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Green Tips: Helping Pollinators

June is National Pollinator Month! This week’s Green Tips will help you support pollinator populations that are on the decline due to climate change, pesticides, habitat loss, and disease. The survival of pollinators is incredibly important for our food security: roughly one-third of our diet is produced through pollination. While keeping hives is a great way to support pollinators, this edition of our Green Tips will cover other ways that you can support these important creatures. No matter where you live, you can do your part.

Make a Pollinator Garden

A great way to help pollinators is by creating a pollinator-friendly garden. From window boxes to gardens in the ground, any and all pollinator gardens can help.

Picking a location: Flowering plants can grow in both shady and sunny locations, but most butterflies and other pollinators like to bask in the sun. If you can, choose a sunny spot!
Choosing your plants: Make sure to select plants that pollinators love. Here’s how you can choose the right plants for your pollinator garden:
- Look for native pollinator-friendly plants. Native plants will require less maintenance.
- Include plants that bloom at different times throughout the spring and summer to provide pollinators with a consistent source of nectar.
- Try to plant perennials that will return each year.
- If you can, include night-blooming flowers in your garden to attract moths and bats, too! Both are pollinators.

Install a Bee Hotel
Solitary bees live in the ground or in the holes of natural structures—not in hives. In fact, 90% of bee species do not live in a colony. To help solitary pollinators, consider building a bee hotel to place near your garden. They are not only fun to build, but also add a great visual to your garden. Another way to support native bee species is to leave a portion of your lawn or space unkempt. Native pollinators prefer undisturbed, untamed areas to shelter.

Provide Water
All living creatures need water. Consider installing a bird bath or leaving out a bowl of water near your garden or bee hotel. If possible, make sure that the water is clean and free of chemicals. Try leaving sugar water in a spoon on your windowsill. If bees cannot find nectar, sugar water will provide them energy to continue their search.

Eliminate Pesticides and Herbicides
Go pesticide- and herbicide-free on your property. If you live in an apartment building, speak to management about the importance of reducing these toxic chemicals. Neonicotinoid pesticides reduces a bee’s ability to navigate home and reduces their sperm count.

Purchase Local Honey
Support your local beekeeper by purchasing local, raw honey. It provides many health benefits, and can also address seasonal allergies. Support your local economy by giving your local beekeeper some business.

Next time you enjoy a ripe avocado or bite into a juicy watermelon, thank a pollinator! Better yet, follow our tips for other ways to support these special creatures. Thank you for doing your part, and happy National Pollinator Month!

Green Infrastructure At Home

Green infrastructure (GI) helps protect our waterways, reduces flooding, and beautifies our public spaces. Communities use green infrastructure to manage stormwater that flows from impervious surfaces like roads and roofs. Runoff from these surfaces can collect pollutants that can end up in our rivers and streams. NYLCVEF’s Green Infrastructure at Home campaign asks homeowners to keep green spaces green and establish GI on their own property. Take our Keep it Green pledge today!

Examples of green infrastructure projects–both big and small–that you can do at home:

Harvest Rainwater

Collect rainwater in a large container (ex. rain barrel) to use later for all your non-potable needs! Rain barrels range in size from as small as 60 gallons to as large as 10,000 gallons.

Install a Downspout Planter

Divert the rain water flowing off of your roof into a large pot or planter box. These are a smaller, contained version of a rain garden, are customizable, and do not require a lot of space.

Plant a Rain Garden

When planted in strategic locations, rain gardens can help absorb stormwater while adding beauty to your yard. Native perennials are good to plant in a rain garden because of their deep root system.

Install Permeable Pavement

Also known as porous concrete or geogrids, this type of pavement allows rainwater to pass through it into the ground below. This project requires slightly more investment than the others and could be used in your driveway or patio.

Take the #KeepItGreen Pledge and be entered to win a FREE rain barrel! Entries accepted until 11:59PM Eastern on May 31st.

NYLCVEF is committed to educating, engaging, and empowering New Yorkers to be effective advocates for the environment. The Green Infrastructure at Home campaign is generously supported by Posillico Inc. and the William Penn Foundation.

Green Gardening Tips: Managing your Garden

Setting up a garden can be hard work. Don’t let your effort go to waste by not properly maintaining what you’ve created! This week’s Green Gardening Tips will help you manage your garden throughout the spring and summer months.

Create a Routine

Gardening can become a chore if maintenance tasks pile up. Create a weekly routine by planning which days to weed, water, prune, and/or perform other general upkeep. To avoid the hottest time of day, try working in the garden during the morning or evening.

Watering

Depending on rainfall and the types of plants in your garden, watering is usually only necessary once or twice a week. It’s best to water plants in the morning or in the evening when it’s cooler and sunlight is less intense. This will prevent evaporation before your plants can uptake the water. Also, move any container plants out of direct sunlight to prevent the soil from drying out, and reduce the need to constantly water. When watering, water the soil—not the leaves and heads of plants. This prevents mold growth.

Weeds & Mulch

Consider using mulch to suppress weed growth and maintain soil moisture. Finely shredded mulch will eventually break down and amend the soil. Untreated grass clippings, shredded dried leaves, or thin cardboard also works well. Avoid packing mulch material too close to plant stems. Chemical weed killers are not recommended. Homemade recipes usually call for dish soap, vinegar, or epsom salt, all of which can also affect soil health. Instead, set aside time (one or two days per week) to pull weeds or use a hand trowel to remove deep weed roots from within the soil.

Compost & Fertilizer

Nutrient rich compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. As early in the season as possible, in the middle of the season, and towards the end of the season, add an inch-thick layer of compost to your garden and carefully turn the soil to incorporate between plants. Work the top soil and be mindful not to damage plant roots. Like the mulch, avoid spreading compost too close to plant stems. Another easy way to incorporate compost is to add a layer of it on top of the soil, and over time, compost will make its way into the ground through watering.

Pest Control

Pests can wreak havoc on a garden. Each pest is unique and may require a different course of action. Don’t be too quick to reach for a chemical pesticide. Chemical pesticides can eradicate helpful “pests” from your garden, such as spiders, lady bugs, and lacewings that feed on the larvae of harmful pests. Chemical pesticides are also harmful to pollinators and human health. Consider these alternative solutions:

Keep the perimeter of your garden free of debris, such as fallen fruit from nearby trees.
Plant a variety of plants. Variety can sometimes prevent a swarm of pests that like a particular plant species.
Use diatomaceous earth, a natural and pollinator-friendly pesticide. (Use precautions to prevent inhaling diatomaceous earth). Compost is another all natural solution that strengthens plants to better resist pests.
Manage weeds regularly to prevent pests from breeding in your garden.
Consider placing traps to capture and remove specific types of pests.

Pruning

Pruning helps plants get proper nutrition and stay healthy through the removal of certain parts of the organism. It can also encourage flowering and fruit production. Knowing when to prune is key. Remember the four Ds: dead, damaged, dying, or disease. Any parts of the plant that display any of the four Ds should be removed with gardening shears. Here are two techniques:

To remove an unhealthy branch or part of the plant and encourage regrowth, cut just above the bud.
To remove an unhealthy branch or part of the plant and prevent regrowth, cut the part off completely leaving no visible buds.

We hope you found our Green Gardening Tips helpful! Stay tuned later in the season for Green Tips about harvesting your garden. Tag us on Facebook to share with us any Green Tips you’ve implemented in your garden!

Green Gardening Tips: Creating a Rain Garden

Beyond providing food and beautifying spaces, gardens can serve many purposes, including supporting natural processes and pollinators. This week, our Green Gardening Tips focuses on speciality gardens that help protect our waterways.

Rain gardens help capture, absorb, and filter rainwater. They are a type of green infrastructure, or a natural technique for managing rainwater runoff. If you live in a developed space with impervious surfaces (such as roads, buildings, or sidewalks), you may want to consider installing a downspout planter or a container rain garden to mitigate flooding and runoff in your community, and help protect the water in your watershed.

Location
Location is key to ensure effectiveness. Choose a spot that receives some sunlight and is downslope from a gutter, roof, or driveway. Your rain garden should be located at least 10 feet from your property and septic system to avoid water seepage. Before you start, do an infiltration test to determine the best place for your garden.

Garden Size
There are many variables that go into determining the best size and depth of your garden. Try using a rain garden sizing calculator like this one. Remember that any size rain garden will help capture some rain and reduce flooding.

Materials
Before creating your garden, take a look at the suggested materials that we outline in our Green Gardening Tips for Starting a Garden. Also consider using a fast-draining soil mixture; plenty of rocks; landscape fabric, and mulch. Choosing the right plants for your rain garden is key, too: native plants with long roots do well. The New York Botanical Garden has a comprehensive list of plants to choose from.

Best Practices
Creating a rain garden requires planning and strategic engineering. Review these best practices:

Dig the rain garden so that the garden bed is level, not sloped.
Use the soil that you dig up to build a slightly raised area on the lowest side of the garden. This small barrier is called a berm, and it will help contain stormwater within the garden.
Plant water-loving plants in the middle of your garden, and plants that prefer a drier soil towards the perimeter.
Place rocks on the run-off side of your garden to break up the flow of water and prevent mulch from washing away.

We hope you have a great time building your rain garden. Kudos to you for helping to keep our waterways clean! Stay tuned next week for our last Green Gardening Tips on how to upkeep and manage your garden.

Video: How to Start a Compost Worm Bin

Watch our program coordinator Lisa Darrigo, also a master composter with the NYC Compost Project, show how you can start a worm bin for composting at home. You can put your food scraps to good use by making a worm bin yourself today – no yard necessary!

Green Gardening Tips: Establishing your Garden

According to the National Gardening Association, more than one-third of American households grow their own food. Gardening is a rewarding hobby that provides you with fresh food and eases the burden on your wallet! Give those seedlings a new home with our tips for establishing a garden inside and outside of your home:

INDOOR GARDENING

Recommended Plants to Grow

Herbs are a healthy, easy-to-grow option when starting out. Popular choices like rosemary, basil, and lemon thyme are great additions to your dishes.
Microgreens are great for indoor gardening, as they’re small and just as nutritious as their larger counterparts. Some plants that can be grown as microgreens include lettuce, spinach, watercress, and cabbage.

Planning

Make sure you have larger containers on hand and a sufficient amount of potting soil for establishing your garden. Check out our Green Tips for starting a garden for more tips on materials for container gardening.

Moving Seedlings to Larger Containers

If your seedling container is not large enough to support a growing plant, make sure to move your seedling to a larger container. Only once leaves appear and the seedling has grown to be twice as tall as the height of its starter container, should it be repotted. Follow these tips for easy transplant:

Water the plant you will be moving several hours before repotting. Moist soil will hold together better than dry soil.
Have the new pot ready with fresh soil. Create a dip in the soil where the seedling will be placed.
Remove the seedlings from its container. Turn the seedling and its original container on the side to help ease out the seedling. Grab by the stem and wiggle the plant out carefully. Be gentle!
Place your seedling in the new pot of soil at the same depth it was growing in its original container (do not bury the stem).
Water your plant!

OUTDOOR GARDENING

Choosing a Location

Most fruits and vegetables require direct sunlight, although some greens, herbs, and root vegetables will grow in partial shade. Consider how much light your plants need before determining your garden’s location. A simple internet search will have information about light requirements (most seed packets also have this information).

Plan your Garden Beds

Once you’ve chosen a gardening area, determine the type and size of your garden beds.

Raised beds are a great choice to reduce pest invasion and keep pathway weeds out. A great material for raised beds is untreated cedar wood due to its rot resistance. However, garden beds can be built using stone or concrete. Check your local gardening store for more options and information.
The size of your garden will be determined by the amount of seedlings you want to plant and the spacing requirements for the plants. Keep in mind that overcrowding will make it harder for plants to survive, as they compete for nutrients, sunlight, and water. To maximize growing space, place plants in rows.

Transplanting Seedlings

Similar to transplanting seedlings for an indoor garden, do not move seedlings outside until they’ve grown at least twice the height of their starter container.

A week before moving seedlings outdoors, reduce the amount of watering to condition the plant to their new home. When it’s time to move seedlings outdoors, keep them in their starter container to help them adjust to their new climate and weather conditions.
To physically move seedlings from their original container to a gardening bed, follow the steps for transplanting above.

Congratulations! You have established your garden! Stay tuned for the next Green Gardening Tips in our series, which will focus on planting specialty gardens.

Green Gardening Tips: Starting a Garden

Spring is here! Buds are blooming on the trees and the weather is slowly warming up. As we find ourselves in unprecedented times, the ways we once celebrated spring may look very different this year. To help you stay connected to nature at home, we are kicking off our first Green Tip in our Green Gardening Tips series this week. Whether you plan to start an indoor garden or move seedlings outside, these Green Tips are for you!

Materials Needed

It’s usually best to start your garden indoors to protect small seedlings from harsh wind and chilly weather. Before getting started, decide whether your garden will remain indoors or be moved outside (this will streamline additional decisions down the line). Additionally, make sure you have the following materials:

Seeds: There are many types of seeds (open-pollinated, heirloom, organic, and non-GMO). Check out this resource for information on seeds. You can also purchase seeds online! If you plan to move your seedlings outdoors at some point, we recommend checking out the USDA’s Plant Hardiness map to find out which seeds will work best for your environment
Containers: This is a great opportunity to get creative! As long as the container has the ability to drain excess water (you may have to poke holes in the bottom), you can use it to plant your seeds. Here are examples of different containers to consider. To keep moisture from evaporating from your soil it can be useful to use a container with a lid (but make sure to poke holes in it or to provide some air flow). Note that the deeper the container, the more space there is for root growth.
Soil: Use a seedling starter mix when planting your seeds, and not potting soil. Potting soil is often too dense and heavy, making it hard for thin, delicate seedlings to grow roots. If you have access to compost, create a mixture of 70% seedling starter mix and 30% compost for additional nutrients. Here is a great guide for choosing the right soil.
Water: Ideally, harvesting rain water is a great way to water your seedlings. If you are unable to do this, try to avoid chlorinated tap water. However, tap water will work if you have no other options
Labels: To keep track of what’s been planted, use any method of labeling the works for you, including taping paper to the container, writing on popsicle sticks, making a guide or map, etc. This is another great opportunity to get creative.
Location: It’s essential to place seedlings in a well-lit place or near a window with southern sun exposure. Make sure seedings are not exposed to cold or drafty areas of your house; you can even place them on top of your refrigerator during cold and grey days. If finding well-lit spaces is difficult inside your house, consider investing in a grow lamp specifically designed for plants.

Getting Started

Once you have all the necessary materials, follow these steps to get your seeds started:

Pre-moisten your seedling starter mixture with water. Moisten the soil so that it feels like a damp sponge. This will allow you to skip heavily watering the seed once it is planted, which can push the seed deeper into the soil or cause the soil to become packed and dense.
Fill your containers with the pre-moistened soil. Do not pack the soil! Seedlings like loose, fluffy soil.
Sow your seeds! Create a small hole with your finger at a depth that’s specific to your seed type (which can be found on the back of your seed packet). Drop 1-5 seeds in the hole and sprinkle the seed with the soil mixture. Do not push down to pack the soil.
Carefully add some water. To prevent the soil from drying out during germination, lightly mist the soil. The soil is already pre-moistened, so you do not need too much water at this time. Be careful not to over-water your seeds.
Place your sowed seeds in a warm place. As suggested, you can put seeds on top of the warm refrigerator to start, as they do not need light to sprout. If you have a container with a cover, cover the planted seeds before placing them.

Check your seeds everyday to ensure the soil is moist and to catch the first glimpse of your sprouting seedlings. Once they sprout, it is very important to move them to a well-lit place as soon as possible! Stay tuned for our next post in our Green Gardening Tips series: Moving Seedlings to A Garden.

Happy planting!

Delaware River Named “River of the Year”

The Delaware River has been named American River’s 2020 “River of the Year!” American Rivers is a nationwide organization with the mission to protect wild rivers, restore damaged ones, and conserve clean water for people and nature.

NYLCV/EF works with the Delaware River Watershed Initiative and the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed to raise awareness among New Yorkers about the importance of protecting the Delaware River, specifically the Upper Delaware River region of New York State. Many people are not aware that the Delaware River starts in Hancock where the East Branch and West Branch converge. Delaware Riverkeeper has a good map of the upper river here.

The river flows about 300 miles from its headwaters down to the Delaware Estuary and Bay. The watershed spans New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware and travels through some of the most densely populated regions of the northeast. The watershed provides drinking water to an estimated 13.3 million people, including two of the five largest cities in the country: New York City and Philadelphia.

For American Rivers to celebrate the Delaware River with this honor is an exciting step in our collective appreciation for this important and often neglected river. Just over half a century ago, the Delaware River was full of sewage and laden with pollution, unable to support marine life and disrupting nearby communities. Many important wins have contributed to the much-improved Delaware River that we know today. Almost 60 years ago, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) became the first multi-state regulatory effort focused on collaborative watershed management. In addition to the DRBC, the Clean Water Act of 1972 also helped address and remediate pollution in the river.

More recently, in 2016, President Obama signed the Delaware River Basin Restoration Act, which acknowledged the need for more coordination of restoration and protection efforts for the watershed. In 2018, the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program was appropriated $4 million to start providing grants to on-the-ground restoration and watershed protection projects. In 2019, $5 million dollars were appropriated. Most recently, Congress appropriated $10 million for the program in 2020.

To the Upper Delaware River (UDR) region of New York, the river provides drinking water, jobs, a tourism economy, and limitless recreational opportunities, including one of the finest cold water trout fisheries in the country. It’s also home to the American shad, American eel, brook trout, river herrings, and numerous endangered species, such as the dwarf wedge mussel and bog turtle. Millions of visitors flock to the UDR each year to fish, hike, kayak, hunt, and camp, contributing $3.5 billion to New York State’s economy.

While the UDR may not have the same issues as the more populated and developed areas downstream, climate change, frequent flooding, accelerated erosion and sedimentation, flow alterations, invasive species, and dangerous water temperature fluctuations all threaten the health and future of the upper river and the communities that rely on it. We must continue to support federal and state programs that preserve water quality, improve aquatic habitat, mitigate flooding, enhance recreational opportunities, and help spur economic revitalization.

The Delaware River has fittingly received the award for “River of the Year” 2020 because of the many restoration and stewardship efforts led by nonprofit organizations across the four states.

The story of the Delaware River is a good example of environmental progress that can happen when we all work together to protect our precious natural resources.

Green Tips: Ways to Celebrate Earth Day At Home

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The first Earth Day took place in 1970 and propelled a wave of action that led to the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, as well as the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since then, Earth Day continues to be celebrated internationally each year. In 2016, the United Nations chose Earth Day as the backdrop for the signing of the historic Paris Agreement on climate change. While we have made some progress on our environmental priorities, much more work remains.

This Earth Day will be different than any year previously due to the stay-at-home orders in place across the country. However, there are still many ways to celebrate Earth Day from home this year. Check out our tips for celebrating earth day in quarantine:

Conserve:

Paper towels are in high demand these days. While you may be using paper towels to clean and disinfect surfaces, try using cotton towels or napkins for other tasks. This will not only conserve and stretch your supply, it will save you money and limit the amount of waste you generate.

Turn the water off when not in use. Whether you’re brushing your teeth or washing your dishes, turn it off in between uses.
Another way to conserve is to only do your laundry when you have a full load. This will save money, energy, and water.
Many of us are working from home. Because of this you may notice an increase in your utility bill. Conserve energy and money during quarantine by unplugging electronics when you’re not using them; shutting lights off when you aren’t in the room; and taking advantage of more daylight by opening the curtains and using natural light instead of your electricity.

Plant an indoor or outdoor garden:

If you do not have a yard or access to outdoor space, try bringing the outdoors to you by planting an indoor garden. Indoor gardens come in many types and sizes. Get started here.
If you do have a yard, consider planting a garden this year. There are many different types that require different work and attention. Help out the pollinators by planting a pollinator garden. You can also do your part to reduce stormwater runoff by planting a rain garden. Or grow your own veggies by starting a vegetable garden.

Finally get good at recycling:

This Earth Day hone your recycling skills by following these simple tips:

Don’t put plastic bags in the recycling bin. If you use bags to collect your bottles and cans, make sure to take them out of the bag before putting them in the bin.
Yes, you have to rinse it out. Only put clean and dry containers in the recycling bin. Dirty containers can contaminate recyclable materials.
Educate yourself. If you don’t know whether something can be recycled, look it up. Don’t “wishcycle.” Check this out for more tips on recycling right.

Raise Awareness:

While social distancing, many of us are spending more time on the internet and on social media. These can be great ways to get involved with environmental causes. Stay connected with others who care about the environment by participating in a virtual Earth Day activity. Check out what’s happening this year here.
Share environmentally-themed movies, books, or podcasts with your friends and family.

Donate:

If you can, celebrate Earth Day by supporting organizations that are committed year-round to protecting the environment and fighting climate change. NYLCV Education Fund is able to keep New Yorkers engaged and informed because of generous support from our members. Consider donating on Earth Day to support this work.

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