I get multiple salesmen on my porch every year telling me that a lush green lawn can be so easy. All I have to do is pay someone to poison it, cut it, paint it, fertilize it, and water it. Starting to think the problem is the grass, not the weeds and bugs. (JK, way past starting)
Meanwhile, I intentionally got a plot on it’s own little hill so that the runoff from all my neighbors doing that shit doesn’t poison the small slice of dirt I have to grow food on.
Just remember - insects need native plants to complete their life cycles. This one would be for GB but I assume there are localised ones, especially for USA https://dbif.brc.ac.uk/background.aspx
Yes! Native plants that have co-evolved with your local insects and birds are the ideal.
I get a little frustrated with No Mow May that runs in Canada. People get obsessed with the idea that dandelions are a bee’s first food and we must leave them. I suppose they are better than pesticide-laden grass, but dandelions are a European import. What bees really need is native early bloomers - in my area, that’s serviceberry, spicebush, pasque flower, violets, etc.
For Canada and the US, the Xerces society has these lovely native plant guides to help with ideal plant choices for your region
I purposely let “weeds” grow in my veggie gardens and have a plot specifically for wildflowers and “weeds”. People have warned me about those nasty “weeds” spreading and I casually don’t listen to any of them.
I’ve been seeing so many new and interesting bugs in my backyard. I spend less time attempting to pollinate some of my plants by hand. The extra ground cover keeps my soil moist longer during those sunny days. I also think my chaos gardens look really nice compared to a neatly manicured plot of veggies too.
I can’t wait to start planting again. Go away snow and freezing rain, you’ve over stayed your welcome.
Real talk, it’s insane how devastated the insect population has gotten. I don’t even have one mark on my windshield from a bug, even on a long roadtrip any more.
I’ve always wondered if it’s because modern cars are more aerodynamic and so the bugs go up and over the car with the air flow rather than into it.
It’s the opposite. More aerodynamic modern cars are more likely to hit insects on the road than the older blockier ones. They’re not hitting insects because there aren’t any insects to hit.
The only pesticide I really use is diatomaceous earth, and that’s in the house.
I recently added the pesticide of just throwing out my infested plants and starting over from scratch. And if I buy another store plant, it’s getting quarantined despite not really having any space to do so. It’ll sit on the stairs or something until I can be sure there are no bugs.
I want to go wherever that is
Take me with you, I can cook and shoe horses and stuff
And why would that need to be secret?
Have you ever lived in a HOA?
No because I am British. My garden and allotment are mostly constrained by the rules of don’t block out the light for others, keep public paths accessible and for the allotment I have to use at least 75% of the land for growing food.
If you prefer not to block out the light for others, does that mean that you would avoid growing a tree? I have trees and shrubs for privacy and hadn’t really considered the light aspect
American HOAs will generally not allow growing food in a visible area. Space may only be wasted and as devoid of life as possible
Trees are allowed but if they are so big they block out a significant amount of sunlight to neighbours then they might be able to complain and you have to cut it back. Not sure on the fine details of it, but just a bit of shade is fine too.
Yes but not really a suburban one yet. I see your point.
