Looking for ways to update your garden? Why not add some elements to make it more environmentally friendly! Composters and rain barrels are both options that can add value, ease, and appeal to your gardening projects – all while protecting the environment and conserving valuable resources.

Composters are a must have for the environmentally friendly gardener! They provide an easy, green way to deal with organic waste by producing natural, nutrient rich compost for your plants. A three chamber variety is a popular choice in composters. In the first chamber,  water, oxygen and heat help micro-organisms (fungi and bacteria) break down the raw material. Kitchen waste, such as fruits and vegetables pieces, and yard waste, such as grass clippings and leaves, are both great options to add to your composter. In the cooler middle and bottom chambers, macro-organisms (worms and invertebrates) work to further break down material to mulch and, finally, compost. You can produce up to 10 gallons of compost every month! That provides savings on fertilizer and an opportunity to recycle.

Recycling is also an important factor in adding a rain barrel to your garden setup. Rain barrels are designed to collect and store rain water for later use in your garden or around your home. It is estimated that residential irrigation can account for up to 40% of consumption in many cities across the US. Collecting free, clean, rain water can drastically decrease the high demand for domestic water, with savings of up to 13,000 gallons during summer months! A 60 gallon rain barrel can fill up in approximately twenty minutes during a normal rain fall and multiple barrels can be linked together to increase storage capacity.