More people are making small, daily changes in their homes to live a more eco-friendly life. These greener-living ideas are driven by concerns of global warming, pollution and habitat loss.

Here are some simple ideas for making your household greener.

Laundry: 

Some simple changes will be healthier for you and the planet, and might save you money. Use cold water as much as possible. Don’t overdo the detergent — consult your washer manual and the detergent package.

Try using your dryer less, hanging clothes on a rack indoors or outside in warm weather. If you are using the dryer try using wool dryer balls.

If you wash lots of fleece and acrylic items use a washing bag that collects microfibre particles that are released during the wash, so they don’t go into the water.

These are just a few simple things you can do and know that you are doing something good for the environment.

Cleaning: 

Check under your sink and in your cleaning closet. Are there rows of cleaning products in plastic bottles? How much do you know about their formulas?

Some people are passing on harsh chemicals and creating their own cleaning solutions using baking soda, vinegar and lemons. You can also seek out brands with plant-based, natural or nontoxic ingredients.

People think cleaning in an eco-friendly fashion will be less effective, more expensive and more work, but that is just not true.

Organizing: 

Recycling, repurposing or donating clutter is a worthwhile project. But don’t buy unnecessary organizing supplies. Look through your house first. You maybe amazed at what you find. Spray-paint glass jars and cans, or dip them in paint, to make them into decorative storage containers.

When sorting, use a colour-coding system to mark items and bags — for example use red for trash, yellow to donate, blue is sell and green to keep.

Rugs: 

When shopping for a rug, look for those made of wool or other natural materials such as jute, sisal or linen; padding made of wool or felt; and no stain or waterproofing treatments.

Try choosing rugs free of PFAS (per/poly-fluoroalkyl substances) — a category of chemicals that do not break down in the environment and can cause health issues. Try rugs with backings made of natural rubber, and not PVC.

Furniture: 

Cheaply made plastic or particleboard furniture (fast furniture) is likely to end up in a dump before long. Instead, consider giving an old piece of furniture a new life.

With old furniture, you can get a lot of bang for your buck and you get your own signature look, instead of the same style everyone else has. 

You’ve picked every pepper and harvested the last basket of tomatoes from your summer garden. Now what?

Your end-of-season care plays a big role in whether or not your edible garden will continue to perform well in the future. This guide to post-harvest garden care — including how to restock soil nutrients, when to mulch, which plants not to compost and more — will help set up your edible garden for success for years to come.

Finish the Harvest

When you’re ready to finish up your summer garden, pick all remaining fruit, veggies and edible leaves. Many fruits, such as tomatoes, will continue to ripen once they’ve been picked. Have an end-of-summer feast and make plans to preserve, freeze or give away excess produce.

Dry herbs like thyme, basil, lavender and rosemary to use in winter. To harvest and save the seeds of beans and squash, allow the fruits to fully ripen and dry on the vine before picking. Store the seeds in a labeled jar or envelope in a cool, low-moisture space.

Remove Summer Edibles, Diseased Plants and Weeds

Strip plants of any remaining fruits and seeds and remove them from garden beds. You can add the plants to your compost, if you have one, or toss them in the green wastebin. Remove and discard any plants that show signs of disease. Plants covered in powdery mildew, which often shows up as dusty white spots on leaves, should be added to the garbage or yard-waste bin — not the compost pile.

Once soil is exposed, use your hands or a garden hoe to remove weeds that have been hiding under summer plants. Weeds that have not yet formed seeds can be composted; those that have set seed should be thrown away.

Empty and Clean Pots

After harvesting all remaining fruit or edible leaves, remove tired or dying summer herbs and vegetable plants from containers.

If the plants show no signs of disease, you can empty the containers’ soil onto the compost pile or onto garden beds. Spread out the soil with a rake and remove any root balls by hand.

Clean pots with a brush and a solution of vinegar and soapy water. Store them upside down in a sheltered area until next spring or fill them with fresh potting soil for new cool season plants.

Replenish Soil Nutrients

Good soil is the secret to having a successful and productive edible garden year after year. The herbs and vegetables you grew this summer have spent months taking up soil nutrients to fuel their growth and fruit production. If you plant the same crops in the same soil next year without adding nutrients back to the soil, the plants won’t grow as tall or produce as many fruits and veggies. But if you take care of the soil and replenish its nutrients, you can maintain a healthy edible garden season after season.

Soil amendments and cover crops are the two most common ways to return nutrients and organic material back to the soil.

Soil amendments. If you have a supply of homemade compost, now’s the time to put it to use. Otherwise, you can pick up bagged compost at your local nursery. You can also find organic fertilizers designed to replenish nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium for specific crops. Spread a thick layer of compost over the top layer of soil. Add other amendments as needed according to package instructions.

If your soil felt heavy when pulling out plants, it may also benefit from even more organic material, such as compost, straw or fully dried leaves.

After adding compost, soil amendments and any other organic material, turn over with a shovel, working everything into the soil.

If you live in a mild-winter region, you may choose to replant beds at this point with cool season crops, such as peas, carrots and cabbage. In cold-winter areas, you may just want the beds to rest until spring planting.

Cover Crops 

You can also return nutrients back to the soil with the help of cover crops. Among their many benefits, cover crops help improve soil texture, prevent erosion, suppress weeds and add important nutrients to the soil wherever they are planted.

A cover crop is not grown for harvesting. Its primary purpose is to replenish soil nutrients and organic material without the use of added fertilizers. Rye grass, oats, barley, clover and nitrogen-fixing legumes are commonly used as cover crops. Planting a cover crop will take a bed out of rotation for a season, but the soil will be healthier for the next round of planting.

Fava beans, are easy cover crops to try in a small garden. Plant a bed with favas, allow them to produce pods for harvest, if you want to eat them and then cut or mow the plants on the bed, allowing the fallen cuttings to stay on the surface of the soil as a “green manure.” Till the organic matter into the soil two to three weeks before spring planting to give them time to decompose and help improve the soil.

Mulch

If you’re not using a cover crop over winter, spread a layer of bark, straw or dried leaf mulch over the soil’s surface. The mulch will help suppress weed growth, keep the soil warm for any newly planted cool-season crops and maintain soil moisture.

Cut Back Vines, Brambles and Other Perennial Crops

Cut back thin or straggly vines, unwanted side shoots and larger vines on grapes, kiwis and other fruit vines.

For brambles, such as blackberries, boysenberries and raspberries, choose four to six of the healthiest, most vigorous canes to keep on each plant, cutting all others to the ground.

Thin strawberry beds by dividing plants and replanting them in rich, well-draining soil where there is room to spread out. As asparagus and artichokes start to naturally die back at the end of the season, cut back plants to about 6 inches above the ground.

Fertilize and Mulch Perennials

All of the edible perennials mentioned — grapes, brambles, strawberries, asparagus and artichokes — benefit from sprinkled organic fertilizer at the base of each plant and a layer of bark or straw mulch to protect them from cold winter temperatures.

Clean and Store Garden Tools and Supplies

Store trellises, tomato cages and other garden supplies in a garden shed or covered area over winter. Organize tools and give them an end-of-season cleanup.

Dip the metal parts of shovels, spades, hand trowels and pruning shears in a diluted bleach solution to prevent the spread of diseases, then wipe dry. Sharpen tool blades that need it. Condition both the metal and wooden parts of tools with a light coating of oil to prevent rust and to keep handles hydrated. Store tools in a garden shed, garage or covered area.

Plan for Next Year

Don’t forget to take time to make notes for next year’s edible garden. Ask yourself what your favorite varieties or most successful plants were. Were there any plants that did not thrive? Could your next edible garden benefit from more pollinator attracting plants? If so, plan on planting them around the edges. Jot down these garden notes now, so you’ll have a plan for success next spring.

A gardener’s work is never done. Even though August is the high point for the summer vegetable garden, with tomatoes, peppers, corn and never-ending zucchini rewarding you for your hard work in the spring, it’s time to start thinking about what vegetables you want for fall.

Here are some edibles you can plant now that will extend your vegetable growing season well into the fall months. Some, like carrots and radishes, are familiar spring options that will grow quickly and help fill in any bare patches left when you pull out your spent summer favorites. For others, such as kale and turnips, fall is the optimal planting time and frost is a plus. If you’re in a warm-winter climate, vegetables such as chard might even keep producing well into winter.

These are cool-season vegetables. And just as in the spring, there are certain growing conditions you need to take into account. If you live in a cold-winter climate, you’ll need to plant so most of these can be harvested before the first frost, rather than planning your planting time for after the last frost. If you live where frost may come as early as September, you will want to look for varieties that mature quickly or transplants.

You also won’t need to wait for the soil to warm up. Instead, you’ll want to be sure that the soil isn’t too hot for seeds and seedlings and be sure they get plenty of water. High temperatures and direct, hot sunshine might also fry these plants, so give them some shelter until they are firmly settled in and the weather is cool.

Spinach

Fall is the perfect time to add leafy greens to the menu, and spinach is the perfect fall green to include in your garden. Choose between the flat-leaf and crinkly types, or plant a mixture. It can be harvested within a month, so if your first frost date is later in the season, sow or set out transplants every two weeks to extend the crop.

Lettuce

Lettuce quickly bolts in warm weather, which can make putting together that summer staple, the BLT, problematic. But plant it again in the late summer, preferably where it will be a change, and you’ll have another crop in time to pair the leaves with your late-ripening tomatoes. You’ll also have plenty for fall salads.

Chard

While hardy chard may have survived the summer heat to provide you with some leafy greens, adding more to your garden will give you a beautiful crop for a fall harvest if your current plants are fading or have been completely used up. Plant it earlier rather than later for the most prolific crop (except in warmer climates, where chard may very well last until spring). And choose some variety: Green is good, but yellow, red and purple will mix well with other fall colors.

Carrots

Perhaps Peter Rabbit loved carrots because they were always available and always tasty. Sow seeds every couple of weeks, carrots do best when not transplanted, and you’ll be able to enjoy their fresh flavor on a continuing basis.

Radishes

Radishes are another fast grower, perfect as garden fill-ins. You can start harvesting some varieties almost immediately, and they’ll add a sharpness to your culinary creations. Plant a variety and sow seeds every two weeks to ensure a continual crop.

Kale

Kale loves fall and winter. It thrives with frost and even loves the snow, tasting better and better the colder it gets. Best of all, it’s highly ornamental, adding some color and liveliness when the rest of the garden is starting to fade. Plant this superfood where you can enjoy its great looks.

Parsnips

Parsnips are the classic fall root crop. While they’re often often overlooked, they’re sweetly creamy and good on their own or mixed with turnips or potatoes. They’re even sweeter if you wait until after the first frost to harvest.

Turnips

Turnips are yet another crop that’s best after it’s hit by some frost, making fall the prime planting time. They’re a staple in many a cook’s fall repertoire, and their leafy greens can even be harvested before the frost hits. As for the turnip roots, just be sure you pick them before they’re too large.

Leeks

Members of the onion family do well in colder weather, and leeks are no exception, relishing the cooler fall climate. However, unless you live in a warmer climate, you’ll need to plant them quickly; they need at least three to four months to mature. Still, they do like the cold, so it may be worth giving them a try, if only for the flavor they’ll add to your holiday dishes.

Fennel

Fennel is one of those vegetables that many people aren’t quite sure what to do with. But this classic Italian staple is a fall standout. The beautiful leafy foliage is a nice foil to the harder edges of other garden favorites, such as kale and leeks.

Gardeners in warm-winter climates will have the most success with these plants, as fennel likes long stretches of cool weather and mild winters.

Chinese Cabbage

Chinese cabbage is less fussy than regular cabbage and perfectly happy when the weather is cooler. Choose from Napa cabbage, pak choy, or bok choy, or try the two of them together. In colder climates look for varieties that have a shorter maturation date, around two months.

Cauliflower

It’s not always easy to grow cauliflower, as it’s fussy and prone to pest and diseases, but if you’re willing to give it a try, it’s a pretty plant whose edible head will be a welcome addition to your dining room fare. Plant cauliflower by midsummer in cold-weather climates and by late summer where winters are milder.

There are lots of ways to create a beautiful garden that won’t require an irrigation system or daily watering. Especially when water restrictions come in for the end of summer. From soil preparation to plant choices, here are some suggestions for making your garden drought-tolerant and self-sustainable.

Creating gardens tailored to withstand hot, dry weather — is something people are increasingly taking into consideration.

Here are a few drought-resistant gardening tips.

Prepare Your Soil

Professionals underline the importance of soil preparation. Organic matter - compost, manure, garden waste or organic fertilizer — is key for a soil that will be as nutrient-rich and self-sufficient as possible.

Add Mulch

Simply having good soil to start with is not enough. Protecting that soil is just as important. Mulch, mulch, mulch, whether bark or gravel, it helps slow evaporation of water from the soil. The key is to remove bare ground, high plant densities with varying rooting depths will enable good soil moisture year-round, as the soil won’t be exposed to the sun.

Practice Tough Love

If you “spoil” your plants by watering them generously, they’ll come to expect and need regular drinks, the experts say.

If you treat them “mean” from the get-go, they’ll learn to survive better. Plants get “lazy” because they’re not used to holding the water. Whereas if they’ve always had to put out roots to find water, they’ll become more robust for hotter, dryer summers. However, when starting plants off, they may need generous watering to help the roots establish.

A good soaking now and then is better for creating self-sufficient plants than daily watering. It helps them to really get as independent as possible, to get their roots down looking for their own source, rather than looking near the surface.

Making the plants work hard to survive sounds harsh, but if you train them to the hose, they will never deal with a drought. Obviously, if they’re actually dying, then you’ll need to step in — but consider their location and habitat and don’t be afraid to move things if you realize they’re in the wrong place.

Harvest Rainwater

It’s not just about watering plants more sparingly; it’s also about what to water them with. Everyone should have a rain barrel or water cistern.  They don’t have to be unsightly. “You can get water [cisterns] that have planters on top of them, and they can easily be made into a garden feature.

Tip: Before you purchase or install a rain barrel, be sure to check local bylaws.

Choose the Right Plants

Do plenty of research before letting yourself run free in the plant nursery. It is important to understand native landscapes, and then emulate the plant communities in such as way as to suit them best. This leads to less watering and maintenance and much longer-lived plantings.

As a general rule, plant silver-leaved plants, such as lavender as silver reflects the sunlight, and this feature is often a good sign a plant will be drought-tolerant. Plants that are small and have hairy leaves, retain water, and are more self-sustainable. A plant with all three — silver, small-leaved and hairy — is a great combination.

Extras

Plant Mediterranean herbs — thyme, sage, rosemarey etc — that can survive with a lot less watering.

Dry conditions in full shade can be trickier when it comes to planting so talking to a landscape architect might be helpful

Minimalist — and often thirsty — landscape design is on the way out. Instead, we should all be enjoying the naturalness of our gardens more and potentially tidying and primping them less.

One thing we could all do is reduce the amount of fossil fuel-based activities, such as hedge-cutting and mowing, that we do. Instead, let your grass grow longer while encouraging any wildflowers within the turf to bloom. 

Watering is essential for any landscape, but it’s at the top of the to-do list if you’re growing an edible garden. Most edibles require regular watering. If you live where summer rainstorms are common, Mother Nature might provide enough to keep everything happy. If you live in a dry climate, or are facing drought conditions, you’ll need to do more if you plan to keep growing. No matter your climate, there are some watering guidelines that apply to any edible garden.

Water Just the Essentials

Granted, you don’t have that option when you’re relying on summer rains. But when you do water, make sure you focus just on the plants. This has the bonus of discouraging weeds; plus, sidewalks and patios certainly aren’t going to be growing and don’t need to be wet.

Water in the Morning

Try to give plants a drink at the beginning of the day. Consider it your garden’s morning caffeine jolt. Being hydrated helps plants combat the heat of the day. It also gives the foliage time to dry in the sun, which helps prevent diseases.

If a morning watering session doesn’t fit your schedule, your next best choice is the evening, especially once things have begun to cool down. Be sure not to get foliage too wet, especially if your edibles are prone to fungus. At mid-day, water only the plants that are wilting significantly.

Water Slowly

Spraying a full blast on a garden is more likely to wash away the dirt than provide the plants with enough water. Take it easy, and let the water fall gently on the soil and plants.

Water Consistently

Plants do best when they’re on a regular schedule rather than a seesaw approach of overwatering followed by droughtlike conditions.

Water Less Often But Deeply

The water needs to reach the deepest roots, which can be as shallow as 6 inches for radishes, around 1 foot for most vegetables, up to 2 feet for deeper-rooted plants like tomatoes and even deeper for fruit trees.

The general guideline is to water about 1 inch a week, but it can vary depending your plants, climate conditions, dry and windy versus still and humid, and soil type. Insert a thin rod or screwdriver into the soil next to the plants, be careful around the roots, an hour after watering to determine how deep the water has reached.

Know Your Plants’ Water Needs

As a rule, most edibles need regular watering and aren’t happy if the soil dries out too much in between. But that’s not true of all of them, so you may want to put some plants, such as herbs and even tomatoes, on a separate schedule in which you water less. At the same time, other plants, such as cole crops, might need extra watering sessions.

Know Your Soil Type

The ideal garden soil is a rich, easy-to-work loam that is porous enough for water to easily, but slowly seep down, yet heavy enough to keep the water at the root level. If you’re lucky to have this soil, rejoice. The rest of us are jealous.

Sandy soil is just what it sounds like — very loose and porous. The good news is that sandy soil absorbs water easily. The bad news is that it also allows the water to quickly pass by the roots and drain away. If you have sandy soil, you’ll want to amend it. You’ll probably need to water more often to be sure the soil near the roots stays wet.

With heavy clay soil, you’ll water less often but you’ll need to make other adjustments. Because clay soil absorbs water very slowly, it’s easy for the water to run off before it penetrates the ground. The solution is to keep the flow low, almost a trickle if the soil is very dense. Also, try watering in two blocks — water for 5 to 10 minutes, turn it off for 20 minutes, then water again for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows the soil time to absorb the water.

Add Mulch

Mulch helps to keep the soil cool and prevent evaporation while also deterring weeds. Once you’ve finished planting, add mulch around the beds. Just be careful not to put it too close to the plant stems or tree trunks.

Beyond the Basics

Add Watering Basins 

Other options will also help you water efficiently and effectively. By filling watering basins around plants, especially fruit trees, you let the water slowly permeate the soil and reach the deepest roots without having to stand there holding a hose. Above-ground bags that fit around trees are becoming more common and allow you to do the same thing, especially for newly planted trees.

Consider covering larger watering basins with decorative rock. The stones allow water to permeate the soil while protecting the trees from lawnmower blades and adding a finishing touch to the landscape.

Create Garden Furrows

The traditional furrow alongside a row of vegetables serves the same purpose as a watering basin, allowing water to slowly reach the roots. Keep the furrow level so the water doesn’t pool at one end.

For both watering basins and furrows, be sure the water doesn’t sit directly against the stem of the plant or trunk of the tree. Leave a small dirt barrier between the two.

Plant What You Need, and Group Edibles

This applies especially if you want only a few plants, not an entire market garden. Create a separate herb garden, and consider planting beans, corn and squash together. The beans use the stalks for support, and the squash leaves keep insects at bay. Or keep shallow-rooted plants, like lettuce and spinach in the same garden bed.

Plant in Blocks 

This configuration, as opposed to long rows, allows you to water more efficiently as well, with more water going to the plants and less being lost to evaporation. Mixing veggies and flowers, edible or not, can also help attract beneficial insects and deter problem pests.

Monitor Your Garden’s Moisture Level 

If summer rains are providing enough water to keep your plants happy, turn off an automated system or forgo a scheduled watering session. An old-fashioned rain gauge is one way to keep track of weekly rainfall.

For an automated watering system, you might want a rain sensor. Gardening supply stores, home improvement stores, nurseries and catalogs are good sources for easy-to-install sensors that can measure rainfall and turn off an irrigation system automatically.

Water Most When The Plant Is Growing 

Cut back at other times. Most edibles need the most water when they’re flowering or fruiting. Cut back or stop altogether once the edibles have finished producing. The exception would be perennials or fruit trees, but even for those, you can cut back significantly when the plants are resting.