In Search of Green...Gardening, Part 2, Weeds & Pests

Earlier this year, I stumbled across a lovely little bookshop in Ann Arbor called Crazy Wisdom Book Shop and Tea Room where I came across a book about controlling weeds without chemicals. Yep. A book about weeds. I gleaned a few things from it and I've already put weed prevention fabric on top of the soil in the raised beds (cuts out light, one thing weed seeds need to germinate). I've also been on the hunt for some more eco-friendly alternatives. Through my research I've decided that I need corn gluten to prevent seeds from sprouting and I need to see if I can find an eco-friendly mosquito repellant as well as an animal repellant. I found what I needed online but the cost of shipping 25 pounds of corn gluten was astronomical. Looking online I found that I can get these products from Home Depot, if not in-store then I could have it shipped to my local store for free if my order was over a certain amount. I was excited and last Tuesday my husband and I headed to our local store in search of eco-friendly products. In order to look for these items, I had to go into the weed-prevention section and as I was standing there looking...I did find small bags of organic plant food but no corn gluten or animal repellant...I became aware of the smell of these products off-gassing into the store. I found nothing as far as weed prevention goes but I did find some organic mosquito repellant in body spray, a fogger and a lawn spray so I scooped those up and headed out into the garden section to continue my search. Giant bags of grass seed and lawn fertilizer dazzled my eyes and the chemical smell of the fertilizers filled my nostrils and I became aware of a burning in the back of my throat and a nauseous feeling in my belly, most likely caused by the sinus drainage created by breathing in the fumes. It took several hours for these feelings to dissipate and my resolution to not purchase these products was fortified. Next stop: Ordering what I need and having it shipped to my local Home Depot for pick up!