New Year’s Resolutions

By: Eric Vinje Published: 2 Jan, 13 Updated: 18 Jan, 19

New Year's Eve The world is resolution happy this time of year. And why not? The start of a new year, though just a day on the calendar, gives us a chance to show resolve (a quality sorely needed, especially among our political class), to reconsider, to calculate, to make decisions, to be resolute; all the things a resolution implies.

Your humble and determined Planet Natural Blogger thinks a resolution is a commitment to just try harder. In that spirit, here is our list of New Year’s gardening and organic lifestyle resolutions. Please feel free to add other gardening and natural lifestyle resolutions that I may have overlooked or which apply to your particular situation.

To use no harmful chemical spray, herbicide or pesticide on our lawn, garden or trees; in other words, to use organic solutions whenever possible.
To institute a program of integrated pest management to control harmful insects.
To buy and plant more heirloom seed. With this, goes the commitment to improve and expand methods of saving heirloom seed from plants grown in our own garden; in short, to establish our own line of heirlooms to grow year after year.
To increase our supply of enriching, microbial friendly soil amendments through composting.
To utilize every possible method, including vermicomposting, bokashi, and regular composting to reduce the outflow of yard and kitchen waste from our home to the landfill.
To increase wise water use, rain collection, the use of native and water efficient plantings, and other xeriscape gardening procedures to stretch a diminishing supply of moisture.
To forego using chemical fertilizer on our yard and instead apply compost to increase lawn health (see #4).
To employ cold frames, covered raised beds, and other methods to extend the growing season.
To design and establish an intensive indoor growing space that will provide fresh greens and herbs (basil!) through the winter months. (Next year, tomatoes!).
To resist the spread of GMO crops and products containing GMOs.

All of these resolutions follow a single principle: to provide our family with the healthiest, most pleasant living space while doing no harm to the environment. With that goal in mind, keeping our resolutions should be a cinch. Do your New Year’s resolutions include your lawn and garden? Tell us.

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Eric Vinje

Eric Vinje founded Planet Natural with his father Wayne in 1991, originally running it as a grasshopper bait mail-order business out of a garage.

Eric is now retired, but is still a renowned gardener known for his expertise in composting, organic gardening and pest control, utilizing pesticide-free options, such as beneficial insects.

Eric believes when you do something good for the environment, the effects will benefit generations to come.