Thursday, October 14, 2010

How Trees Can Help Your Garden

As a gardener knee deep in soil and weeds, there often isn’t much time to wonder about what trees can do for your garden.  Besides being a pain to mow around, what are the benefits? The answer to this question is that every part of the tree, from leaf to root, can benefit your garden in some way. Trees can not only benefit the health and appearance of your garden, but they can also save you quite a bit of money each year.

Stump Grinding
Stumps can present a major hurdle when it comes to choosing a garden plot. What many people don’t know is that you can turn that ugly, space hogging stump into a wealth of nutrition for your future garden. A stump grinding expert can utilize special equipment to take the danger out of root and stump removal. After the stump and its accompanying roots have been removed, the ground will be renewed and full of fresh nutrients. This process will turn a previously unusable area into a place that is perfect to plant or expand your garden.

Leaves to Mulch
Instead of bagging those leaves in the fall, why not consider turning them into mulch? All of the autumn leaves that otherwise clog the landfills could offer some serious potential benefits to your garden. The leaves will immediately begin to slow the growth of weeds. As they degrade, the leaves will begin to deposit huge amounts of nutrients, priming the area for planting in the spring. Consider asking your friends and neighbors for their lawn scraps as well. Mulching or composting your leaves will give you the double benefit of strengthening your garden while saving valuable landfill space. Your garden and the environment will thank you.

Trees as Windbreak
Planting a tree or a series of shrubs between your garden and the harsh winds may be a very wise investment. The harsh winter and fall winds can devastate harvests and ruin existing plants. When winds kick up in the winter, small fruit trees tend to take the hit the hardest. When using trees and shrubs as windbreak, evergreens can always be considered a safe bet. They stay full throughout the winter, giving the best protection. If you are going to go with shrubs, make sure they are dense enough to have an effect. The lack of a decent windbreak could leave your garden and fruit trees devastated come spring. 

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