If preserving the environment and fighting climate change is something that is a priority to you, you might already be making changes in your day- to- day life. However, you might not have considered that there are ways to make your gardening practices environmentally friendly so thought we would help you out. Below are the top five ways that you can bring some environmentally friendly practices into your garden.
Plant trees
Planting trees is one of the best ways to remove CO2 from the air, which is a vital step in fighting climate change. They also release oxygen, so if your garden has an existing mature tree you can sit out in the summer and enjoy a breath of clean air.
If you decide to buy and plant a new tree, make sure you research thoroughly the care that it will require.
Conserve water
When you buy new plants or look after your existing plants you already know that they will require watering, but for the environmentally conscious gardener there are ways to be more considerate with water use
Read the plant care advice that you get when you buy new plants, to avoid unnecessary and wasteful watering. You can use a rainwater butt to collect water that can be used to water plants in drier months. You can even use water from your washing up or bath (check they don’t contain any harmful chemicals first) and will help conserve alternative water stores and reduce your carbon footprint.
Plant your own fruit and vegetables
Growing your own fruit and vegetables is an excellent environmentally friendly activity because you can avoid the use of pesticides and you can reduce your food bill too, bonus!
Any tunnels or cloches you buy to protect your plants and vegetables should be ethically produced. You could make your own cloches out of old plastic bottles.
Re-use and reduce
Many household items that would have otherwise ended up in the general waste can be used in the garden. Yoghurt pots or tin cans can be used for planting seeds and cuttings. An old watering can make a unique planter, as can a broken wheelbarrow. Are those old ornaments really broken or can they be sanded and repainted and given a new lease of life?
Think outside the box to come up with creative and quirky ways to reuse things in the garden. Making your own compost is a good way to reduce food waste.
Create a pollination friendly environment
Having a wide variety of plants in the garden, and even the addition of some shelters like a bee house or bug hotel will encourage pollinators to your garden. Different pollinators are attracted to different plants, for example, bees adore lavender or a bright sunflower and butterflies love bright, scented flowering plants.
By maintaining a chemical-free, organic garden you may start to notice other wildlife visiting and your garden will become a hive of beauty and activity. Take a moment to sit back beneath your air-conditioning tree to watch the simple wonder of nature unfold as visiting birds feed from your homemade feeder and bees and butterflies relish the delights of the plants you have nurtured.