You may think that having a garden is already eco-friendly. However, there are many ways you can enhance the sustainability of your outside space. Read on to find out what they are below.
Grow Your Own
One way to be more environmentally friendly in your gardening practices is to grow your own vegetables, fruits and herbs, something that we know a bit about on this site! The main benefits of growing your own foodstuffs are that it cuts out the need for packaging waste, and the energy that goes into transporting fruits and vegetables to where they are grown t to where they are processed, to where they are sold and then eaten.
Of course, it can be an incredibly satisfying activity as well, and there are some ways that you can enhance the eco-friendliness of what you grow. One such method is to grow things like these rare broadbean varieties. The advantages of this are that doing so not only helps to keep older varieties alive, but beans can help your garden soil stay choked with nitrogen, which they pull from the air, not to mention they are a low-water and low-maintenance crop too.
Additionally benefits for the environment of growing your own food also include supporting insects like bees, with the flowers and the pollen they provide. Lastly, growing your own means you can use organic farming methods, cutting out chemicals that can impact the local ecosystem.
Use Mulch
If you are looking to make your garden more environmentally friendly, then making and using mulch is also an excellent idea. Mulch is made from organic materials such as leaves collected from your garden, grass clippings from your lawn, or wood chips that you can make or buy from the garden centre. Although you are making your own mulch, it’s important to break up the organic materials you use into small pieces, as well as let ingredients like leaves dry out before use.
The purpose is to be spread onto soil, where it helps keep weeds at bay as well as trapping moisture so it’s retained where it’s most needed. Usually, a depth of around 3cms is the most effective for mulch when growing veggies. By laying down this layer over the soil in which you plant your food, you can gain a wealth of benefits from the ones mentioned above, including keeping your root vegetables like carrots, beets, and parsnips warm during the winter months, and even minimising soil erosion.
Choose Recycled Materials
Using recycled materials in your vegetable garden is also a smart idea if you want to make it as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible. This is because by using recycled materials or items made from recycled materials, you will help reduce carbon emissions, landfill waste and raw mineral extractions.
One option you may like to consider is making raised beds for your veggies from reclaimed boards or even old pallets. In this way, you can make it easier to tend your plants, boost drains and even reduce pests and weeds.
Another option is to choose garden furniture items made from recycled materials for your outdoor space. Not only do they look gorgeous and provide you with an excellent spot to sit and rest your weary bones as you take a mid-gardening break, but they also weather much better being waterproof, and prevent materials like plastic from being put into landfill.
Create a Composite Pile
Another way you can make your garden a more sustainable and environmentally friendly place is to create and use a composite pile. Similar to mulch in that it’s made up of organic matter, the main purpose of a composite pile is to add valuable nutrients to the soil that help your vegetables grow.
Of course, you can put compost in bags from the garden centre or online, but it’s much more eco-friendly to make your own. To do this, you will first need to set up a compost pile. This means choosing a good spot in your garden, usually a shady area, as this is best for the worms that will break down the matter and turn it into compost.
Begin with a base layer of coarser materials like sticks and twigs, as this will allow air to flow through the pile, which is crucial for its success. After the base layer, you will want to add green materials such as garden trimmings, vegetable scraps and even coffee grounds, as all are rich in nitrogen.
Once you have your green materials in place, you can add carbon-rich or brown materials to your compost pile. These will include things like hay or straw, as well as shredded cardboard, and even dry leaves. This stage is crucial because it helps to stop your compost pile from smelling bad.
After adding brown materials, it’s important to make sure that your compost pile has the right level of moisture. If it’s too dry or too wet, it can negatively impact the decomposition process. It needs to be just moist for maximum efficiency.
After you have checked the moisture levels, you can leave your compost heap for a week or two and then turn it with a garden fork. This is crucial for breaking down the materials and adding oxygen. In fact, you should be turning your compost every 2 weeks after creating the heap. It should be ready to use as an add-in to your garden soil in about 3 months. To check this, make sure it smells earthy, is dark and crumbly in texture, and that it’s cool to the touch.
After setting up a composite pile like this, you can continue to add kitchen and garden scraps to it to get a never-ending source of nutrients for your garden. Just be sure to avoid adding things like diseased plants, plastics, meat or dairy scraps or pet waste, as all these things can contaminate your composite, making it especially suitable for growing vegetables you plan on consuming.
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