Northwest residents can welcome spring with greener lawn care and gardening practices by taking advantage of savings up to 25 percent on natural yard-care products during the 10th annual Northwest Natural Yard Days, April 15-May 15.
The partnership between King County, the city of Seattle, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and 24 other agency members promotes environmentally friendly yard care by offering discounts on gardening products at 64 participating retail locations throughout the Puget Sound region.
McLendon Hardware, 17705 130th Ave. N.E., and Molbak´s, 13625 N.E. 175th St., are Woodinville participants.
“Offering significant discounts on natural yard-care products encourages more people to explore environmentally sound solutions to common lawn and garden needs,” said Gerty Coville, of the King County Solid Waste Division.
Natural yard-care products such as electric mulch-mowers, bagged compost and natural organic fertilizer save work, reduce air pollution and add nutrients to the lawn and garden.
“A typical suburban lot lawn produces at least 1,200 pounds of clippings a year, but using an electric mulching lawnmower instead of a traditional mower eliminates the need to bag and haul all of that grass away,” Coville said. “Mulching mowers also put nutrients back into the lawn, which reduces the need to add chemicals.”
While emissions from diesel engines and wood smoke remain the primary source for harmful air pollutants in the Puget Sound region, gas-powered lawn mowers are far from guilt-free, said Katherine Himes, Criteria and Toxic Pollutants Team Lead for the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
“The good news is that affordable and powerful zero-emission electric lawn mowers are available and on sale through the Northwest Natural Yard Days program,” Himes said.
Northwest Natural Yard Days endorses the regional five steps of natural yard care:
• Build healthy soil
• Plant right for your site
• Practice smart watering
• Think twice before using pesticides
• Practice natural lawn care
For information about natural yard care, contact The Garden Hotline, (206) 633-0224, or help@gardenhotline.org.
