Grow a Beautiful Lawn without Chemicals or Fossil Fuels

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Ed Smith enjoys mowing the lawn with his non-polluting, noiseless reel mower
Ed Smith enjoys mowing the lawn with his non-polluting, noiseless reel mower
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Ed practices his technique with a 'fossil fuel-free' European scythe. The scythe is a perfect tool for trimming tall grass.
Ed practices his technique with a 'fossil fuel-free' European scythe. The scythe is a perfect tool for trimming tall grass.

The recent wave of information about climate change, fossil fuel dependence and the ubiquitous presence of toxic chemicals in our environment has inspired many of us to look for greener approaches to the routine things we need to do. This amped-up awareness is increasing the popularity of ‘natural’ lawns. For most of us, this means eliminating chemical fertilizers, dyes and weed-killers from the lawn’s diet. Others have decided to plant drought-tolerant native plants that need less water. Or food-bearing plants, such as strawberries, which cover more of the ground so their lawns require less all-around maintenance. The great news is that you can have a gorgeous, low-maintenance lawn that’s safe for your family and our environment.

One inspiring lawn-keeper is Ed Smith, author of The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible and Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers, who is about to embark on a 100 percent fossil fuel-free lawn care plan. Recently, Ed answered a few questions about what motivated him to begin this plan and how it’s going to work.

Q. Tell me about your lawn maintenance plan. What made you decide to forgo fossil fuels completely?

  • Published on Jun 22, 2007
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