I’ve been working on getting my home and yard ready for spring and summer a lot lately and I’ve gathered some easy ways for you to get greener this spring!
1. Compost
Last year for my birthday my husband and kids got me a counter top compost bin. I LOVE it, but we didn’t have anywhere to take the compost once it needed to go out. I tried a makeshift composter, but I don’t want to be out there stirring and turning by hand, so this year we invested in a turning composter. It’s ridiculously easy to use, and there is NO smell. The fresh organic soil has been perfect for planting all the fun flowers we’ve got going on in our backyard.
2. Grow Your Own Garden
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to get a beautiful garden, whether it is flowers or foods, is to start your own plants from seed. It takes a little bit of love and patience, but for the price it can’t be beat. You can use a plastic plant pack or if you are feeling extra “green” you can use your empty cardboard egg cartons. Simply fill them with some rich soil and plant your seeds. Give them adequate sunlight and water and you will have beautiful things growing before you know it! Bonus points if you use an egg carton, because you can plant that whole thing in the ground, no big deal!
3. Solar Lighting
You might remember back when we bought our house the very first project we did was installing this safety fence. Last fall I installed a paver pathway to the patio, and reseeded the lawn. The only thing missing was a way to see how to there. I bought and installed these solar light in less than half an hour. Now there is a clear path to the patio and the long term cost is $0. Thank you sun!
4. Change your Batteries
My class recently spend a month studying recycling and landfills and I was surprised to learn that there is only one company on the market making new batteries out of recycled batteries. Did you know that you are not supposed to throw those AA batteries in the trash when they die? I didn’t. If you separate them and drop them at your local battery recycling station they will go on to live again. I grabbed a couple packs of the AA size at Walmart to start replacing our dead batteries with these new EcoAdvance ones. I would have grabbed some AAA ones too, but I can’t think of anything we use that takes those! That’s Energizer #BringingInnovation once again!
5. Collect Rainwater
Living in a part of the country that gets more than it’s fair share of rain can be a blessing and a curse. Adding a rain barrel to collect all that rainwater is one was of doing our part to help out the rest of the nation as they struggle with droughts. Rain water is perfect for watering our yard and garden and takes less than an hour to get hooked up to your existing downspouts!
What are you doing to go green this spring? I’d love to hear your secrets to spring time success, leave me a comment telling me your best trick AND if you want a chance to win $1000 in gift cards enter the giveaway below!
These are great tips!!! I really want to get a rain barrel for watering our plants! #client