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Pondspectives with Mike
Friday, July 1, 2011, 8 p.m. EDT
Sustainable Gardening Remains Hot in Outdoor Living
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Text and photos by Mike Garcia
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| Filtering the fish and pond waste |
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| After cleaning the filter, the water is stored in a large plastic container. |
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| I'm pumping the nutrient-rich water into the vegetable garden to fertilize the crops. No waste! | The hottest trend in outdoor living is the sustainable garden and everything attached to things green. Can this apply to the pond world? Yes! By noticing the trends our clients are looking at, we can apply sustainable gardening and greening to our pond and water garden businesses.
America’s favorite spring passtime is preparing the garden for vegetable planting. How can we tie pond building into this scenario? By asking what a pond can contribute to the garden.
1. Pond bacteria can be used as fertilizer. When the filter is cleaned, the water is stored in a large plastic container and pumped into the garden. The trees and veggies love the extra nutrition. This is the freshest fertilizer in town and it is free.
2. The sustainable pond is another way to market our craft. Hydroponics work on the same principles in that the excess nutrients are used to fertilize the target crops.
This method of fertilization is not new. Ancient civilizations used this method of fertilization and perhaps we can resurrect this method under the banner of “Green is Cool?”
Just think, no waste from the pond. All the excess water is used in the garden, saving the homeowner money by using water that normally would go down the drain. In today’s drought-stricken world, saving water means saving money.
Save water, save money, and help the environment. Does it get any better than win-win-win?
What ways have you found to align the pond building world with the green/sustainable trends? How important is it to save water in your community?
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Sustainable Gardening Remains Hot in Outdoor Living
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