You can be eco-friendly in every area of your life. You can eat ecologically, dress ecologically, and also… garden ecologically. Try these 5 tips to make your garden an even greener place!
If you’re the kind of person who loves to be surrounded by plants, you’re certainly also concerned about the planet. You’ll be glad to know that good habits can also be incorporated into the way you manage your home garden. Any changes that help the natural environment can also be good for your wallet. If you want to save money and be more eco-friendly at the same time – check out these 5 simple tips for an eco-friendly garden!
A universal rule that applies not only in the garden. Our planet’s freshwater reserves are dwindling fast and every drop can be reused. In the ecological garden irrigation is mainly rainwater, collected in appropriate tanks.
Thanks to the system of draining rainwater straight from the gutter, in just one downpour you can fill the tank with water, which will serve you for another week. On the market there are tanks that look like classic amphorae or even imitating stones. These can add a decorative element to your garden, especially if you opt for ceramic versions
Remember that the water you wash your laundry in or wash your dishes in can also be reused. To avoid harming plants and the environment, you need to use eco-friendly cleaning products instead of invasive detergents
A composter is an absolute must-have for every garden. You can build one yourself or buy special containers that help keep the conditions right for decomposing leaf and food scraps – moisture and shade.
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In a compost heap you can dispose of kitchen waste (food scraps, vegetable and fruit peelings) as well as any garden debris (leaves, weeds). Compost is good to turn over at least twice a year in order to obtain fertiliser of the highest quality. It will replace artificial counterparts that are designed to promote plant growth and fruiting
If compost doesn’t provide enough energy for your plants, use natural fertilizers such as chicken droppings (you can buy them at the market in the version to be dissolved with water)
Also remember that some food waste, such as coffee grounds or banana peel, helps create the right conditions for life. Banana peel contains lots of potassium and magnesium so it is a good idea to add it to the hole before planting. Coffee grounds can be used as a natural acidifier. Hydrangeas, magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons will love it.
An organic garden is a place where nature lives in harmony with man. So try to bear in mind that this is the natural habitat of many species which you can kill, for example by using artificial fertilisers. Of course, you should get rid of pests – but also by home-made means! Hogweed, for example, can be effectively exterminated… with a little beer
Elegant bird feeders can be put up and hung in your garden and are a nice decoration. Remember, however, not to feed the birds all year round. Only feed the birds with seeds when the snow prevents them from foraging on their own
You can do a lot with plants! An organic garden should include a bed dedicated to bees. Create a special composition of melliferous plants that will help the busy insects collect nectar. These include, for example, budleia, lavender, orchids, honeyeaters, dandelions, scabious, cornflowers, goldenrod.
This will be a garden feature that not only sustains a dying species, but also introduces field accents into the bed arrangement. You can also put up special insect houses to provide shelter for beneficial species – bees feel best in drilled branches.
In a natural, undisturbed environment, beneficial insects will quickly deal with unwanted intruders. That’s why it makes sense to build insect hotels – clay, bamboo and wood – instead of using chemical insect sprays. These are harmful not only to the plants, soil and surrounding wildlife, but also to you and your family. When you use chemical p esticides, you are unfortunately also killing beneficial insects that won’t come to your aid the next time a pest appears in your garden.
Remember, too, that the key to gardening success is constant attention to soil quality. It needs to be rich in natural nutrients and also create an environment that is conducive to fertilizing organisms such as earthworms. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers will upset the natural balance of the ecosystem, making the soil not rich in nutrients.
It’s by no means all about the scythe and the whip. However, you should replace your electric leaf blower with a regular rake and replace your petrol lawnmower with an electric equivalent. Instead of using electric shrub shears, it’s a good idea to have a sharpened pruning shear on hand. Any hand-held tool will give you more control over the cut and its reach, and it won’t crush the structure of the shoot – so it’s simply safer
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In the same way that an eco-friendly home is one where energy consumption is kept to a minimum, an eco-friendly garden should not consume too much unnecessary electricity or, worse still, emit exhaust fumes. Traditional gardening can even be a form of relaxation… you just have to like your eco garden!
