Who doesn’t love a lush, beautifully decorated garden? Spring season allures us to go outside more, to have fun around nature, and to be a bit more conscious of the many blessings our planet offers. So it’s an ideal period to learn more about sustainable practices and yes, your garden is the perfect place to start.
Eco-friendly Gardening
There’s no official definition but eco-friendly gardening is known as a series of steps or methods that help us to create a garden that’s not only lovely but most importantly respects its natural space. There’s a benefit for you as well: it’s simpler to maintain.
Interested, so far?
Good, let’s keep diving in.
Parting from the point of sustainability, eco-friendly gardening calls us to find ways to cultivate a garden where protecting the wellbeing of mother nature is the number one priority.
Why it matters?
- It protects our habitat.
- Reduce the use of harsh chemicals like pesticides.
- Saves water
- Improve soil quality
In other words, it helps us to minimize the impacts of climate change.
That’s cool, how can I start?
There are many methods to help you grow a sustainable garden, from reducing the use of pesticides to cultivating your veggies.
Let’s see it in more detail
Six ways to make your garden more sustainable.
1.- No Pesticides: We get it, the last thing you want is to see a snail munching your precious peonies away so you might believe that pesticides aren’t only normal but a necessity. Well, sorry to say it, but that’s not completely accurate. Pesticides can kill that unwanted bug while parallely it’s going to corrupt the soil, the air, the water, and the plant itself. The uncontrolled use of pesticides is one of the reasons behind climate change. What you want to be doing here is to go for eco-friendly anti-pests. You can find options in the market or you can follow nature’s wisdom and rely on organic alternatives like garlic spray or neem oil.
2.- Companion Planting: This follows the idea presented in the last sentence above. Mother Nature is a wise creature. Plants have been designed to know what to do and one of those amazing things is that some plants can protect and help others. Scaring away predators, acting as a decoy to deceive pests, attracting pollinators, and yes, promoting growth as well. This is especially the case for fruits and vegetables, so the next time you are wondering how to protect your carrots, research what plants are the most friendly for them.
3.- Use rainwater: Plants need water, and for a planet that’s facing rising temperatures and severe droughts that could be a problem. The solution? Begins with collecting rainwater, it turns out that when compared with regular water, rainwater is more beneficial for plants. It has lower levels of pH and more minerals leading to healthier gardens. Healthier plants, healthier future.
4.- Take care of the soil: It’s the basis of your garden, so why shouldn’t you give it some attention? Soil is also super important for the environment, storing carbon and housing millions of microorganisms that contribute to the health of our planet. To keep it this way you can try making your compost. The process is really simple, just mix kitchen scraps, cardboard pieces, and woody stems. The result will leave your soil nourished and your budget happy.
5.- Go for local plants: A beautiful garden can be enhanced by using as much as possible only native plants. Think about it, local plants are grown in a specific place because it ecologically makes sense. They are necessary for the protection and development of wildlife. Choosing native plants is a smart choice not only for your garden but also for the planet.
6.- Grow your own: There’s something special about knowing where your food is coming from, people are increasingly becoming more conscious of the impact their diets have on climate change. Now, more than ever we are rethinking our food choices, not just for our health, but also for the future of the place where we live. Your garden could be an excellent source of organic fruits and veggies. So if you are planning on bringing some additions to your front yard, why don’t try some carrots?
Eco-friendly gardening might have caught our interest just recently but as we’ve seen in this blog, it has a lot of reasons to become the new normal.
By being more aware of the impact of your gardening decisions you can positively impact the planet we all call home.
