Mitzvah, Karma, or Doing the Right Thing: call it what you will. Here are three simple things you can do that are good for you, your plants, and the environment today and will ensure that tomorrow is better.

Mitzvah, Karma, or Doing the Right Thing: call it what you will. Here are three simple things you can do that are good for you, your plants, and the environment today and will ensure that tomorrow is better.

>Make your planters lighter. It is time to prepare them for summer color. Why not kill two birds with one cone – or a few? Before filling a container with potting mix, cover the bottom with pinecones. You won’t need as much potting mix to top off the container. It will be easier to lift and move.

>Feed banana peels to your roses. Bury chopped up peels at the base of plants for a potassium boost that promotes lush blooms. Reusing organic matter like banana peels is a great way to improve soil, stimulate microbial activity, and reduce debris going to landfills.  

>Deter slugs the old-fashioned way. Create a generous circle of spent coffee grounds around your plants. Need more grounds? No problem, most coffee shops are glad to give away their spent ones. The gritty stuff adheres to the sticky undersides of slugs, deterring them from further munching.

— Chris Cohan