As a new member to the forum, I am curious to know how many of you are using organic lawn care practices and how many are not. It is purely for my own education. Having been fertilizing and amending organically for many years now, it seems more and more are moving that way, but it's tough to gauge just how many. Obviously, this isn't very scientific, but just a curiosity. If you're so inclined, I'd love to hear WHY you choose to utilize organic practices or why you don't.
I've been an organic gardener for over thirty years. I chose not to use chemicals of any kind as I garden with wildlife in mind so know I'm not harming them in any way.
The lawn would be if we had one. I have turned both our front and back lawns into flower and veggie gardens, they are all organic.
Thanks to those who've responded so far. Being that this is not an exclusively "organic" site, I wasn't sure just how many here were "organic people". I'll be interested to see how the poll results change as this continues.
Personally, my lawn is the least of my gardening worries. I cut it to use as mulch in the garden...other than that I don't do anything with it. no sprays, no fertilizer (other than the free offerings from the chickens when they are outside of their fence.)
My grass/lawn is just something to keep me from walking in dirt. It just gets cut (along with any weeds) to keep the place looking tidy. It has never been fed, treated or watered (except my Mother Nature).
We have a large rural property. The front yard hasn't had anything done to it other than a cut in the 10 years we have lived here. What I lack in 'perfect lawn' I more than make up for with trees, shrubs, and gardens which are also organic.
I prefer organic gardening. It means less work in the long run. If your soil is organic en healthy, it will produce healthy plants that are more resistant to disease and pets.
We've found that organic gardening is cheaper and as effective as the traditional gardening methods with chemical pesticides and fertilizers. We have three vegetable beds, two herb beds, and three large flower gardens. We also have more grass than we want (especially in the above mentioned!) but all we do is mow the lawn. Mowing regularly has helped suppress the weeds and encourage the grass, but that is all we do. Like Carolyn, our hens fertilize patches when they free-range, and the mown grass is great both for mulch and for bedding in the coops, so I'm particularly happy we don't have any chemicals on it. Our lawn may not be perfect, but it sure is useful!
There are a number of benefits of organic gardening. The first one being having the choice to eat fresh, healthy foods that you have grown from scratch. This will give you the best of both worlds because you're improving your diet and also getting a sense of achievement! Saving money will also be a bonus. Rather than wasting money during the weekly shop, you can save by planting and growing your own foodstuffs.
