Become a Weekend Gardener

You can help prevent soil erosion by planting vegetation, trees, ground cover, shrubs and other plants. Roots from these plants will help hold soil in place on the ground. Soil will not blow away due to wind, or be washed away from rain as easily. Here are six easy ideas to get started today in preventing soil erosion

1. Step1

   Create windbreaks, which are barrier rows planted along the windward exposure of a plot of land. Windbreaks made out of trees, such as evergreen trees or bushes help prevent erosion by preventing wind from blowing across your land.

2. Step2

   Grow cover crops on farm land. When land is not being used during the off season, cover crops can help prevent soil erosion due to wind and rain. Legumes (beans) are often used as cover crops.

3. Step3

   Apply mulch to retain moisture and also help prevent soil erosion. Topsoil is not as likely to be washed or blown away when it is covered by mulch. Mulch is often used in flower beds.

4. Step4

   Construct surface runoff barriers, such as edging made of bricks or stones, can help prevent soil erosion by minimizing runoff. If runoff is minimized, soil is less likely to be carried away by groundwater runoff.

5. Step5

   Use contour farming when farming on sloped areas. This conservation technique is to follow the actual topography of a slope when planting crops. Using the natural lay of the land in this way can also prevent soil erosion.

6. Step6

   Try terrace farming and gardening to decrease groundwater runoff. Create nearly level layers of crops on a hillside.

For more info on where to buy gardening supplies, go to this link:

http://www.ecometro.com/portland/directory/tag/gardening/

The 2010 Chinook Book has lots of local gardening coupons to save you money and get you started on your weekend gardening project.