The Best Environmentally-Friendly Garden Option
In many cases, a big part of becoming self-sufficient is gardening. However, there are a lot of important questions you might ask yourself… like ‘which is the bet’s environmentally-friendly garden option? With all the gardening types out there, you should always do your research before jumping into the deep end.
It can be easy to forget that everything we do has an impact on the world, and gardening is no different. In fact, even your back garden can have an impact on the environment! So, you’re going to want to do things right from the start if you can help it. If you are already gardening and find out that you’ve been making mistakes, try not to worry too much. We do the best we can with the information we have – there’s nothing wrong with that!
However, if you do want to make some positive changes to your garden, just keep reading. There might be some interesting takeaways to consider if you want to have an environmentally-friendly and healthy garden.
Don’t feel like reading the whole thing? We get it. Here are the main takeaways you need to know: no dig gardens are your friend! Not only are these gardens the easiest to work with, but they are the best for the environment. The worst kind of garden are the regular digging gardens we’re all familiar with. To help make your garden more environmentally-friendly, consider composting, using much, collecting rainwater, and steering clear of pesticides!
The Most Environmentally-Friendly Garden: No Dig Gardens
No-dig gardens can take many forms – including raised bed gardens and container gardens! Not only are no-dig gardens environmentally-friendly because they don’t disturb the soil, but they are also the easiest to work with.
Raised bed gardens are great for getting rid of weeds, and they tend to have fantastic drainage. These are two prominent issues that many people tend to deal with in gardening, so why wouldn’t you want to make your life easier?
The Most Damaging Gardening Method
The least environmentally-friendly garden type you could go with are the classic in-ground gardens you see everywhere. Not only do these kinds of gardens require the most work, from tilling and amending the soil, but they tend to have a negative impact on the environment. The disruption of the soil can lead to a variety of issues over time, and impact the delicate balance of natural ground.
What Other Environmentally-Friendly Garden Options Are There?
Looking for more options for your gardening? There are two additional environmentally-friendly garden options that you are definitely going to want to look into.
Vertical Gardens
Vertical gardens are pretty much what they say on the tin. You grow your crops… vertically! In other words, planters are layered on top of one another to not only make the most of space, but also water.
These kinds of gardens are fantastic for anyone who wants to grow significant amounts of crops with limited space. With a little work, these gardens can be incredibly bountiful.
Hydroponic Gardens
Hydroponic gardens don’t use soil, but only water! These are known to be environmentally-friendly gardens since they conserve water and use fewer resources overall. They also don’t disrupt the soil and can take up less land if you plan out your garden correctly.
We should mention that hydroponic gardens are not easy. They take precision and good equipment to be effective. However, if you can manage it, you will definitely reap the rewards of it and know that you’re doing the environment a favour.
Tips for an Environmentally-Friendly Garden
If you want to make small changes with a big impact, there are lots of things you can do without changing up your whole life. Below are five fantastic tips and choices that you can implement to get great results and help the environment little by little.
Compost Wherever You Can
Composting has a variety of benefits for the environment, and it’s definitely something you should be considering if you can. By using compost, you can reduce erosion and conserve water, but also reduce the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers. Compost is also fantastic for your plants, as it provides them with an abundance of nutrients to help them grow.
Use Mulch
Mulch will help to keep the soil more moist in the summer, and prevents too much rain from getting into the ground in the winter. As mulch insulates, it also protects the roots of plants in the colder months to ensure they have the best chance at life.
It’s also important to mention that mulch is used to help prevent weeds. Placing a layer of mulch over the soil around your plants will prevent sunlight from penetrating the soil. As such, the weeds are less likely to survive – and we could all do with less weeding!
Stick to Native Plants
Granted, this might not always work if you are trying to grow a vegetable garden, but native plants are always a good choice. Not only will plants that are native to your area have a better chance at thriving, but they are likely better for the environment. This is especially the case when it comes to plants that tend to spread.
As much as we love banana trees, you will likely find that they don’t thrive in Scotland. Similarly, plants that thrive in a cold climate likely are not going to do particularly well in South America. Be smart and grow plants that will do their best in the climate you live in.
Don’t Use Pesticides
If you’ve read any of our gardening particles, you will already know that pesticides should be avoided wherever possible. While they can have their place in some cases, if you can avoid them, you certainly should. In the end, pesticides are chemicals, and chemicals can have a detrimental impact on anything that eats your crop as well as the environment.
Instead of using pesticides, experiment with planting different species in the same area. We have articles dedicated to pest-repelling plants (and which plants attract the most pests). In most cases, there will be an alternative to resorting to pesticides.
Collect Rainwater
Finally, if you want to start being more environmentally-friendly with your gardening, collect rainwater! The benefits of this speak for themselves – less water for you to pay for and waste! This can be especially important if you live in an area that’s prone to drought.
Environmentally-Friendly Garden: Final Thoughts
Gardening isn’t easy. There’s a lot that can go wrong, and it can be time-consuming and challenging, but one thing it doesn’t have to be is damaging to the environment. There are steps you can take to make more environmentally-friendly gardens.
The great news is, a lot of these steps can help to keep the cost of gardening down, too, and make your life easier. So, in the end, why wouldn’t you want to make your garden a friend to the environment?