Renew Your Lawn with Eco-Friendly (and Edible) Alternatives
“Ecological,” “environmentally-beneficial,” “green,” and “sustainable” can mean different things to different people. With respect to gardening, being sustainable and ecological can take many forms, and one thing is certain — every little bit helps! A great place to start caring for the environment is right at home, right outside your door.
Let Go of the “Perfect Lawn”
We’re all familiar with what’s been forever portrayed as the ideal. It takes no more than a Google search for “perfect lawn” offer images of a nice homes with a large expanses of a lush, green, manicured lawns.
These lawns are high maintenance. Not only are they expensive, but they require an abundance of water, and often toxic fertilizers. Typical grass lawns provide limited diversity of habitat for our important pollinators, and other wildlife. While lawns still belong in our lives (for relaxing, playing, and defining areas surrounding garden beds), there are sustainable, eco-conscious solutions.
Consider an Eco-Friendly Edible Lawn
If you can live without the meticulously-manicured lawn, there are many plant options that are low-growing, low-water-use, and beneficial to pollinators. These plants can even be picked for salad fare, or dried and blended into herbal teas.
Benefits of Edible Lawns:
Provide food (for both us and wildlife)
Create diversity of habitat (for birds & insects)
Can produce attractive flowers
They can be walked on and mowed
We’ve pulled together a list of some of our favorite edible lawn options for many sites here:
(Remember, Sweet Earth Co. is growing and designing in New York, Zone 6b, so these are specific to the area. There are options for sustainable, edible lawns wherever you are!)Take a look and reflect on your landscape. If you resolve to make it more sustainable and productive for both your family and for the environment, try an edible lawn.
You can start small, planting some of our suggestions in little areas, or interspersing them among the grass. Areas of your lawn that would typically need (grass) reseeding in spring are a great place to start. By implementing these changes in your home landscape, you can enjoy a “green” lawn without relying on chemicals or tons of watering.
