Gardening can bring us so much joy and it can help to truly transform your outdoor space, however this doesn’t need to be at the cost of the environment. If you’re wanting to slightly adjust some of your gardening practices to make them more eco-friendly, whilst still creating your dream sustainable outdoor oasis, you’re in the right place! From saving water to helping the pollinators, we’ve got it all covered.
Collect Rainwater
First up, one of the best things you can do to make your gardening practices more eco-friendly is to collect rainwater. You’ve got a fantastic resource ready and waiting to be used with rain, that will both reduce your water usage and also save you money. So, get yourself a water butt for your garden, you can get them cheap or sometimes free if someone is getting rid of one, then simply attach it to your gutters (making sure they’re nice and clear), then you’ll be good to go! Free water for you to water your plants and lawn with.
Use Companion Planting Instead Of Pesticides
Using pesticides to keep unwanted insects away from your plants is not only negative for the health of your plants, but they are very harmful for wildlife too. As well as killing the bugs you don’t want near your plants, the chemicals can harm birds, worms, hedgehogs, frogs, wild plants and nature in general, as it seeps into the soil. They can also harm pollinators, which are key for the health of your garden.
So, instead of using pesticides, focus on doing a bit of research about companion plants, which can naturally help to keep unwanted bugs away. For example, when you plant mint next to brassicas, the strong scent of the leaves can confuse flea beetles and deter them from laying eggs (just make sure to plant your mint in a pot as it grows very quickly!). Another example is planting thyme with roses, as the strong scent of the thyme deters pests away from the delicious scent of roses, particularly black fly, to improve the health of your plants.
Choose Electric Power Tools Over Petrol
If you’re currently using petrol power tools in your garden, then a good swap to make your practices more eco-friendly is to swap to electric. Petrol power tools produce emissions, including harmful and toxic fumes, which are bad for both you and your garden. When you swap out to electric, like swapping your petrol for electric chainsaws, you’re reducing emissions and helping your garden (especially if you have solar panels too). It will also create a more peaceful environment for you and your neighbours without noise pollution too, as well as help to save you money.
Choose Native Plants For Pollinators
We’d always recommend choosing native plants when it comes to eco-friendly gardening practices. Native plants are very well adapted to local environments, so require less watering and less maintenance, as well as less pesticides. You are also reducing the emissions produced by transporting non native plants across the world, as well as the fact that native plants tend to be better at storing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide when they’re in an environment they’re familiar with. One of the biggest benefits of choosing native plants is for pollinators, as they provide nectar for local wildlife like hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and bats, as well as good shelter for animals local to the area. Not only are you going to get a more beautiful, full garden as a result of pollinators, but you’ll be helping them to survive when you choose native plants.
