Grass clippings make up a large percentage of the household waste produced each year. About 1,000 square feet of lawn in Pennsylvania can produce 200 to 500 pounds of clippings during the growing season.

A simple alternative to bagging grass clipping is "grasscycling." Simply leave clippings on your lawn where they break down in 7 to 14 days. The clippings act as top dressing fertilizer and help keep your lawn green and healthy.

Composting is a key component to any green garden .

Almost everyone thinks a nice garden is better than a plain lawn. People balefully look at other people's gardens and say, "if only I had the time and money to do that."

Most people are suprised to find that a garden takes less money and time to maintain than a lawn.

Gardens have many financial advantages over a lawn if properly planned.

The key to planning an garden that will save both time and money is to use techniques and plants that take advantage of the local environment and conditions.

Labor Intensive Yards and Gardens:

A typicial 1-acre lawn costs $700 per year in fuel, fertilizer, pesticides and so forth.

Cost Intensive Yards and Gardens:

A typical 1-acre lawn takes at least 40 hours per year to maintain.

Since time is money this means a typical 1-acre lawn costs about $1500 per year to maintain. Plus you have an initial cost of buying lawn mowers, fertilizer and pesticides and other equipment.

By using native plants and other green gardening tricks you can have a much nicer greenspace for a fraction of the time and money.