The thought of "going green" in the garden might seem a bit redundant to some, but your eco-friendly efforts do not have to start and stop with a rain barrel. With the glory of yet another spring season upon us, why not make your garden even more "green" this year with some earth-friendly products:

Cordless comes of age

The Environmental Protection Agency has found that a gas-powered string trimmer emits as much air pollution in one hour as driving a car for eight hours. Black & Decker's new 36-volt, zero-emissions, cordless beast of a trimmer can actually outperform many of the standard gas-guzzlers. With a large, 14-inch cutting swath and using heavy-duty .080 line, the trimmer is powered by a super-efficient electric motor with a patented gear drive transmission for increased torque to achieve a cut rate of 51 square feet a minute. Black & Decker backs it with a full three-year guarantee. Retails: about $250. Information: www.blackanddecker.com.

Electro-mower

A small lot doesn't require a big gas-powered mower. Two cordless electric mowers enter the scene. Black & Decker has a zero-emission, Energy Star-rated mower with a 19-inch cutting path and costs about $10 a year to operate. It can perform as a mulcher, so grass clippings are recycled back into the lawn as mulch and natural fertilizer. Homelite offers a cordless mower that cuts a 20-inch swath and also has the heft to mulch grass cuttings. Both mowers can be found locally at large home improvement stores. The Homelite sells for about $320, while the Black & Decker model goes for about $400. Take a look at Homelite's mower at: www.homelite.com. More information on the Black & Decker cutter is at www.blackanddecker.com.

Have a ball with barley

Springtime in the water garden often means yuck-time, as ugly, nasty algae become active with the rising temperatures. An all-natural, effective way to deal with algae's hyperactivity in the spring is to add barley straw to the pond. As it decomposes, it releases byproducts that discourage algae growth with no harm to other plants or fish. Small bales of barley can be floated in a pond, but a compact, perhaps more eye-appealing way to introduce barley into a water garden is with a Barley Ball, which floats in the water and contains enough barley wheat to control algae in ponds that range from 700 to 2,244 gallons in volume. Retails: $34.95. Order: (800) 427-3363 or at www.gardeners.com.

Seeing red

For many gardeners, growing better, bigger tomatoes means applying more fertilizer. Unfortunately, adding fertilizer means a greater chance that water-soluble nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus will wash out of the soil and into creeks and rivers. Now, a greener way to grow bragging-right tomatoes is to see red. Research at Clemson University has found that red plastic mulch had a definite positive result on the number of fruit produced. Further tests by the USDA also discovered that red mulch helped plants produce tomatoes that were an average of 46 percent more in weight than plants not using the mulch. Although some searching might find it locally, Park Seeds sells 25-foot by 18-inch rolls of red mulch for $5.95 each. Contact: (800) 213-0076, www.parkseed.com.

No, deer!

Cursing to the garden gods will have little chance of saving a harried/half-eaten hosta, but I Must Garden, a Chapel Hill company, has now developed a Growing Season Deer Repellent that is a blend of many scents deer don't like. And because these anti-deer ingredients are in the form of natural oils, they are long-lasting, rain-resistant, environmentally safe and biodegradable. I Must Garden also has an All Season Deer Repellent that blends clove oil with cinnamon and lemon grass oil. To humans, both formulas smell relatively nice; against deer, both are guaranteed to work, or your money back. I Must Garden also offers Squirrel Repellent, Ant Control, Rabbit Repellent, Insect Control, and Dog and Cat Repellent. Information: (877) 446-2929 or www.imustgarden.com.

Herbicidal helper

If you have watched weeds slowly take over your garden but have been reluctant to retaliate with herbicides, consider Nature's Avenger. The all-natural, nonselective herbicide bops bad plants while posing no risk as a soil hazard or water contaminant. The active ingredient in Nature's Avenger is d-limonene, which is extracted from citrus rinds. It kills plants by dissolving the protective outer waxy cuticle on leaf surfaces, and essentially causes them to dry up and die. After it has done its job, biodegradable Nature's Avenger leaves nothing behind in the garden except the hint of a lemon or orange scent. It is most effective on warm, humid, sunny days -- just like the ones we experience all summer in the Piedmont! To order: naturesavenger.com.

Gardens Alive!

Gardens Alive!, a forward-thinking, Mother Earth-friendly mail order company in Indiana, was formed in the early 1980s to offer environmentally responsible solutions for ailing gardens. Gardens Alive! has safe, effective solutions to typical gardening problems and more. Order a catalog: (513) 354-1482; online orders: www.gardensalive.com.

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