Here in the Seattle area, summer is usually so glorious that most of us don’t get the "summertime blues." This is the time we really enjoy hanging out in our own backyard. But as you do that, consider 10 ways you can go "summertime green" in the yard and garden. Some of these tips will even save you money, which should really come in handy now with gas and food prices so high.  

1) Reap what you sow. Plant fall crops of vegetables in August. I always plant lettuce and arugula (a spicy little salad green) in late summer. Both are super-easy to grow. We pick them from the garden and eat them all fall, and sometimes well into the winter.

2) Give it up. Make sure that any vegetables or fruits turning ripe in your yard don’t go to waste. Last year, after I picked all the plums from our two plum trees, we had more than we could eat. I donated them to the St. Mary’s Food Bank, and they were glad to get them. If you can’t pick your fruit trees, volunteers may be able to come to pick them and give the fruit to people who will use it. To set that up, call Seattle Tilth’s Garden Hotline at 206-633-0224 or e-mail help@gardenhotline.org (they may not be able to respond to all requests).

3) Put away the sprays. Do you really need to nuke the bugs or the weeds? Use toxic chemical sprays only as a last resort, and consider natural alternatives to pesticides (www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/yard/problems).
 
4) Stay true to your roots. Big trees and shrubs in your yard that have abundant roots may not need much water in the summer, especially if they are in the shade. Our neighbor has some huge hydrangeas tucked between their house and ours. They never water them, but they bloom like crazy every year and seem very healthy.

5) Stop runaway water. For your plants that do need water, try to make sure that most of it doesn’t run down the sidewalk and into the storm drain. What a waste!

6) Put the sun to work. Although it may be cooling down a little bit, August is still a great time for partying out on the deck. With the nights getting shorter, you need some light out there, so consider the cool new solar-powered deck lights, which you can find locally at Goods for the Planet (www.goodsfortheplanet.com), many hardware and home improvement stores, or online.

7) Burn better. Plenty of folks around here enjoy sitting around fires in the backyard. But try to avoid burning green wood (sometimes it’s 50 percent water by weight). It puts out a lot of smoke, which is bad for our air quality. If we’re in the middle of a stretch of hot, hazy days, consider forgoing the fires all together. When you have ashes to get rid of, keep them in a metal can for several days to make sure they are out. After that, it’s okay to put them in the garden, although they probably won’t help your plants that much.

8) Let it rot. August is a good time to turn your compost. You also need to make room in your compost bin or bins for the influx of leaves in September and October.

9) Cut grass without gas. You may not need to mow the lawn much  in August, but soon it will start growing again. So think about getting rid of your stinky, polluting gas lawn mower and replacing it with a manual push mower or a spiffy electric model.

10) Think big and green. Make plans for other serious green improvements in your yard and garden. For example: Have a new deck installed made from composite lumber (which includes recycled plastic); replace your driveway with porous pavement, to avoid runoff; put in a new walkway in the backyard made from used, scavenged bricks. Fall can be the perfect time for those types of projects. Plan them now, and you’ll be ahead of the game.

And last but not least - Don’t feel guilty about what you don’t do. It’s great to get some of these things done, and go green and save money, but the summer is for relaxing too!

      

Tom Watson is a project manager for King County and is the Seattle Times columnist of "EcoConsumer." Every month, Tom will offer smart and easy tips on how you, too, can become an eco-consumer.

Recently, I saw a cartoon that really made me laugh. It showed a homeowner standing in her small back yard with her landscaper, holding a picture of Versailles in her hand. The caption read "I'd like to try something like this."

Certainly Louis XIV valued the beauty that water adds to the garden, as the fountains of Versailles attest. However, my guess is that you don't have quite that kind of real estate. No matter how small your garden is - even if it is just a lanai or a small deck - you can experience the beauty and pleasure of water in the garden with less trouble than you might think. When space is at a premium, I often recommend adding a "water pot" to the garden. By choosing the appropriate container and planning accordingly you'll be surprised at how easy it is. What follows are some suggestions for containerized water features for the small garden.

The sound of splashing water is often something we look for in a water feature, and this is easily accomplished as long as there is a source of electricity for your container. Choose a container that complements the scale of the space it will stand in, and also an appropriately sized pump. Drill a hole with a masonry bit a few inches from the bottom of the container. Thread the pump's cord through a rubber plug, seal around holes with a silicone sealer, attach your piping and bubbler to the pump and splash away. If your container is unglazed on the inside (like terra cotta) you will also need to seal it with a premixed sealer like Drylock. Alternatively, balance a spout on the edge of the container (as with bamboo spouts) and no drilling is required. The water re-circulates but you may need to add more occasionally due to evaporation. Supplies are available at home improvement centers and many reputable nurseries.

In the absence of electricity, consider installing a container filled with aquatic or bog plants. The appropriate mix of plants will keep the water naturally clear, without added chemicals. Oxygenating grasses compete with algae for food. True aquatic plants do not mind having their crowns submerged in a few inches of water and some can live in water that is even deeper. There are also the carnivorous bog plants, like Sarracenia purpurea, which do not like to be submerged but don't mind very wet feet. A hole drilled higher up on the side of the container will keep the water from rising over the crowns. A great source of information for these types of water gardens is Oasis Water Gardens (206-767-9776) in the Georgetown area of Seattle.

Even a simple bird bath will create a source of water, decoration and an attraction for birds. A birdbath does require some regular cleaning, and birds don't particularly like warm water, so the bath should get some afternoon shade.

You may not get Versailles, but you can aim for the Petit Trianon!

by Toni Cross, CPH