8 Things You Can Do To Create an Eco Friendly Garden
Sustainability is a priority for many of us, but how can you bring eco-friendly thinking into your garden? Here are eight eco-friendly strategies that you can use in your garden.
Make Your Compost
Whether you live in a home with a large yard or in a small apartment in the city, you can compost for an eco-friendly garden! Simply build or purchase a container that suits your needs and add all of your organic scraps to it: egg shells, coffee grounds, fruit and veggie waste, paper, twigs, sawdust, etc.
Introduce water so that it’s moist but not soaking, and turn it regularly to let the oxygen in. You’ll know you have the right ratio of things when the middle of the pile is hot. Simply add it to your spring soil before planting and that’s it! Not only have you reduced your waste footprint, but you’re also feeding your plants with organic matter that’s not chemically based and will contribute to an eco-friendly garden.
Use Rain Barrels to Collect Rainwater
Collecting rainwater is great for you and for your plants. Your water budget doesn’t have to be overspent from watering the garden, and the plants are getting clean water without city treatment! Your garden will be thankful for this eco-friendly adjustment.
Support Pollinators
Eco-friendly gardens are only as good as their pollinators! There are a few things you can do to make sure that the pollinators in your garden are happy.
- Introduce plants that will attract them.
- Use minimal yard lighting at night to preserve the life of insects that will otherwise overwork themselves at night and become easy prey for birds.
- Establish bee hotels and birdhouses for shelter. This gives our happy helpers a safe, eco-friendly place to rest in your garden!
Plant Native Species
Planting native species is a huge contributor to an eco-friendly garden because it supports local ecosystems and prevents the spread of invasive species. The act of deciding what to plant can go a long way for ecosystem health!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
This phrase is not only good when thinking about waste management, but it’s also good for eco-friendly gardens! Consider the following ways to improve your reducing, reusing, and recycling:
- Plant from seeds to reduce plastic containers used for seedlings.
- Return seedling containers to your local greenhouse for reuse, if they’ll accept them.
- Reuse your garden tools every year, repairing them when needed instead of replacing them.
- Use recycled materials to build garden beds and walkways.
Turn the Power Off
Reduce your power usage by switching to a reel mower instead of an electric or gas mower, switch to solar powered lights, and use manual tools instead of electric or gas tools! This simple change not only saves you money on electricity and gas, but also contributes to an eco-friendly garden.
Reduce Your Lawn
Lawns are admittedly a lot of work, and they are not great for an eco-friendly yard! By reducing your lawn space, you can decrease the need for watering, give yourself less work to do with mowing, and allow native plants to grow in the space, such as wildflowers! Organic, locally sourced mulch is a great alternative if you don’t want to let your grass grow wild. Introducing natural growth will promote a healthy ecosystem and make your garden very eco- friendly.
Share Your Knowledge
Above all, introducing what you know to other gardeners takes a small effort but makes a difference. Not every person has to have a 100% eco-friendly garden to have an impact on the environment, but by raising awareness and empowering others to make small changes in their gardens, we can collectively change gardening into a highly sustainable practice.
If you’re ready to start turning your garden into an eco-friendly space, we can start you off with organic fertilizers for sale and much more! Visit us today.