This past Saturday, Miss A., Mom G. and I all attended the 2015 Smart Gardening conference hosted by the MSU Extension office. This all day conference brings together a selection of experts from across the country to speak on a variety of gardening subjects. Before the day’s presentations began, updates on the Smart Gardening initiative was shared with the room of over three hundred gardeners.
The concept of “Smart Gardening” is meant to describe an approach to gardening that includes “science-based gardening, environmental awareness, and sustainability.” The main barrier to this approach tends to be a lack of information. The MSU Extension aims to overcome this barrier by making accessible gardening facts and tips to the general public. They have done a fantastic job doing so with the new Smart Gardening website, focusing on Smart Plants, Smart Lawns, and Smart Soils.
Free Tip Sheets on Plants, Lawns, and Soil
On the Smart Gardening website, there are many free tip sheets available as downloadable pdfs. Want advice on weed and grub control in the lawn? Download the Mow High pdf. Ever wonder what all those numbers on the fertilizer bags mean and which fertilizer to use? Download the Fertilizer Basics pdf. Have a shady area of the yard where you cannot seem to get grass to grow? Download the Shady Lawn Alternatives pdf.
Have a Gardening Question?
If you are not able to find an answer to your gardening question within the Smart Gardening website, you can use the Ask an Expert feature. This allows anyone to submit a question to a gardening hotline of sorts. Maybe you found a suspicious looking insect chomping on your favorite garden plant. Snap a picture of it, attach it to your question, and send it off to an expert to be identified.
Being a Good Steward is Simple
What is best of all is that anyone can be a Smart Gardener. It really is quite simple. Free information on how to do so has been made available. There are no complicated techniques or huge investments needed. If anything, being a Smart Gardener will save you time, energy, and expense. Check out the site and give it a try.