of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc., that are present in the seeds.

The basic process is to soak your seeds for a day, let them sprout, and then grind them in a blender and mix with water to apply to your garden.

Sprouting seeds have the maximum enzymatic activity taking place in them; we use those enzymes to grow our crops. SST can be applied in the form of foliar spray as well as mixing with irrigation water. (Ilmi, M., Putri, L. K., Muhamad, A. A. K., Cholishoh, A., & Ardiansyah, S. A. (2019, June)

10. No-Waste Gardening

This concept ties in directly with what we were saying back in the nourishment section. Do not let the waste from your yard and home waste away. Instead, use the weed stems, leaves, kitchen waste, grass clippings, and other organic material to feed your garden.

You can manufacture excellent organic food for the plants. Keep 2, 3 compost containers or piles filled with the composting material so that you will never need chemical fertilizers. Turn the compost regularly to aid decomposition and use the oldest pile first. Organic compost is a long-term nutrient source for the plants and soil; every time you irrigate your soil, the water takes away the nutrients from the decomposed plant material and adds them to the roots. It provides a balance that is not provided by the chemical fertilizers. Rossow, H. (2001)

11. Native Plant Selection

As stated in the section on watering, native plants are always easy to maintain. According to the USDA Forest Service, native plants are resistant to pathogenic insects (eliminating the need for pesticides and insecticides), require fewer fertilizers, reduce soil erosion and air pollution, and are wildlife’s food and shelter source. Native plants have a special role in the conservation of Biodiversity. They are adapted to the local soil and environmental conditions and do not demand much maintenance. (Gleason, R. A., Euliss Jr, N. H., Tangen, B. A., Laubhan, M. K., & Browne, B. A. (2011)

References:

  • Garrison, N. (2005). Planting Your Vegetable Garden.
  • Parker, J. E., Snyder, W. E., Hamilton, G. C., & Rodriguez-Saona, C. (2013). Companion planting and insect pest control. Weed and Pest Control-Conventional and New Challenges, 10, 55044.
  • Finch, S., Billiald, H., & Collier, R. H. (2003). Companion planting–do aromatic plants disrupt host‐plant finding by the cabbage root fly and the onion fly more effectively than non‐aromatic plants?. Entomologia experimentalis et applicata, 109(3), 183-195.
  • Ilmi, M., Putri, L. K., Muhamad, A. A. K., Cholishoh, A., & Ardiansyah, S. A. (2019, June). Use of mung bean sprout (tauge) as alternative fungal growth medium. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1241, No. 1, p. 012015). IOP Publishing.
  • Rossow, H. (2001). Australia’s capital leads world in turning waste into resources: hospitality of cities: emerging issues.[Canberra’s Waste Management Strategy-No Waste by 2010.]. Australian Property Journal, 36(7), 619-623.
  • Florentín, M. A., Peñalva, M., Calegari, A., Derpsch, R., & McDonald, M. J. (2010). Green manure/cover crops and crop rotation in conservation agriculture on small farms. Integrated Crop Management, 12.
  • Gleason, R. A., Euliss Jr, N. H., Tangen, B. A., Laubhan, M. K., & Browne, B. A. (2011). USDA conservation program and practice effects on wetland ecosystem services in the Prairie Pothole Region. Ecological Applications, 21(sp1), S65-S81.
  • Cubino, J. P., Subirós, J. V., & Lozano, C. B. (2014). Maintenance, modifications, and water use in private gardens of Alt Empordà, Spain. HortTechnology, 24(3), 374-383.

Sustainable Agriculture

sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is the implementation of wise agricultural methods now to fulfill our present needs for food and fuel without compromising the needs of future generations of people. Sustainable farming methods not only provide sustainability to the food systems but also to the economy of a country.

Methods of Sustainable Agriculture

Intensive soil cultivation using synthetic chemicals and fertilizers destroys soil through soil erosion, nutrient deficiency, and uncontrollable plant diseases. The sprays used to control plant diseases affect human, animal, and environmental health. Sustainable Agriculture provides various flexible ways to restore soil fertility, plant immunity, and ecosystem health.

Sustainable Intensification

Sustainable intensive farming utilizes various mechanisms, including improved cultivars, decreased frequency of fallow years, alternative ways of disease control, crop rotation, highest crop yield per area of land, etc., to best develop food and animals.

Sustainable Intensification has become popular among the United Nations because it mainly focuses on sustainable energy flow, nutrient recycling, water cycle, and productivity. Intensive farming can be accomplished through the use of intercropping, crop rotation, and permaculture.

Zero-Waste Agriculture

Zero-waste agriculture involves planting cover and legume crops during fallow periods to improve the soil’s nitrogen and other nutrient levels. Another example is the introduction of ornamental flowers in commercial crops to suppress the pest population and improve pollen availability rate.

Vertical Farming

Vertical farming is of great importance in urban areas where space and water availability are the primary issue. Production of vegetables, low-calorie plants, lettuce, etc., can be easily and efficiently (soil-less farming methods are usually adopted) grown through vertical farming.

Multi-trophic Aquaculture

In Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, the waste from one side is utilized as a fertilizer or compost on another side; for example, the nutrient-rich wastewater from aquaculture can be utilized as irrigation water in vertical farming.

Soil Nutrients

“The soil is our eternal metabolism. It must be free of herbicides and pesticides, or the body cannot heal”. The use of compost, Vermicompost, Farmyard Manure, Biofertilizers, etc., to improve soil fertility instead of continual chemical applications are organic ways to heal our soil, plants, humans, and environment. Organic fertilizers ad microorganisms into the ground, which are the essential elements that give life to the soil. They improve soil aeration, decompose the substances to convert nutrients into plant’s available forms, and develop a symbiotic association with the plants that benefit both of them.

Pests and Weeds

Common garden pests, including aphids, mites, moths, bats, snails, etc., can be easily controlled using homemade garlic soap solutions, appropriate cultural practices, and aspirin solutions for various common fungal diseases. In the same way, all kinds of garden weeds can be easily controlled using corn gluten (acts as a pre-emergence herbicide), vinegar-soap solution (having acidity 5), and hoeing.

Using disease resistant and stress tolerant plants is a sure-fire way to allow nature to care for itself. By planting hardy native plant varieties, we eliminate the need for us humans to interfere on behalf of the plant.

Wendell Berry says that “A Sustainable Agriculture depletes neither the People nor the Land.” The only investment we can make for a better future is in agriculture. The key factors in sustainable agriculture are the time of sowing, sowing of perennial crops, crop rotation in commercial farming, efficient irrigation practices, suitable harvesting methods, and creating no waste or utilizing every kind of waste.

In modern agriculture, various disease resistance and stress-tolerant varieties have been planted to minimize pesticide usage and compete with climate changes. If you are not harming your environment, you can grow whatever you like (every kind of plant is a contribution to sustainability); either you want to opt for kitchen gardening, ornamental plants, or turfgrass only on your property. (dos Santos, de Moura Régis, & do Nascimento, 2021) 

Indigenous Agriculture

Native Americans have been practicing sustainable farming for decades. They grow their indigenous plants and use them as food, animal feed, and soil composts production. They produce a variety of seasonal crops to avoid the dependence on a single crop throughout the year. In indigenous farming, farmers plant the native varieties to ensure minimum disease and maximum yield. They practice crop rotation by planting leguminous crops in between every commercial crop or seasonal vegetable to replenish the soil nutrients harvested. They perform zero-waste farming by manufacturing compost from every kind of field waste, crop by-product, animal manure, etc. And, they practice Intercropping by planting an additional short-term crop within a standing crop to get additional income or food.

“Anishinaabe” is a tribe in the US that follows the ideology of “Honorable Harvest.” This ideology emphasizes that “People should take only what they need and consume and utilize properly what they take.” They further explain it as never harvest more than you need, never harvest more than half of the plant, and never harvest the first plant to keep it growing in the future. (Frandy & Cederström, 2017)

5 Key Principles of Sustainable Agriculture

  1. Sustainable Food and Agriculture
    • According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) vision, sustainable agriculture is one in which food is available for everyone without compromising the availability to the coming generations and must be obtained by natural means.
    • Under this vision, the foresters, farmers, gardeners, fisherfolk, and rural dwellers must have equitable rights, access to the resources, have their voices heard, have financial stability, and enjoy decent employment because No Farmers means No Future.
  2. Protection of Natural Resources
    • You can say that sustainability is directly related to protecting our natural resources. We must protect our soil from erosion and degradation, and we must protect and conserve our water. We are protecting our native plants and our population from extinction by protecting these natural resources. Over the last fifty years, the rampant use of chemicals has degraded soil, made the pests more resistant, and polluted the groundwater in a way that is not likely to be recovered even in the coming fifty years.
  3. Stability of the Farmer ensures the Stability of Farming
    • “Farming is a Profession of Hope.” Farmers are the backbone of agriculture. The only source of income for the farmers is their land and what it can produce. They are often pressed to grow as much as possible regardless of the side effects. There is a need to educate the farmers about pesticides and herbicides’ damaging effects and teach and inspire them to conserve natural resources. Many of the destructive farming practices of today stem from government policy and incentives, so turning the tide back toward nature will need to start there.
    • Farming is not the stable, hard work that it used to be. Nowadays, it is very expensive and risky, and more and more, the smaller, more natural farmers are being overtaken by the large, industrialized commercial farms. If we want stability and sustainability, we must move away from chemicals and invest effort into nature.
  4. Introduction of Drought and Salt tolerant Plant Varieties
    • “Profit is yours, and Loss is ours” farmers hesitate to plant new varieties due to the fear of unknown results. In developed countries, the government facilitates the farmers through subsidies to build their confidence to adopt the new plant varieties and methods of farming. Recourse conservation, increased yield, a healthy environment, and biodiversity are the principles of sustainability. (Sullivan, 2003)
  5. Regenerative Agriculture
    • Regenerative agriculture is the recycling of resources as much as possible. It also involves the protection of topsoil, water, biodiversity, and climate. How can a farmer do this? He cannot do all this alone; everyone has to contribute in the same way as all the body parts contribute so that we become able to perform a task. (Rhodes, 2012)

Advantages of Sustainable Agriculture

  • Economic Stability – More than 40% of the world population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. Increased crop productivity provides more raw material to the industries associated with agriculture. The export rate of major crops also directly benefits a country’s economy.
  • Healthy food – I am sure that if we were all educated on organic food’s value and healing effects, we would make wiser choices at the market. Misleading advertising and packaging and government agencies selling to the highest bidder have led us to believe that chemically treated and overprocessed foods are the norm. Society, as a whole, must stand up and insist on organic, healthy food. Our lives depend on it.
  • Conservation of Nonrenewable Resources for Future – The principle of sustainability is to provide food for the present without compromising the needs of the future. Conservation of nonrenewable resources is the need of the day.
  • Pollution Reduction – When humans aren’t physically or chemically destroying natural resources, the environment can maintain itself. All that we need to do is get out of the way. Adopting biological pest control and fertilization methods and the conservation of native species are all methods of sustainable farming that will allow nature to heal itself over time.
  • Urban Pollution Reduction – Urban areas worldwide are the most polluted areas in terms of air, water, noise, and soil pollution. Sustainable gardening and environmental cleaning methods such as vertical farming, aquaculture, and wetland filtration systems are all applicable in urban areas where land and water depletion are significant issues.
  • Biodiversity Conservation – Native plants and conventional organic farming methods promote biodiversity. Stable biodiversity ensures an undisturbed food chain.
  • Elimination of Soil Erosion – Continued harvesting and chemical fertilization deprives our soils of beneficial microbes and organic nutrients, causing the loss of topsoil. Soil erosion is a serious threat to future crops. Planting beneficial and native vegetation and practicing permaculture will eliminate this threat, but soil restoration is a slow process. 

Conclusion

There is no model where the current destructive and toxifying practices of commercial, industrialized farming can be sustained for the long term. Our current consumptive mindset and methods serve this generation, but at severe cost to the next generation. Our only hope for sustained, long-term use of this earth and its valuable, nurturing resources is to educate the population to support sustainable agricultural processes exclusively. Every time you buy industrially processed foods from large agriculture, you are casting a vote to destroy this earth. This needs to stop, so that future generations can enjoy the natural world that we have been enjoying.

References:

Avgoustaki, D. D., & Xydis, G. (2020). Indoor vertical farming in the urban nexus context: Business growth and resource savings. Sustainability, 12(5), 1965.

Besthorn, F. H. (2013). Vertical farming: Social work and sustainable urban agriculture in an age of global food crises. Australian Social Work, 66(2), 187-203.

dos Santos, L. S., de Moura Régis, M., & do Nascimento, A. P. B. (2021). Community gardens: contribution to food safety and social inclusion. Revista Nacional de Gerenciamento de Cidades, 9(69).

Frandy, T., & Cederström, B. M. (2017). Sustainable power: Decolonising sustainability through Anishinaabe birchbark canoe building Going Beyond (pp. 217-230): Springer.

Rhodes, C. J. (2012). Feeding and healing the world: through regenerative agriculture and permaculture. Science progress, 95(4), 345-446.

Sullivan, P. (2003). Applying the principles of sustainable farming. National Center for Appropriate Technology, http://attra. ncat. org/attra-pub/PDF/Transition. pdf (accessed January 2011).

Best Plants for Raised Garden Beds

best plants for raised garden bed

The process of growing plants elevated above the surface is known as raised bed gardening. The raised beds can be created using many different types of materials and can be planted with many different plants. Keeping a raised garden bed has lots of advantages and we will tell you all about the advantages as well as the best plants for raised garden beds.

Raised garden beds make it easy to start a garden in an afternoon without all of the headaches of tilling soil and removing plant roots. It’s easy to get deep fertile soil without a bunch of backbreaking work.

With raised beds, you can plant lots of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. However, some plants are more fitted to this type of growth environment than others. And there are some things to keep in mind when planting in raised garden beds.

What is a Raised Bed?

Gardeners have been creating raised beds for many years. A raised bed is quite simply any sort of planting bed that is raised above the existing ground level. These beds can be as low as several inches above the ground or as high as several feet. They can be built right on the ground or they can be built more like an elevated planter box table.

One of the distinct advantages to creating a raised bed is that you can fill the bed with the type of topsoil that you want in your bed. You aren’t stuck with the ground that is below or the weed roots that are in that ground. Many gardeners will fill their raised garden beds with a mix of black organic topsoil and organic compost.

These beds need to be built to hold the planting soil, but which materials you choose to use to build your raised beds is entirely up to you. Here are some of the materials that can be used to create raised beds.

  • Lumber
  • Timbers
  • Rock
  • Concrete
  • Bricks
  • Blocks

Some Examples of Raised Beds

Use your imagination when building your raised garden bed. Here are a few examples to get you started.

Water

Ideally, you would create separate raised beds or at least separate areas within the beds for plants that require the same volume of water to thrive. For instance, when a moisture-loving tomato shares a raised bed with a plant that likes dry soil, one of them won’t be healthy, it would be better to have two plants that require the same amount of water.

Cardinal flowers, monkshood, and sedge are all “thirsty” plants that thrive in elevated garden beds. Consider Russian sage, prairie plants (false indigo, coreopsis, great bluestem), succulents (echeveria, sedum, hens-and-chicks), or Mediterranean herbs (lavender, rosemary, thyme) in drier areas.

It’s always nice to look at the seed packet or plant tag, which should inform you of your plant’s water requirements. Remember that any raised bed is going to require more watering than a bed that is down in the ground, simply because it will dry out more quickly.

Sunlight

How much sunlight reaches your raised garden bed per day significantly impacts the types of plants you can cultivate. And rightfully so because photosynthesis, the food-making process in leaves, requires light.

Most vegetables (such as squash, peppers, leafy greens), several herbs (such as rosemary, basil, lavender), and fruits (tomatoes, strawberries, and melons) require a lot of sun exposure (at least six hours a day).

Beautiful ornamental plants, including ferns, hostas, caladiums, impatiens, and caladiums, thrive in shady locations. Sunlight requirements can be found on the plant tag or seed packaging.

Rich Soil

Think of the time you could spend beautifying your garden instead of stressing about what you can and can’t grow and working to amend your existing soil and remove all of the weed roots. If you fill your raised bed with high-quality soil, you don’t need to worry about tilling, weeds and soil amendments, you can start planting right away. Your plants will have all of the nutrients they need to stay healthy and yield good flowers and fruit.

You can grow everything! Strawberries, tomatoes, eggplants, and all sorts of flowers will do well in your new raised gardens full of nutrient rich soil! Lavender, daylilies, oregano, hostas, raspberries, and rhubarb are great perennials that thrive in raised garden beds. Although, keep in mind that if you plant these perennial plants in your bed, they’ll be there for a long time (until you decide to pluck them out).

In contrast, annual plants are only there for a short time. They only survive one growing season so that you may plant something else in the same spot the next season. Basil, pansies, petunias, lemongrass, and veggies like potatoes, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, squash, and onions are some annuals you might like to cultivate in your raised bed garden.

Spacing and Depth

How deep will you make your raised bed? It’s safe to say that most plants like to be in at least one foot of soil, but if your raised bed is on the ground, they can always grow into the soil beneath also.

If you have an existing bed or are using hard, native soils, you should till the soil at least 8-10 inches deep. Deep tilling loosens the soil, allowing vegetable roots to penetrate deeper.

However, some plants, like lettuce, rhizomal plants, vines, sweet alyssum, marigold, and pansies, can do well in less soil (six inches deep) due to their shallow root systems. Plants sown in shallow soil can’t develop deep roots, and they will dry out more rapidly without sub-soil hydration. Keep plants in shallow soil well-watered.

The finest harvests of most vegetables, such as peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, come from soil at least 20 inches deep. Because these beds are isolated from surrounding soils, it is important that you amend your soil yearly to keep it rich and fertile. Fertilize the beds more often and nurture them like a potted garden.

Benefits of Growing Plants in an Elevated Garden Bed

Planting in raised garden beds is the quickest and easiest way to a variety of crops in less than a year! These are the reasons why.

  • You can plant more food in a limited amount of space – Plants can be spaced near each other so that no square inch is wasted. Methods for small-space gardening, like vertical supports and succession planting can guarantee that every square inch of available space is put to good use.
  • There are hardly any weeds – We can start weed free if we bring in organic topsoil and the weeds have limited room to grow in raised beds since they are thickly planted. When they find a place to call home, they’re easy to remove from the loose, fertile soil.
  • Good quality soil – Healthy soil is essential for a successful food garden. Even if the soil in your area is poor, you may start over with the right soil blend in a raised bed. Plus, you can easily adjust the soil according to the plant’s needs. If you’re planning to cultivate blue hydrangeas, for example, you can add a soil acidifier to the soil.
  • Planting can begin as soon as possible – In comparison to in-ground beds, excess water drains more efficiently in raised garden beds, and the soil warms up sooner in the spring. You can also take advantage of covers and garden cloth if you want to get started even sooner.
  • Controlling pests is a way simpler – Compared to wide planting fields, smaller raised garden beds make it easier to handle insects and keep animal pests out. Row fabrics or specialty covers can simply be used to cover beds.
  • Raised beds are easier to tend – Because they can be raised out of the ground at any height we want, a raised bed won’t require as much kneeling and bending over to plant and tend. And, because we can create them any size that we want, all of our plants can be an arms reach away, making planting, weeding and harvesting very easy.

Fruits and Vegetables for Raised Garden Bed

The following are vegetables and fruits that will grow well on a raised garden bed.

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) and Peppers (Capsicum)

Rightfully so, eggplant and colorful peppers spring to mind when we think about growing on a raised garden bed.

These plants thrive well in the warm soils of raised beds and are nutrient-hungry. Raised beds make it easier for gardeners to meet the nutritional and watering needs of these prolific growers.

Peppers thrive in the sun and heat and can be grown alongside tomato plants if desired. They are simple to cultivate and require minimal upkeep. Peppers, especially chili peppers, can be difficult to develop from seed. If you buy starting plants from a nursery, though, you may place them in your raised bed once the threat of frost has gone.

Tomatoes (Solanum Lycopersicum)

Did you know that tomato seedlings have been planted in space?

Tomato plants flourish when their roots are stretched deep into loose soil, ready to feed. They thrive in full sunlight and make excellent complements to raised garden beds.

Plant growth conditions influence tomato fruit quality and metabolite biosynthesis. Drought and salinity are the most significant problems that gardeners face when trying to plant good tomatoes.

So if you want a higher crop yield, ensure that your tomato plants never get thirsty (or salty)!

Plant tomatoes towards the back of a raised garden bed since they may grow fairly tall. To add support, use tomato cages.

Onions (Allium cepa)

Onions are a fine addition for cramming a few more veggies into your raised beds. You’ll want to keep them away from your peas and beans, though.

Onions are a resilient, cold-season vegetable that thrives in temperatures ranging from 55–75 degrees Fahrenheit. They thrive in places with chilly spring weather and drier, warmer summers.

As for the soil requirements: they need rich, well-draining soil with a pH of 5.5–6.5 (such as silt loams or clay). Acidic soils are unsuitable for these plants. For the best bulb growth, you should plant onions where there is full sun.

Buying onion sets and planting the small bulbs in early spring is the easiest way to cultivate onions.

To give onions a head start on the growing season, plant them from seed indoors eight to ten weeks prior to the last frost.

Plus, onions may act as a natural pest repellent for various crops, so pack them in among your tomatoes, broccoli, kale, cabbage, peppers, and lettuce! You can put a few extra onions in the gaps between your larger plants because onions don’t take up much room.

Mixed Greens (Lettuce, Spinach, etc.)

The warmer, well-draining soil of raised beds is ideal for spinach, lettuce plants, and mixed salad greens. You’ll like that you can make your growth season longer by planting them early and in succession through the season with adequate protection.

Why do we recommend planting these different salad greens together instead of just sticking to one? They’re not standalone vegetables. It’s a good idea to have a crop of salad greens in your raised bed! They have a short growing period, after all.

Carrots (Daucus carota)

Carrots are excellent choices for growing in raised beds. Carrots may thrive unhindered by rocky terrain in raised beds, which provide loose, well-draining soil.

It is extensively grown in temperate nations throughout the spring, summer, and fall. While in tropical and subtropical locations, it’s grown in winter.

They may be readily tucked in under the protection of taller plants since they grow fruit beneath the earth and have a low habit.

Varied types have different requirements, but on a square foot of area, you can plant around 18 carrots.

Carrot seeds are quite small and only need to be sown 1/4 inches deep. Water the carrots lightly, being careful not to wash away the small seeds.

Plant double the number of seeds as you anticipate growth in your place. It would help if you thinned the carrots as they develop to ensure that they have enough area to grow. Carrots may be planted in succession throughout the season for a continual yield.

Peas (Pisum sativum)

Gregor Mendel, renowned as the “Father of Modern Genetics,” studied pea plant diversity. So you know that peas are pretty important in the realm of science. Think about that when you want to grow peas in your raised garden bed!

Plus, peas make you think of spring, and there is never too much. Sugar snap peas, snow peas (Chinese pea pods), and shell peas are three varieties of peas that are all easy to produce.

Here’s what you need to do: sow pea seeds at the beginning of spring, around four to six weeks before the last predicted frost. Do this as soon as you can work the soil.

When you sow the seeds, plant them one to two inches apart—space double rows six inches from each other.

If you’re growing a staked variety, you should install a pea trellis or hang netting before planting.

Peas may be grown in pots and planters as well.  Choose extremely dwarf cultivars like Patio Pride or Tom Thumb, for they only reach a height of six inches.

Celery (Apium graveolens)

Celery is eager to take up residence in a raised bed because they have a shallow root system. It’s a fussy plant that needs a lot of water, nutrient-rich soil, cold weather, and a long growing season to thrive. Muck soil is suitable because of its great moisture-holding ability.

Root nematodes and aphids can also be kept under control using raised beds.

You may grow them from starter plants, seeds, or even the heart of a cluster of celery you bought at the store.

Because celery likes colder temperatures, start your seeds within eight to ten weeks before the last frost date.

Legumes (Fabaceae)

Legumes incorporate nitrogen back into the soil. Thus they serve a dual purpose in the raised garden bed.

The bacteria dwell in nodules, which are tiny growths on the roots of legumes and a few other plants. The bacteria in these nodules fix nitrogen, and the plant takes the ammonia they generate. Legume nitrogen fixation is a collaboration between a bacteria and a plant.

They increase the soil’s nutritional level while generating abundant crops. They are available in both freestanding and climbing types, which may be grown in raised beds.

Some great legumes to plant in raised garden beds are bush and pole bean varieties,  peas, lentils, and chickpeas.

Bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

You can’t go wrong with bush beans; they take less than two months from seed to maturity and provide weeks of delicate pods.

Don’t hurry for spring planting since beans need warm, well-draining soil and warm temperatures. Plant the bush bean seeds a couple of inches apart in rows spread 18 inches apart after the last frost. Thin bush beans to six inches if they’ve established a good root system.

Planting various purple, green, yellow, and red beans is one interesting way to make a rainbow.

For instance, Mascotte is an All-America Selections winner which produces a large crop of thin green beans kept high above the leaves, making harvesting simple. 

The heritage bush bean, Dragon Tongue, may be used as a snap bean or a freshly shelled bean. The buttery yellow flat pods with purple lines are truly spectacular!

Squash and Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo)

Raised beds are ideal for planting large crops like zucchini and squash.

Bush variants have a more open habit and are ideal for raised beds. Allowing vining plants to spill out over the sides of raised beds or adding trellises for them to climb on are additional options.

Squashes are available in a variety of colors and forms, including brown, orange, and blue. Squashes come in all forms, all of which belong to the Cucurbita genus (Family Cucurbitaceae).

Fruits of several species have been given the names winter squash, pumpkin, and summer squash. Speaking of summer squash, zucchini is one! Zucchini is a seasonal vegetable with great nutritional and medicinal value.

Zucchini, as we know it in the United States, is an Italian term. In certain areas of Europe, these vegetables are referred to as “courgettes,” whereas in the United Kingdom, they are referred to as “vegetable marrow.” “Long marrow” and “garden marrow” are two other names for this vegetable.

Summer squashes like zucchini have soft, edible skin, and they grow quickly, taking 35 to 55 days to harvest.

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa)

Strawberries, unlike blueberries and grapes, are not real berries. Berries are required to have seeds on the inside, according to science. Strawberry is a “false fruit.”

Strawberry plants thrive in sunny areas where the soil is warm. Raised beds provide these ideal circumstances while protecting strawberry plants from pesky slugs that prey on luscious strawberries.

Brassicas

Brassica is a plant genus belonging to the family Brassicaceae, the same family as mustard and cabbage. Crops of this genus are frequently referred to as cole crops, which comes from the Latin caulis, a plant’s stem or stalk.

In a raised bed setting, brassicas provide excellent first-round early harvests. They are prone to bolting in hot weather and thrive in the controlled soil temperatures in raised beds. The soil’s warmth is maintained, prolonging the growing season for both early and late-season crops.

They may also grow readily protected in raised beds, allowing for an autumn and winter harvest.

Examples of brassicas are cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, arugula, Brussels sprouts, and kale.

Radishes (Raphanus sativus) and Beets (Beta vulgaris)

To you, radishes might be just another vegetable. But did you know that radish plants are being researched for future crop growth in space? That’s because they’re so easy to grow!

Beets and radishes are wonderful root vegetables that grow well in the soft soil of raised beds, especially when they aren’t competing with weeds or hampered by rocky soil. They’re great for succession planting because of their fast maturity times.

You must protect beets from frost damage, whether in the ground or storage, since it has an immediate and negative impact on the sugar content.

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)

The cucumber is a delicate annual with a trailing stem that is rough and juicy. The fuzzy leaves contain three to five pointy lobes, and the stem is covered with branching tendrils that can be used to hold the plant.

The Cucumber is among America’s top five garden vegetables because it is fresh and pleasant on a hot summer day. Cucumber was once thought to be largely a “diet food” due to its low-calorie count.

The pepo berry is produced by the five-petaled yellow blooms, which are genderless. The heat demand is one of the greatest among popular vegetables, and the fruits are at risk of tasting bitter if you don’t water the plants consistently.

Cucumbers grow well on raised beds. Let them flow over the edges of raised beds or up trellises to optimize the area for these prolific fruiting plants.

If you’re planning to make pickles, pick cucumbers when they are still immature.

Garlic (Allium sativum)

Garlic is a vegetable that’s unbelievably easy to grow. About a dozen cloves are encased in a thin white skin on each garlic bulb. In mid-autumn, insert separate cloves into the soil. Then, expect a good harvest in the early to mid-summer the next year!

What’s nice about garlic is its resistance to disease and pests. They thrive in normal garden soil, too, so you have one less thing to worry about. But don’t plant garlic from the store since it may have been sprayed. Instead, go to your local garden center or farmer’s market and purchase garlic for planting.

Mulch the raised beds with straw after planting to keep the soil wet and weeds at bay.

Melons (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis)

Raised beds are also ideal for large fruiting plants like melons. Melons have a wide range of beneficial characteristics in addition to their amazing scent and sweetness. One of the most significant is their capacity to produce endorphins, making them an effective treatment for depression and spleen problems. The plant’s nutritional components have a strong toning effect, and vitamin C strengthens the immune system.

The best growth environment for delicious melons of all types is warm, pH-balanced, nutrient-rich soil that offers enough drainage. To save space, allow vining plants to flow over the sides of raised beds or teach them to climb trellises or other climbing structures.

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)

In a raised garden bed, potatoes can grow pretty well. Growing tubers in well-draining soil minimize rot, and the loose soil enables tubers to develop fully without being hampered by thick dirt or rocks.

Potatoes like rich, acidic, well-drained soil. It’s crucial to understand how potato plants develop before sowing seed potatoes.

A primary branch emerges from a seed potato after you plant it. Rhizomes are underground stems that sprout from the main stem and generate tubers at their terminals.

This indicates that potatoes grow over the seed potato’s initial planting location. When more dirt is piled around the plant’s main stem, more tubers will grow as new rhizomes sprout below the soil level.

Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris ssp. cicla) and Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica)

In raised beds, kale and Swiss Chard are excellent late-season vegetables. They prevent soil compaction, and they may be sheltered with hoop houses or cold frames to prolong their growing season and even provide an autumn and winter crop.

In hot climates, swiss chard (also called “perpetual spinach”) is less likely to bolt than actual spinach, making it a good alternative throughout the summer when other green species are scarce.

Swiss chard seed is used for the establishment, and it grows in bunches, needing quick thinning. You can consume the thinnings as greens, then pick the leaves and stems after 50–60 days, retaining crowns that produce additional leaves for later harvest.

Meanwhile, kale will flourish in colder temperatures. Sow kale seeds in July or buy seedlings in August for an autumn crop. Many garden centers provide mature plants with beautiful foliage in late August and September.

Herbs and Flowers for Raised Garden Beds

When identifying what to grow on a raised garden bed, we emphasized mostly fruits and vegetables, but herbs and flowers grow very well in raised beds too!

Some flowers and herbs make excellent garden companion plants, attracting helpful pollinators, concealing the fragrance of cherished foods, and shielding them from outdoor pests. They have the potential to be extremely lovely.

REFERENCES

https://extension.unh.edu/resource/growing-vegetables-tomatoes-fact-sheet-1

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/some-vegetables-require-less-water-others

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/boise/learning/nature-science/?cid=fsed_009729

https://plantscience.psu.edu/outreach/plant-id/grasses

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-yangii/

https://aces.illinois.edu/news/drama-blue-false-indigo

www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60437222-2

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ange

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5234533/

https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=26wscf9vm38C&redir_esc=y

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2005/jun/351403.htm

https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender-history-taxonomy-and-production/

https://jbiomedsci.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12929-019-0499-8

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/thymus-vulgaris/

https://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-energy-initiative-better-understanding-how-plants-use-sunlight-1204

https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/what-photosynthesis

https://extension.psu.edu/soil-quality-information

https://www.jstor.org/stable/20794319

https://www.wnc.edu/files/departments/ce/sci/attralavender.pdf

https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1008&context=hcssp

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/herbs/oregano

https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C955&title=Growing%20Hostas

https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1421

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/sites/www.extension.iastate.edu/files/iowa/Rhubarb1.pdf

dx.doi.org/10.1007/s001220051581

https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=SrMGBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=vines+shallow+root+science&source=bl&ots=b34LbxPsQ2&sig=ACfU3U2ZGpReV5neDTOIH9dVIBtuRTAWGQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjX16-E47zyAhUCG4gKHSUfC_UQ6AF6BAg3EAM

https://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2010/4/The-Marvelous-Marigold/

www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0352-4906/2019/0352-49061937057P.pdf

https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02370.x

https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/succession-planting

https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128166918/plant-factory

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-437651-9.50007-5

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/tomatoes_and_the_science_behind_them

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00279

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12221975/

https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/onion/infos

https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1198&title=Onion%20Production%20Guide

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/salad-greens-getting-the-most-bang-for-the-bite

https://www.sciencedirect.com/referencework/9780122270550/encyclopedia-of-food-sciences-and-nutrition

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/cyclosporiasis/resources/pdf/Cyclosporiasis_FactSheet_Peas.pdf

https://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/oregon-vegetables/celery-2

https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/A129/

https://www.depts.ttu.edu/plantresources/Pages/Landscape_Information_Sheets/Edibles_Info/Phaseolus_vulgaris.php

https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/how-did-squash-get-its-name/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780123743800/plant-systematics

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537869/

https://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/pubs/0403/zucchini.html

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/strawberries_and_the_science_behind_them

https://carnegiemuseums.org/magazine-archive/1997/mayjun/dept4.htm

https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-strawberries-home-garden

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/slugs-in-strawberries

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818553-7.00020-6

www.wordnik.com/words/caulis

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/science/radishes.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9781782423713/lockhart-and-wisemans-crop-husbandry-including-grassland

https://ipm.missouri.edu/meg/2014/3/Cucumber-A-Brief-History/

https://www.britannica.com/plant/cucumber

https://www.sciencedirect.com/referencework/9780123849533/encyclopedia-of-food-and-health

https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C854&title=Garlic

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5468350/

www.jcreview.com/fulltext/197-1582529746.pdf

https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2020/03/what-best-way-grow-potatoes-containers

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/

https://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/kale.html

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/42925

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/importance.shtml

https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=107549

https://www.academia.edu/19604955/Sweet_basil_and_Lemon_balm_as_a_mosquito_repellant

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/pollinators/bumblebees-lavender

https://web.uri.edu/mastergardener/files/P1-Companion-Planting-Ecogardening.pdf

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0213071

https://extension.psu.edu/attracting-beneficial-insects

https://uiearchive.web.illinois.edu/cook/downloads/69320.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20140529193140/http://cceniagaracounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/companion-planting-info.pdf

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/een.12880

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/4-insects

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809633-8.90728-3

Small River Rock Landscaping

small river rock landscaping

By incorporating small river rock into your landscape, you will be able to add the beautiful colors and textures of this natural stone without breaking the bank. Many people find the versatility and durability of river rock to be a great benefit to their landscape.

Small river rock can be a great solution to many of your landscape problems. From aolving erosion problems to just accenting a plants, river rock can do it all.

We will detail the many uses, types, advantages and disadvantages of using small river rock in your landscape project.

What is River Rock?

My experiences have taught me that you can’t just start talking about river rock and assume everyone knows what you are talking about. Many of the people I have spoken with have very different ideas of what river rock looks like.

In general, when most people refer to river rock in my area of Wisconsin, they are referring to Mississippi stone. I presume that this type of river rock had originally come from the Mississippi river, but I am not even sure about that.

Large and Jumbo Mississippi

I firmly believe that if you are going to call it river rock, it needs to be smooth as a rock would be if it spent many years being washed down a river. If there is one thing for certain, water is a very powerful force and will erode all of the sharp edges off of stone given time. People referring to jagged, sharp rock as river rock, no matter what color it is, are simply wrong.

I would guess that most of these different varieties of what people refer to as river rocks actually come from a rock quarry or gravel pit. I would also assume that most of this rock and gravel that we are digging out of the earth, at one time, was deposited there by a river or maybe a glacier.

Smooth rocks like this can be found in many places, including stream beds, beaches, riverbeds, and even fields and fencerows. They usually have a diameter of 1 to 2 inches; however, this might vary. Although these rocks can be found in many readily accessible places, it is usually not legal to harvest large quantities of stone from public places, so i would recommend buying the stone that you need

Small river rock is going to be different colors depending on where it is found, but most of it will be earth tones for obvious reasons. Most river rock is clean and does not contain fines.

Differences in Rock Types and Names

I’m sure that there are many different types and colors of river rock, but just to clarify a bit, here are some examples of rocks that I have heard referred to as river rock.

Mississippi – This is the classic that most people are thinking about when they use the term river rock. The pile below seems to have more whites in it than I would expect.

3/8″ Mississippi Stone

American Heritage – This rock is sized and shaped like river rock, but it contains more white shades of rock, so it is less expensive than the Mississippi stone.

American Heritage Stone

River Stone – This is a very generic term used to describe some smooth rock that is not really what I would call Mississippi, but it is close. If they could call it Mississippi they would, because they could charge more.

Two Piles of Differing River Stone

Eau Claire Aggregate – This is clearly not river rock, but it still gets called river rock by some.

Eau Claire Aggregate

Round Rapids Stone – Once again, this is a generic name for a smooth somewhat colorful stone that is not Mississippi.

Round Rapids Stone

Meramec Stone – I have this referred to as river rock even though it clearly is not. This stone is much more orange and uniform in color.

Meramec Stone

River Jacks and Cobbles – When you start to get out of the smaller sizes, people will often refer to these stones as both river jacks and or cobbles, although river jacks are usually more of a mix of sizes than the others.

River Jacks and Fieldstone Cobbles

Fieldstone, Boulders, Cobbles – Once you get above the six inch size or so, people will typically start referring to these rocks as fieldstones, cobbles, cobblestone or boulders. But, I have heard people call these stones river rock also.

Fieldstone, Boulders, Cobbles?

Uses of Landscaping River Rock

With the multitude of colors and textures available, using rocks in your landscape may truly add another dimension and character to your scene. River rocks can be used to create or improve both land and water features.

River Rock in a Water Features

Water features and river rock go together like peanut butter and jelly; you can hardly think of one without thinking of the other. It is quite a natural look to have the smooth and colorful river rock in your pond, stream, and waterfall.

As mentioned above, these rocks were worn smooth by moving water or ice, so they fit quite naturally in a pond. The fact that they are smooth not only makes them look like the rock that you might see on the bottom of your local river, but it also means that they don’t have sharp corners and edges to cut through your pond liner.

River Rocks in Their Natural Setting

You might think that the sharpness of the rocks doesn’t matter in ponds, but I will tell you from experience that the majority of holes that I have created in pond liners have been from a sharp rock or sharp part of a rock being twisted or pushed into the liner with force. This typically happens when we have some river rock or boulders on the pond liner, and then we place a huge boulder, and while rolling and twisting it to get it set, we create a hole. So, sharp rocks do matter.

Whether you are building a Koi pond, Goldfish pond, or any other sort of pond or water feature for that matter, using natural river rock in the pond and the surrounding landscape will surely help it blend in and look more natural.

River Rocks used to Prevent Erosion

Over the years, we have often installed river rock of various sizes to channel, control, and move water. Once again, river rock makes it blend into the surrounding landscape.

River rock can be used:

  • To create overflow structures for larger retention style ponds
  • To create dry or wet riverbeds through yards to direct stormwater where you would like it to go rather than just letting it flood your yard.
  • To line ditches and flow ways and protect them from erosion.
  • To fill in that spot in your yard that always seems to be too wet for the lawnmower.
  • To protect the edges of a natural stream, pond, or lake from water movement.
  • To protect your beds when placed under your downspouts.
River jacks / cobbles used in a dry stream bed to control storm water

When directing and controlling storm runoff water, it is always good to use larger-sized rock that won’t be easily moved by water flow. It is also a good idea to install a landscape fabric or synthetic liner of some sort under the rock to be sure that the water doesn’t erode the soil out from under the rocks.

River Rock used as a Bed Cover

The most conventional bed covering materials are wood chips, bark mulch, pine straw, cocoa bean hulls, and other organic materials. There has also been a trend to use ground up, recycled, and colorized rubber to cover landscape beds and playgrounds.

The advantage of using organic products on your landscape beds is that the organic matter will decompose over time and provide nutrition for your plants. This advantage is also the downside. If you use organic mulches, you will invariably find yourself adding more every couple of years because it simply deteriorates over time and needs replacing.

The advantage of using recycled rubber products as mulch is that they don’t decompose like the organics, but the disadvantage is that wind and water can easily displace the rubber mulch. Remember, rubber floats.

This is where using small river rock to cover your landscape beds comes in. River rock will not decompose and never needs replacing, and it does not float or move with the wind. But instead, it actually prevents water and wind erosion.

River Rock on a Landscape Bed

When using small river rock to cover landscape beds, I would always recommend placing the rock on top of landscape fabric so that weeds won’t grow through. The last thing you want is to have a bed full of weeds coming up between your river rock. The rock will make it harder than ever to pull weeds.

This leads us to the two disadvantages of using river rock on your landscape beds. If you don’t do any upkeep to your yard and allow dirt and weeds to get into your river rock beds on top of the landscape fabric, and these weeds grow large and thick, it is almost impossible to fix the problem.

The few times that I have seen this, it has been in a neglected yard, and the easiest solution was to remove and dispose of all of the overgrown river rock and simply replace the rock and landscape fabric.

This, as you can probably imagine, is not an easy task. Installing river rock is hard enough since it is heavy, and taking it back out after many years along with the fabric below can be a truly miserable task.

River rock weighs about 2500lbs per square yard, so it is not light. If you plan to use it for your landscape, make sure that you plan it out so that you never need to remove it. Also, although the combination of river rock over landscape fabric is an excellent deterrent to any weed growth, there will be weeds that grow on top of the fabric over time, so it is important that you stay after these and pull them when they do arrive.

Another disadvantage of using river rock in your landscape is that you probably don’t want to use it in your perennial or annual flower beds. River rock will make it very difficult for flowers to grow and spread as they will tend to do. It will also make it very difficult to work the soil if you want to make changes in the future. Also, the river rock will absorb the heat from the sun, so it may not be the best for all plants. I would recommend organic mulches for annual or perennial flower beds.

River rock is great below shrubs and trees and in any spot where you want to absolutely minimize the required maintenance.

River Rock as a Path

For years, small river rock has been used as a decent surface for casual garden paths. As with any materials, river rock has its plusses and minuses for use on a pathway. Once again, it is great because it never decays, and set on top of landscape fabric, it will last and be weed-free for many years to come.

River Rock in a Path

The downside to using river rock on your path is that they are small, smooth rocks with no fines to tie them together. This means that the rocks will not really stabilize over time unless dirt gets in between the individual pebbles. Obviously, small river rock will be easier to walk on than larger river rock, but it will also move more with every step. This may not be a problem for slow strolls through the garden with comfortable shoes, but heals will be a problem, and running children will spread these small stones all over the place.

River Rock used at the Fire

Whether you have an in-ground fire pit or a freestanding fire pit, you will want to be sure that the surrounding area is protected and definitely not flammable. Large rive rocks have been used for many years to border campfires, and small river rocks can be a tremendous fire-proof surround for any type of fire pit.

River Rock Below a Fire Pit

River Rock for Play Areas?

Once again, the advantages of river rock are its weight and longevity. Using it for a play area will undoubtedly make for a long-lasting play area, but will this be because the stone is so durable or because it just isn’t that much fun to play in? If you are going to try river rock for a play area, I would again plan to put down landscape fabric first, and I would recommend making the stone six to ten inches thick to avoid bare spots over time as kids will move the small rocks. I would also recommend using the smallest river rock you can find; the smaller it is, the more comfortable it will be to play on.

River Rock in a Play Area

Before having river rock delivered to your house to create a play area, take the kids to your local rock yard and have them play in the river rock pile to see if they will even like it. You might decide that sand is a better material to play on that won’t decompose.

Also, keep in mind that neighbor kids who haven’t been taught not to throw stones might be a big problem if they are playing on a big mat of river rock. Plenty of ammunition there.

River Rock for a Mosaic

Did you know that you can also make a mosaic? Design a one-of-a-kind walking route in your front yard by creating a river rock mosaic placed in concrete. This type of application takes more than a bit of skill and creativity, but it can be very rewarding when finished.

River Rock Used in a Mosaic Walkway

River Rock used for Edging

Here is where the definition for river rock becomes a bit hazy. Most folks in my area would refer to rock large enough to be used as edging as fieldstone or cobbles. But, in some areas, these mid-sized rocks might be referred to as river rocks, so I have included them here to be used as an edging stone. They can certainly be smooth and made of the same material, but most won’t call them river rock.

Not Quite River Rock, but a Rock Border

River Rock as an Accent

Whether you call them boulders, rocks, stones or river rock, you can definitely use them to help add interest to your garden as an accent.

River Rock as an Accent

Landscape River Rock Sizes

River rocks for landscaping are available to buy in bulk, by the truckload, or in bags at garden centers or rock yards. They are usually offered in a variety of sizes.

The scale of your project will largely determine the size of stone that you use for your project. A smaller stone is more suitable for a smaller application, while a larger stone will often look better in large spaces.

Below are some of the most common river rock sizes.

  • 3/8-inch river rock – The smallest river rocks sold in stores are 3/8″ river rocks. These tiny, smooth stones are most commonly seen in and near playgrounds, walkways, or pond bottoms. These would typically not be suitable to use in a stream, as the water will readily push these tiny pebbles downstream.
  • 3/4-inch river rock – Because of their size and smooth finish, these stones are also widely used in trails and pathways as well as pond and stream bottoms. The different colors of the rocks will add depth to your landscape and property’s overall appearance.
  • 1-inch river rock – This size of river rock is often used to cover planting beds, waterfalls, and streams as it tends to show its shape and color from a distance and will tend to stay in place due to its weight.
  • 1-3-inch river rock – These are sometimes referred to as river jacks for some reason, but this will vary within different regions. River rocks become increasingly adaptable as they grow in size, and 1-3 inch stones are ideal for accenting a focal point water feature for your landscape. These rocks may be used to develop or improve river beds, waterfalls, ponds, and other elements of your landscape. This river rock can also be used as a bed covering in larger areas. Sizes such as this should not be used in areas that get foot traffic as they are prone to causing ankle sprains due to their size.
  • 3-5-inch river rock – This is the size where river rocks often start to be called cobbles, fieldstone, or boulders. These are great for borders, pond edges, drainage ways, ditches, and landscape plantings accents.
  • 6 inch and up – Here is where the river rock name usually goes away, although I have certainly heard smooth roundish rocks of all sizes referred to as river rock, sizes this large are most often called cobbles, boulders, or fieldstone. Larger sizes such as these are often used as accents, edging, rock walls, and bordering ponds, waterfalls, and streams.
  • Pea Gravel – The term pea gravel is often used to refer to any pebble in the ¼” or smaller range that is smooth, is not crushed, and does not contain any fines. This is typically not river rock but can be very similar.
  • Chipped Rock, Crushed Stone, Gravel – This stone can be of many varieties but is typically not river rock. This stone can be bought in all sizes and is generally manufactured by crushing larger rocks using large crushing machines. Crushed stone will often contain the fine particles (fines) created when the stone is crushed. These are often used in pathways and driveways due to the angular chips and fines tending to compact and tie together better than the round, smooth river rock.

Conclusion

River rock, or whatever they call it in your region of the world, is durable, attractive, and very versatile. It can be used to help naturalize and beautify your yard in many ways.

It is very heavy to lift but relatively easy to work with other than its weight. If you are planning to do a bunch of river rock work around your home and landscape, I would recommend using the following tools:

  • Flat Shovel


  • Steel Rake


  • Push Broom (for cleanup)


  • Wheelbarrow


  • Landscape Fabric


  • Staples (for the landscape fabric)


  • Utility Knife (to cut fabric)


  • Heavy Hammer


FAQs

Which is cheaper: buying rocks in bulk or buying bags? – Buying rock in bulk is always cheaper than buying bags. Bagged rock is sold for its convenience of use.

 How much are rocks and stones? – A ton will set you back $40 to $800, depending on the material you select. Size, color, form, and finish are all price variables. Furthermore, you will spend less per unit as the quantity increases, which means you’re better off making one big purchase. Trucking heavy rock is not cheap, so if the rock truck is driving to your house, you may as well order as much as you will need to finish your project.

Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting Worms

Vermicomposting is a bio-oxidative, non-thermophilic process in which earthworms and soil microbes are employed to decompose the organic waste to yield the biofertilizer named vermicompost. Vermicomposting is a non-zero, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and sustainable source of organic fertilizers. Okay, so I don’t know about you, but I am no scientist, and that sounds really complex. I will try to simplify this concept a bit in the following article.

What is Vermicompost?

Earthworms eat the organic matter, partially digest it and egest it in the form of small, round balls called worm castings. These worm castings are further decomposed by the soil microbes converting them into the product named vermicompost. A well-prepared Vermicompost possesses soil reclamation, fertility enhancement, plant growth, protection from diseases, insect pests, nematodes, and agricultural sustainability characteristics. (Chaoui, Edwards, Brickner, Lee, & Arancon, 2002).

Put simply; the earthworms are breaking down and improving our soils. This is an entirely natural process that is happening all day, every day, whether we know it or not. Vermicomposting is simply us humans putting the worms into our compost to help speed up the process.

What is Needed to Vermicompost?

Composting, in general, is a very natural process that happens all around us without our help, but we can use it to help create better soils and as a way to keep yard waste in our yard and out of landfills.

Any type of composting requires the following:

  • Green organic material – Grass clippings, live tree leaves, flower trimmings, manure, food scraps, etc. Anything that contains a bunch of nitrogen and will break down over time.
  • Brown organic material – Twigs, dead leaves, mulch, cardboard, paper, etc. Anything that contains a bunch of carbon but very little nitrogen.

Mixing these two materials together and turning them every so often is the basis of composting. Even if we do nothing, the above-listed materials will turn into dirt eventually. Getting the amounts of each type of matter in the correct proportions and having them in the right environment will determine how quickly the composting process happens.

What else does composting require?

The actual process of breaking down these materials into nutrient-rich soils is accomplished by many different types of macro and microorganisms that are at work tirelessly maintaining our earth. Exactly which of these are in your compost is not important; what is important is that you treat them well and give them an environment that they can thrive in.

Macro-organisms such as worms, beetles, centipedes, and any other creepy crawlies work in conjunction with the microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and other tiny things we can’t see.

To make our composting as efficient as possible will take some experimenting and practice on our part. We need the correct levels of the brown and green materials and the proper oxygen, water, and heat levels.

If our compost is too dry or too wet, too hot or too cold, it will not compost as efficiently as it could. Also, if there is not enough air getting into our compost pile, it will not decompose as efficiently as it could.

This is where the experimentation comes in. We need to experiment in our yard to figure out what we can do to encourage this efficient decomposition process. Each environment will be a bit different; there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

One thing that we can do that will definitely increase the speed at which our compost is breaking down is to add more worms. Their only job is to eat through our pile of compost and poop out their casting. This process will speed up any composting operation, but we need to be nice to the worms.

Large scale Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting is successfully practiced in Canada, Japan, Italy, India, the US, and the Philippines at a commercial scale for farming, compost tea making (this isn’t the kind of tea that you are thinking about), and export purposes.

Two methods are currently being used for the commercial production of vermicompost:

  • The Windrow Method – The worms and compost are piled into long and tall windrows, which are periodically turned to improve the composting process. Specially designed windrow turning machines are used to manufacture vermicompost. This system is cost-efficient and easy to maintain for farmers to manage animal manure at the farm or for large-scape compost manufacturers. While this method is considered large-scale, it can be accomplished at home, given you have a bit of land and a strong back.
  • The Raised Bed or Flow-Through system: The earthworms are introduced from the top of the bed, eat the litter, continuously burrow the waste layers and reach the bottom where they are harvested to reuse. This system is indoor, therefore, preferred in cooler climates. This is a nicely contained way to compost that just about anyone can accomplish with a bit of ingenuity.

Small Scale Vermicomposting – Container Method

Small scale vermicomposting is well-suited to best utilize the kitchen waste, lawn waste (grass clippings, pruned stems, fallen leaves, etc.), newspaper, wooden pieces, and any kind of waste that the tiny soldiers can decompose. The example below uses a small bin which helps to keep the entire process neatly contained.

Red Wigglers and associated symbiotic microbes such as Rhizobium, Azospirillum, Clostridium, etc., are the best combos for small-scale vermicomposting.

How to Prepare Vermicompost at Home?

  1. Select a Suitable Worm Bin: You can reuse any old container such as a drawer, fish tank, bucket, drum, etc. It must not contain any hazardous materials that may harm the worms. Depending on your home and your ambition, starting in the 10-gallon size might be good.
  2. Prepare the Bedding: Earthworms like to live on strips of newspapers to provide air, water, and food, just as the soil provides all these to plants. Add 2-3 handfuls of rich garden soil to your container. This will contain soil microbes and create a favorable environment for the worms.
  3. Add the Worms: Some folks who have this down to a science weigh out their worms to determine precisely how many worms are needed to compost how much material. Weighing out your worms also helps when it comes time to harvest them at the end of the process.
  4. Add the Worm Food: Add your compost blend to the container and keep an eye on it to ensure that the worms have enough to eat. Typically, Red Wigglers caneat three times their weight in a week.
  5. Aerate the bin Periodically: This process needs air to work. Make sure that your container doesn’t get too wet, and turn over the compost every so often to increase airflow and efficiency. This step is why many people use the commercially available composting bins, which allow you to crank a handle to turn the bin.
  6. Harvesting the Worms or Compost: Once your compost is mostly all broken down with no large pieces of uncomposted material and the remaining soil is rich and black, you can either pull out all of the worms to use again in another bin, or you can scoop out the soil, being careful not to hurt the worms,  and start a new batch of compost. By leaving some of the existing compost and the worms, it will be easy to get a new batch started. The average life span of an earthworm is 5-7 years, so you can easily get rid of a whole lot of waste and create a whole lot of rich soil in that amount of time.

Small Scale Vermicomposting – Ground Method

Above, we talked about the very small-scale process of vermicomposting in a container. If you have more space and more waste, you will likely want to try this on a larger scale.

Vermicomposting can be done almost anywhere as long as your environment is conducive to the process. In the more extreme regions, this gets more challenging.

Remember, we are not only composting anymore, but we are also keeping live animals, so we need to care for them and the process.

If your area is very dry, you may need to add moisture to your compost to get the worms to thrive and the composting process to work.

If you are in a very wet area, you may need to vermicompost on a high spot and protect the pile from rain.

If you are in a very hot location, the compost pile might need a bit of shade,

If you are in the colder regions where the ground freezes, you will struggle to keep your worms alive for the winter. Some people will bring a small-scale version of their vermicomposting operation into the basement for the winter. Other folks have had good luck keeping their vermicomposting in trenches dug into the ground or in big thick piles, which can retain heat in the center even when the outer crust is frozen.

In any event, once you have figured out the requirements of your area, you can begin your vermicomposting. In general, this will mean a pile or windrow of compost that gets turned regularly to increase oxygen levels and move some of the drier materials low and wet materials higher.

Having some organization to your method is important, as eventually, you will want to harvest the nutrition-rich soil. If you begin your pile in one area and then, over time, only add more compost to one side of the pile, the worms will tend to follow the food source. So, over time, the original pile will be all composted material ready to harvest, and the leading edge of the pile will be the actively composting side with the vast majority of the worms.

Suitable Species of Earthworms for Vermicomposting

Some earthworm species speed up the composting process and make your operation more efficient. The most commonly used earthworm species are:

  • Red Wiggler (Eisenia Andrei)
  • European Night-Crawlers (E. hortensis)
  • African Night-Crawlers (Eudrilus eugeniae)
  • Blue-worms (Perionyx excavates)

Advantages of Using Vermicompost

Restores Soil Fertility

  • Earthworms are often referred to as “Ecosystem Engineers” and “Nature’s Plowman.” They reduce soil erosion by binding the soil particles with their damp, mucus-containing particles. They can convert organic waste into useable compost much more rapidly than traditional composting.                              
  • Vermicompost is a partially decomposed product, i.e., the earthworms do not absorb all of the nutrients from the food they eat; instead, they egest the partially eaten food in the form of worm castings. This is useful because the nutrients are now available in the soil for our plants to absorb. Vermicompost prepared from food and animal manure is a rich source of all the macronutrients and micronutrients needed for plant growth.
  • When added to soil, vermicompost improves its buffering capacity, water, and nutrient holding capacity and aeration. It also enhances the soil pH through mineralization.
  • It improves the biological fertility of the soil. Mucus, secreted by the earthworm’s digestive system, speeds up the decomposition of organic matter and stimulates competition among the soil microbes to further perform decomposing, and the process continues.

Nutrient Status of Vermicompost:

  • Organic Carbon: 9.15 to 17.98 %
  • Total Nitrogen: 0.5 to 1.5 %
  • Available Phosphorus: 0.1 to 0.3 %
  • Available Potassium: 0.15 %
  • Available Sulphur: 128 to 548 ppm
  • Calcium and Magnesium: 22-70 mg/ 100g
  • Copper: 2-9.3 ppm
  • Zinc: 5.6-11.5 ppm

Control of Solid Waste/Biosolids:

  • Uncontrollable waste production is a serious challenge that every country is facing. An average family in the US creates almost 18 pounds of waste daily. This is 6570 pounds of waste annually! If we seriously want to control this mass waste production, Vermicomposting is the best way. The earthworms not only decompose almost every kind of waste (except solids like glass, plastic, etc.), but they also add long-lasting benefits to the soil.
  • Earthworms are capable of converting “Garbage into Gold.” Sewage sludge, biomedical waste, and biosolids could be managed and converted into Biofertilizers through vermicomposting. Earthworms surprisingly remove Salmonella spp. from 3MNP to <1 MNP/g and coliforms (39,000 MNP/g to 0 MNP/g) from the fecal matter.
  • Vermicomposting municipal waste with Lampoti Mauritii removes Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. from the sludge, making it safe to use as an organic fertilizer. (Pathma & Sakthivel, 2012)

Control of Plant Diseases:

Healthy soil produces a healthy plant. Whenever soils or plants are deficient in a required substance, nutrient, or growth condition, this opens the door for disease. Earthworms release phenolic compounds that keep the pathogens and most of the insect pests away from the soil and even from the plants.

  • Vermicompost slowly releases the nutrients into the soil, balancing the amount of N-fixation, P, and K availability, keeping enough for the plant itself but not enough for pathogen regeneration.
  • Earthworms’ biochemical activities reduce the plant pathogens, especially Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium spp. These are responsible for most fungal diseases in food crops.
  • Earthworm’s presence decreases the root diseases of cereals and stimulates immunity in Grapes against the diseases caused by Rhizoctonia spp.
  • Vermicompost discourages the growth and attack of tomato fungus, i.e., F. oxysporum and P. nicotianae.
  • Potato and cabbage treated with a mixture of vermicompost and clay do not remain susceptible to P. infestans and P. brassicae, respectively.

Alternate Potting Material

Vermicompost has become a very popular potting material due to its all-in-one properties, containing everything required for optimum growth and development. It releases nutrients gradually, is porous, well-aerated, and possesses excellent water holding capacity. It can be used for indoor and outdoor pots, planters, and containers with garden soil or clay.

  • Significant suppression in the fungal disease Verticillium wilt in strawberries has been noticed by applying 10 t/ha food and 5 t/ha paper Vermicompost. {Chaoui, 2002 #357}
  • The addition of vermicompost during soil preparation has been noticed to enhance the growth, disease resistance, and nitrogen fixation in Cucumber and Tomatoes. {Gutiérrez-Miceli, 2007 #362}
  • The addition of vermicompost (5% and 10% v/v as soil amendment and three doses of 40 mL in drench after 14, 21, and 28 days of transplant) in spinach enhanced the leaf production, delayed senescence, improved the leaf succulence, carotenoid, protein production, and reduce flavonoid content in soil balanced the antioxidant capacity. {Xu, 2016 #359}
  •  Vermicompost addition at the rate of 20% during soil reparation enhanced the Ca and Mg concentration in leaf prompted flower production in Petunia Hybrid “Dream Neon Rose.” {Chamani, 2008 #363}

Conclusion

If there is one thing that I know about humans, it is that they typically won’t continue doing something if it isn’t in one way or another somewhat rewarding to them. If you are getting into vermicomposting, I commend you; this is an excellent step to helping balance the damage done by humans.

When you are planning out your vermicomposting operation, no matter how big or small, be sure that it is in some way rewarding to you and not overly challenging to do. It doesn’t need to be perfect; the breakdown of compost will occur any time that different materials are together outside in the dirt, whether we work at it or not.

Create your vermicomposting area so that it is easy and practically takes care of itself. This way, even if you don’t find the time to work it as often as you should, it will still function, and the worms will still be alive. In general, a larger operation is less susceptible to small changes, but on the other hand, a large operation might just be too overwhelming for you.

Build your vermicomposting operation to fit your personality and your lifestyle.

Q: What does Vermicompost mean?

A: Vermicompost means an organic product prepared by the earthworms by feeding upon the organic waste.

Q: Are worm castings organic?

A: Yes. Earthworms are provided with a controlled diet of organic substances. However, the readymade Vermicompost or worm castings may be organic or inorganic.

Q: Are worm castings or vermicompost safe to touch?

A: Unlike the chemical fertilizers, worm castings or vermicompost are non-flammable safe to touch, handle, and use. It is the safest soil supplement available in the market.

Q: Can I use too many worm castings or vermicompost at once?

A: No, unlike chemical fertilizers, you can’t add too much vermicompost to your garden. You can grow directly into the vermicompost since it is essentially just rich soil.

Q: What is the difference between worm castings and vermicompost?

A: Worm castings are the tiny round balls excreted by the earthworms, i.e., earthworm’s poops, while vermicompost is a decomposed organic fertilizer prepared by earthworms by feeding upon the organic matter. Castings are part of the vermicompost.

Q: Can I use Vermicompost on Flowers?

A: Of course, vermicompost is a nutrient-rich and safe product for growing any kind of plant.

References

Chaoui, H., Edwards, C., Brickner, A., Lee, S., & Arancon, N. (2002). Suppression of the plant diseases, Pythium (damping-off), Rhizoctonia (root rot), and Verticillium (wilt) by vermicomposts. Paper presented at the Brighton crop protection conference pests and diseases.

Pathma, J., & Sakthivel, N. (2012). Microbial diversity of vermicompost bacteria that exhibit useful agricultural traits and waste management potential. SpringerPlus, 1(1), 1-19.

Xu, C., & Mou, B. (2016). Vermicompost affects soil properties and spinach growth, physiology, and nutritional value. HortScience51(7), 847-855.

Gutiérrez-Miceli, F. A., Santiago-Borraz, J., Molina, J. A. M., Nafate, C. C., Abud-Archila, M., Llaven, M. A. O., … & Dendooven, L. (2007). Vermicompost as a soil supplement to improve growth, yield, and fruit quality of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum). Bioresource Technology98(15), 2781-2786.

 Chamani, E., Joyce, D. C., & Reihanytabar, A. (2008). Vermicompost effects on the growth and flowering of Petunia hybrida’ Dream Neon Rose’. American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences3(3), 506-512.

How to Install Landscape Edging on a Slope

Concrete Landscape Edging

Installing landscape edging is not an easy task no matter where you are doing it, but if you are installing landscape edging on a slope, you are in for a real challenge. To be able to install landscape edging on a slope, you will need to follow some specific guidelines if you want even half a chance of this edging lasting longer than one season.

Any time that extreme slopes are involved in landscaping projects, things get a lot more difficult. Don’t get me wrong, rolling hills, berms and general yard contours add much interest and variety to a yard, but as far as erosion is concerned, slopes will be some of your biggest landscape challenges.

Installing landscape edging around your lawn, beds and walkways is a fairly common practice, and it has it’s advantages. I’m going to lay out some of my best edging installation advice in this article.

General Considerations for Slope Edging

Any time that you are working on a slope, your major concern should be erosion. Whether you are putting in a few accent rocks, shrubs, flowers or a waterfall, you need to consider how running water will affect your installation.

Edging, no matter which type you choose, can exacerbate or minimize any water erosion problems that you already have. Water flowing downhill on exposed soil will wash it downhill every time. the worst thing that you can do on a steep slope would be to concentrate the water in a narrow area. Installing edging up or down the hill will make your erosion problem worse, while running your edging across the slope can help to slow down water flow and reduce erosion.

In general, when working with slopes, one of the most important aspects to help keep your valuable soil in place will be plant cover. No matter what type of edging you install, it is going to be important to plant and protect the surrounding soil as soon as possible after the installation of the edging.

Types of Edging – No matter where you install it

Brick, Stone, Concrete Paver Blocks

Stone, concrete and brick paving blocks are fairly straightforward to install, but are likely the most expensive edging that you can choose for your yard. The fact that they are block-shaped and heavy might help keep them on the slope, if they are set into the soil deep enough. While these block shaped pieces typically stay in place fairly well when installed properly on flat ground or slowly rolling hills, installing them on a steep slope is asking for trouble.

If you choose to install the block shaped stone or brick edging, make sure to buy the taller sizes, such as maybe 6 inches to 12 inches tall, depending on the steepness of your slope. The more stone or brick block that you can bury in the ground, the more likely it is to stay where you put it.

As was mentioned above, installing your stone edging across the hill can act as a small retaining wall or dike which can help to hold back soil and stabilize the slope.

Another aspect of installing stone edging on a slope is that the entire installation will be more solid, the more it is tied together. Setting the stones tightly together and in an arch is one way to use friction and gravity to your advantage to help keep the stone blocks in place.

Another nice method is to toe-in the edging using mortar. Mortar, especially fiber reinforced mortar will act as a bonding agent to help bond the blocks together as well as provide more weight. Certainly in extreme slope situations, you could over dig the depth of your edging trench and pour an actual reinforced concrete footer to set the stone or brick blocks on, but that will not typically be necessary. If you set your block nice and tight and then toe them in with mortar on one side or both, it should be plenty strong to hold for many years. To toe in, simply mix mortar and trowel it against the block edge in a triangular slant with the mortar mostly on the ground and slanting up onto the block as in the picture below.

Stone Edge Toe In Example

This will help to anchor the blocks to the ground and tie them to each other. Obviously, the mortar toe would be installed lower than the existing grade and covered with soil.  

While installing stone or brick block edges may be more labor intensive and more costly, these classic stone borders ar emuch higher quality and more stable than any plastic or steel edging choice.

Poured Concrete Edging

Poured concrete edging can be installed in several different ways. You can install traditional concrete forms, mix and pour the concrete yourself in any shape or form that you desire. You can also install the forms and then order the pre-mixed concrete and install it yourself. The latest trend in concrete curbing is the use of a mechanical concrete edging machine.

The advantage to forming and pouring your own concrete edging would be the ability to customize the curbing in any way that you see fit. I would always recommend choosing a curbing profile that is easy to keep consistent throughout the yard. I would not recommend altering the curbing profile throughout the yard as too much variation in materials and look will typically make a yard look more cluttered and unprofessional.

When I talk about the ability to customize your poured edging, I am talking about the profile of the curbing in and under the ground. The ability to form an pour a standard curb on flat areas and an enhanced curb on slopes can be quite helpful. You can shape the buried base of your curbing to better stabilize it on the slope and you can even reinforce it using rebar, steel mesh or even cable. This would be one way to ensure that your edging stays on the slope where you want it and still looks the same as the rest of the edging in your yard.

Using a mechanical concrete curbing machine (similar to the one pictured below) gives you the advantage of being able to create your own curbing with the help of a machine which eliminates the need for forming. These machines are primarily designed to be used on flat surfaces, so using them on a slope will not be easy to do, and they do not offer a way to alter the curbing for different slopes. I’m sure that it can be done, but I would guess that using a machine such as this would be very difficult on a steep slope.



Landscape Timber Edging

You can certainly use landscape timbers when installing edging on a slope, but due to their length (unless you cut them short) they don’t do well on changing grades. Imagine trying to cut an eight foot timber into a slope with undulations. The longer the pieces are that you choose to use, they harder it will be if there is any ground contour.

Timbers can certainly be used cross-slope to help reduce erosion and keep the slope in place. An advantage to using timbers is that they can be fastened together using long screws, spikes or lag bolts. This will help to tie the edging together and make it stronger. Another advantage is that you can drill holes and anchor the timbers to the slope using large spikes or rebar.

These two advantages will make the landscape timber option attractive, but remember that all wood will decay over time, so it is likely that eventually you will be left with a bunch of rotting wood and rebar sticking out of the ground. Another disadvantage to using landscape timbers as edging, is the fact that wood is light and it will tend to move quiet a bit, especially in areas where the ground freezes.

Metal and Plastic Edging

There are many commercially available metal and plastic edging systems in the market today. Most of these are a simple and cheap way for a homeowner or landscaper to edge a bed or the lawn. From my experience, none of them look nice for long if at all.

Most of the plastic and metal edging choices are simply a flat piece that is cut and staked into the ground to provide an edge between two surfaces such as between the grass and flower beds. There are also plastic edges that look like stone and brick or have other contours, but none of them are long lasting and none of them look very realistic.

As with any light material, metal and plastic edging tends to move with time. I will say that the steel edging will stay in place better than the plastic will, simply due to its rigidness and its weight, but it will still pop out of the ground and get hit by the lawnmower eventually.

Like the timbers, these plastic and metal edges come in long lengths, so setting them on ground with contours is difficult if not impossible.

Natural Bed Edging

While some will say that the natural cut bed edge is the highest maintenance choice, I would disagree. The natural edge certainly needs to be recut every few years, but there aren’t any pieces to move out of place or heave up and get hit by the lawn mower.

The natural bed edge looks classy and simple and will help to separate your various beds and the lawn. This edge should be cut using an edging shovel. Your goal is to cut straight down on the lawn side of the edge and cut it sloping back at an angle into your bed as in the example below.

Natural bed edge example

By cutting down 6-8 inches at the lawn edge, you are creating a great barrier to discourage the grass roots from growing into the bed and when you mow lawn, the edge of the mower deck will nicely hang over this edge, so there will be no need to use a string trimmer.

There are v-shaped edging machines available at local rental yards, but in my experience, they are typically not work the effort unless you are cutting your entire lawn edge and you have a good sized yard. When using these machines, the correct edge is cut, but a pile dirt and sod is left in the bed which needs to be cut out anyway, so you are not saving much time or effort.

Edging on a Slope Techniques

There are some crucial concepts to understand whenever you are installing landscape edging on a slope. one is to be sure that your edging material is installed correctly and firmly anchored to the slope to be sure that it won’t move with time. The other is to ensure your edging layout and design helps the slope erosion instead of making it worse.

When edging on a slope, you will want to catch and slow the waterflow, not concentrate it and speed it up. Sections of edging that slope downhill will concentrate the waterflow and speed it up which will increase the effects of erosion. Sections of edging that run across the hill will slow down and spread out waterflow which will reduce the effects of erosion. Check out the picture below.

Edging on a Slope Example

No matter which type of edging you choose, it is important to keep this concept in mind as you begin your project.

Sometimes, you will have no choice but to run your edging down a slope. In this case, depending on your edging type, you can create a gutter for the water to flow in using your edging material. This doesn’t work with a natural bed edge or with plastic or metal edging, but if you are using bricks or stones, it will certainly work.

Simply install the brick or stone gutter on the uphill side of the edging where the water will be concentrated and tilt it to control where the water flows. The uphill edge of the gutter must be a bit below the height of the ground so that it allows to water to enter. If you have a lot of water flow, you may want to install a double stone gutter, but most of the time a simple single stone gutter will work well. By keeping the water on the stone, we can eliminate the erosion on the slope.

Keep in mind that simple edging techniques like this can be used to control slope erosion even if you don’t really need a landscape edge to seperate beds or plants. Be installing multiple edges on a slope, you are in effect creating small terraces on the hillside. Hillside terraces have long been used to control erosion and create planting areas.

Terraced Hillside (probably a bit larger than your project)

Installing landscape edging on a slope does not need to be extremely difficult, although the steeper the slope, the more difficult it will become. Always remember that safety comes first, so call to have public utilities located before you dig and use caution when working on a slope. Carrying heavy brick or rock up a slope can be dangerous, especially when things get a bit wet and slippery.