Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
Companion planting, which means growing certain plants near specific vegetables to repel destructive insects or attract beneficial ones, has great appeal to those who don't use chemicals. But be aware: It's difficult to tell whether the method works.
Many gardeners, especially organic practitioners, swear by companion planting. They note that marigolds have been scientifically shown to deter root-killing nematodes, and that the fragrance of the herb tansy repels moths. The orange color of nasturtium may scare off flying insects.
But was it the basil planted next to the tomatoes that fended off the tomato hornworms, or did the hornworms merely decide to skip your garden this year? Was it the garlic that kept the nematodes away from the squash roots, or were there simply no nematodes around? Outside of conducting controlled scientific experiments, it's hard for the average gardener to know.
"Some of the old-timers swear by some of these things," says Edith Hiett, editor of the newsletter for the Heritage Herb Club in Dallas. She has planted garlic beside her roses to repel aphids, and she has heard that garlic also drives away Japanese beetles and helps raspberries produce better.
"Whether they really help with growth, I'm not really sure of that," Ms. Hiett says. "How do you prove it?"
Janice Bunting, president of the Greater Fort Worth Herb Society, notes that companion planting is part of the organic gardener's philosophy of encouraging a diverse mix of plants. "If you have biodiversity, you attract beneficial insects," she says.
Basil: Plant near tomatoes to repel tomato hornworms.
Catnip: Useful near eggplant and collards as a barrier to flea beetles.
Dill: Attracts lacewings and ladybugs, beneficial insects that eat aphids. Also, near members of the cabbage family, dill attracts the tiny beneficial wasps that control imported cabbageworms and other cabbage pests.
Marigolds: Interplant marigolds with beans to repel Mexican bean beetles. They purportedly kill root-feeding nematodes near peppers, eggplants and tomatoes after the first year.
Nasturtium: Reputed to drive away cucumber beetles. Habitat for beneficial insects that prey on other insects. Also plant near cabbage, melons and lemon.
Onions and chives: Interplant with carrots to repel rust flies. Plant near roses and raspberries to bust Japanese beetles and aphids.
Rue: Japanese beetle defense.
Tansy: Repels moths.
Thyme: Near cabbage, puts the kibosh on imported cabbageworm.
Wormwood: Deters rodents.
SOURCES: Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Organic Gardening magazine, The Pleasure of Herbs (1986) by Phyllis V. Shaudys.
Corn and beans: Beans lure leafhoppers and leaf beetles away from corn.
Radishes and spinach: Radishes lure leafminers away from the spinach.
Potatoes and sweet alyssum: The sweet alyssum attracts beneficial insects, such as predatory wasps.
Cauliflower and dwarf zinnias: The nectar from the dwarf zinnias lures ladybugs and other good predators.
Tomatoes and cabbage: The diamondback moth larvae hate tomatoes.
Peppers and pigweed or ragweed: Leafminers prefer the weeds to pepper plants. (Remove the weeds' flowers before they set seed.)
SOURCE: Organic Gardening magazine
