5 Ways to Make Your Yard Eco-Friendly

Making your home eco-friendly is a common goal for a lot of homeowners. There are many ways you can go about doing this on the inside, from installing energy-saving appliances to running the air conditioning a little less often. However, if you want to take your going-green to the next level, you should look to make improvements to your yard. There are many simple things you can do outside your home that will make it eco-friendlier – here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Compost Your Waste

One of the best things you can do is start a compost bin. Composting is when you take some of your waste and help turn it into rich soil. Rather than throwing things out and creating more garbage, you can actually turn your garbage into something useful and better for the planet. Starting a composting bin is pretty easy to do and you can start one in practically any yard. Check out this guide for more information on how to start composting.

Start a Garden

What better way to use that great soil you’re generating from your compost than a backyard garden? Gardens are a great way to grow your own food so that you don’t have to spend as much money at the store. When you start a garden in your yard, you make it a healthier place for the other creatures living nearby. And with all those extra fruits and vegetables you’ll likely consume a little less meat, which is even better for the planet. 

There are several ways you can build a backyard garden, it will mostly depend on your yards setup. You could build one right into the ground or you could build a separate container for your garden. You’ll also need to get some good soil, fertilizer, and healthy seeds for whatever you want to grow. If you’re interested in starting a backyard garden, read this guide for more information.

Collect Rainwater

To keep your garden, and any other plants you may have outside, healthy, you’ll need to water them. If you use your home’s hose for this, you’re just driving up your monthly water bill. A more environmentally friendly option is to collect rainwater and use that. 

If you get plenty of rain in your area, you can collect it in a large tub, then deliver it to your plants when they need it. You can even create a system where the rain barrel feeds directly into the garden and slowly waters the plants over time. Turning on your hose is simply a waste of water when you have a perfectly good source of it coming right from the sky.

Use Solar Power

One of the best eco-friendly things you can do for your entire home is to start running more things on solar power. Solar power is perfectly clean, unlike burning oil or gas. You can use solar power to generate energy for things large and small, from your entire home to the lights along your walkway. If you need light outside in your yard, this is the perfect place to install solar lights. Or, if you have a lot of yard space available in a sunny spot, you can use it to install large solar panels and power your home. The sun is an amazing source of energy, so don’t let it go to waste.

Let Your Lawn Grow

Many homeowners are fanatical about keeping their lawn trim. However, letting the lawn grow out a little bit is actually better for it. If you want to keep the yard around your home healthy, consider mowing your lawn a little less. Another half an inch to an inch of grass growth will make the entire lawn healthier and you’ll get to used to the change in appearance over time.

Create a Plan for Your Yard

If you want to do large scale changes to your yard, you’ll need to create a plan. It’s easy to install a few solar lights along a walkway, but for larger projects like a garden or changing the landscape, a plan is essential. For example, let’s say there is a body of water in your backyard and you want to divert some of it. You wouldn’t want to go out there and just start digging. Instead, you’d want to talk to contractors, explore using water inflated coffer dams, find out the local regulations in your area, and make sure you had all the right equipment. 

Making your yard eco-friendlier is an admirable goal. Use the ideas above to start generating some plans for your own yard, then work out the details. Before long your yard will be a healthier place and you’ll be proud of the contributions you are making towards our planet’s safety.