Hassett Hardware is a family-owned and operated local hardware store that carries a large selection of organics and eco-friendly supplies for your gardening needs. Flows To Bay has partnered with Hassett Hardware for our Flows To Bay Challenge this spring to bring you expert gardening advice on how to make your garden or yard as (eco)green as it can be:
Water at night. When you water at night, less water is lost to evaporation from wind and sunlight. This means you can water less often, and your plants can use that water more efficiently. As a bonus, you’ll get to better enjoy the fresh aromas of your garden first thing when you wake up on those hot summer mornings.
Use organic soils and fertilizers. We recommend Dr. Earth Home Grown Concentrated Spray, E.B. Stone Organics Soil, Planting Mix or Bat Guano (yes, bat guano!), Soil Science, Happy Frog, Whitney Farms Organic Bone Meal or Jobes Organics All Purpose Plant Food. These soils and fertilizers are natural and effective, allowing you to give your plants a boost without all the added chemicals. Tip: If you notice an OMRI logo on the packaging, which many of these products have, it means they have been third-party certified as organic.
Consider native plants for your yard. Most native plants are drought tolerant, naturally pest resistant, and generally need much less attention in all areas: watering, pest control and fertilizer. Some examples are yarrow, mallow, mountain lilac, white sage and lupine.
Plant butterfly- and bee-friendly flowers. There are many plants that bees and butterflies and even butterfly larvae like! Bees like lavender, all the basic herbs (like basil, sage, rosemary and thyme), geranium, helianthus, lupine (also native), verbena, zinnia and globe thistle. Butterflies like alyssum, yarrow (also native), cosmos, delphinium, fennel, lavender, marigold and nasturtium. If you don’t have a big garden or yard or don’t want the work of re-landscaping an area to include these lovelies, you can easily grow them in pots.
Use organic pesticides and fungicides. It’s best to use herbicides, pesticides and fungicides as a last resort via Integrated Pest Management. But if you need to switch to chemical controls, we recommend using organic and less-toxic products, like Safer Brand which has a whole range of organics to choose from: Organocide 3-in-1 Garden Spray (fungicide, miticide and insecticide), Bonide Neem Oil (which is also a three-in-one), Monterey Liqui-Cop (the active ingredient is Copper diammonia diacetate complex), Espoma Earth-Tone and Dr. Earth products.
Let your grass grow a bit longer. This helps the roots dive deeper and need less water, strengthening your lawn against pests and disease.
Pull weeds as soon as you see them rather than using a chemical weed killer. This is good exercise and can be fun for kids too.
We encourage you to participate in the Challenge and visit Hassett Hardware for your gardening supplies. Visit hassetthardware.com for more information or check out our Challenge page for a coupon for a Hassett Hardware store near you.
