Ingrid Callot: Basic gardening tips for gardening newbies

I am Ingrid Callot and in my neighborhood, I am best known for being a recycling goddess, composting queen, and health junkie. I am the biggest fan of Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart (I am convinced that at some point in our lives we'll find each other and we'd end up becoming best friends), the Dalai Lama, and I’m an advocate for green, sustainable living. My family and I have been leading eco-friendly lives since Christmas, and we're doing extremely well at recycling and reusing old things, eating organic food, and boycotting household items that contain chemicals that may be toxic to the environment.
 

From Ingrid Callot Album

I, Ingrid Callot, will be the first to admit that despite my being a huge fan of living green, I am no green thumb. As a child, all of the plants I had to nurture for Science class died within just a few days and I absolutely gave up on gardening until a few months ago, when my bestfriend Edgardo Versoza encouraged me to plant a little garden since we have so much fertilizer from composting.
 
Here are some of the things I learned from my little gardening project:
 
* Using mulch helps prevent the growth of weeds. It also preserves soil moisture so you need to water your plants less.
 
* Plants that are native to your area will adapt to the climate and temperature, so you don't need to water them as often. They will also grow beautifully in their “home turf.”
 


* Singing and talking to your plants do not really help them grow, but it puts you in a very good mood.(winks)
 
* Re-used water (such as rainwater collected into buckets) does an excellent job of nourishing your plants.
 
* Putting a mesh net over your plants on a very hot day can keep them from drying out. Mesh nets also allow them to breathe.
 
* Small gardens are more manageable than a full-blown one complete with a manicured lawn and several species of flowers and plants.
 
Follow me on Twitter for more eco-friendly tips.