In the Garden

We love our yards and gardens. Although gardeners have many options for how to control pests in their gardens, it should always been done in environmentally sustainable ways.

Be a Gardening Hero
Flowers
Garden IQ
Lawn Care
Pests
Soil Care
Tools, Tricks and Tips
Vegetables
Watering

Be a Gardening Hero

We love our yards and gardens.

And while you may not be able to make water run uphill or raise 700-pound tomatoes, you can still be a Gardening Hero. At Apply Responsibly, we believe that there are many facets to becoming an accomplished gardener.

True heroes in the garden know how to grow healthy lawns, and care for their flowers and vegetables while conserving water and employing responsible and creative gardening practices in their yards.

To help you become a backyard Gardening Hero, we have scoured the Internet to create a consolidated library of videos and other online resources. We have just scratched the surface and plan to add more resources on a regular basis. So check back often. We hope these tips and best practices will help you become a more skilled, responsible and proud gardener.

Flowers

Flowers can light up a garden with an array of aromas and splashes of color, whether you are able to grow flowers year round, or take advantage a few times a year. But flowers can possess more than just an aesthetic value – smart planting of them can attract such helpful insects as butterflies and bees, which pollinate and eat bad bugs. Here are some videos and online resources to help you beautify your garden and promote habitat for some of a garden’s most important visitors.

How to Plant a Flower Garden (2:39)

Tips for Mixing Spring and Summer Blooming Flowers (1:18)

How to Plant Sunflower Seeds (3:35)

Attracting Butterflies & Bees

Garden IQ

Before grabbing a trowel and putting in your plants, gardeners should develop some basic knowledge to help ensure success. This includes understanding where you live – the bioregion, the climate, the season and what plants will naturally thrive in your garden (After all, you wouldn’t want to plant cactus in Alaska). If you are new to gardening, this is a good place to get started listening to your environment so you can be a Green Thumb throughout the year wherever you live.

Know Your Climate Zone

Selecting the Right Plants

Understanding Sun & Shade (1:58)

Lawn Care

Proper lawn care practices not only provide a handsome yard, but also help the environment. Here are some excellent videos on lawn care, including a series from the Environmental Protection Agency aimed at encouraging homeowners and communities to adopt healthy lawn care practices as a way to reduce pesticide risks, limit erosion, prevent stream sedimentation and limit flooding and runoff of pollutants into local waterways.

Healthy Lawn Care Practices (3:53)

Testing Your Soil (1:13)

Mowing (1:30)

Watering (1:21)

Weed and Pest Control (1:30)

Fertilizing (2:45)

Aerate Your Soil (0:39)

Controlling Run-off (1:50)

Pests

Pests and weeds are a frustrating reality in any garden. While there are many philosophies about how best to deal with these problems, a popular approach is known as integrated pest management (IPM). This strategy seeks to combine natural approaches such as habitat prevention and the limited use of pesticides to defend a garden from pests. Here are some videos that demonstrate effective and responsible ways to protect both your garden and the environment.

Proper & Effective Use of Home Pesticides

Soil Care

Poor soil conditions can hamper the best intentions. To make sure you maximize the health and growth of your plants and vegetables, it is essential that their soil food is balanced and nutritious. From testing your soil to making your own compost, the following resources will help you get down and dirty with your garden.

Testing Your Soil (3:53)

Composting (1:13)

How to Build a Compost Bin (1:30)

Composting Tips (1:21)

Preparing Soil for Seed Planting (1:30)

How to Enrich Your Garden With Compost (2:45)

Tools, Tricks and Tips

Knowledge of basic tools and simple tips can help you work more effectively and efficiently in your garden. The following offer some ways you can work smarter in your garden.

Garden Maintenance & Tools (7:06)

DougGreensGardens.com Describes his 2 Favorite Tools (1:18)

How to Sharpen and Clean Your Tools (1:21)

Best Planting Locations (2:27)

Vegetables

Eating fresh herbs and vegetables from your garden is one of the most gratifying and enjoyable aspects of home gardening. But knowing what, how and when to plant is essential. Here are some videos and online resources to help you get started in your own “Back 40.”

How to Plant a Tomato (1:01)