Affects from the record-shattering drought that plagued Greensboro -- and all of North Carolina -- in 2007 are still being felt as we enter the 2008 spring planting season. The City of Greensboro and North Carolina Cooperative Extension encourage you to keep drought conditions in mind when planning your landscaping projects. Each week, we'll provide you with a new landscaping tip to help you achieve your landscaping goals while conserving water.

Tips for May 2008 -- Recycle

Much of what we’re given in nature can be reused – or recycled – to reduce the use of non-natural products. It just takes time and determination to give recycling a chance. For example, grass clippings, leaves, yard trimmings, and rain water can be recycled rather than thrown away.

Recycling is one of the best ways you can protect the environment. Recycling saves our natural resources, keeps reusable items out of our landfills, and provides the materials needed to make recycled products.

When it comes to landscaping, be a recycling leader and you’ll have the best looking yard in the neighborhood.

Tip for the week of May 12-18, 2008:
Instead of using your garbage disposal to dispose of kitchen scraps, which uses about four gallons of water per minute, consider vermicomposting. Worm bins are easy to construct and one pound of worms can decompose as much as four pounds of kitchen scrap per week.

Tip for the week of May 5-11, 2008:
Grass clippings are a free source of fertilizer; they’re 90 percent water, the rest is inert material and nutrients that will be released into the soil once they break down. Grass clippings also act as mulch around plants keeping valuable water from evaporating from the soil surface and keeping weeds from germinating.

> Watch Piedmont Yard Workshop programs airing in April on Channel 13. The programs are produced in cooperation with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension.