How to make your garden greener
The act of getting your hands dirty and growing a garden is great and provides both mental and physical benefits. Gardening has long been considered one of the best hobbies a person can take on, but it also provides a beautiful haven for you to relax after a busy day. However, growing a sustainable and eco-friendly garden is even better.
Making your garden more eco-friendly is also the more economical choice as you can use recycled material, and it requires far less maintenance which goes a long way in mitigating climate change. Talk about a win-win! If you’re ready to make a difference, you can start by incorporating these tips to make your garden even greener.
Choose native plants
A flower bed full of exotic plants may look good, but it could be causing far more damage than it’s worth. Do some research and find out which plants are native to your location. Going with native plants will ultimately require less feeding, watering and overall maintenance, and it will provide additional support to insects and wildlife.
Go for a dry garden
If you’re not a fan of high maintenance gardens or have somehow managed to kill every plant you’ve ever tried to grow, it may be time to switch to a dry garden. With droughts and general water preservation becoming more common, dry gardens are a great alternative. They feature plants, such as herbs and olive trees, that thrive in dry and sunny conditions and do not require much water, allowing you to proudly claim your eco-warrior badge with little to no effort.
Conserve water
Many people avoid growing a garden because of the amount of water they assume it will need. While some plants do require a bit more water maintenance, you can cut back on your water bill by collecting rainwater. Put the rainy UK weather to good use by using green plastic tubs or weathered oak barrels to collect rainwater from your downpipes to care for your plants. This also allows you to cut down on using your sprinkler system and the hosepipe.
Cut down on chemicals
More often than not, the most common and well-known pesticides are riddled with chemicals, but you can employ natural methods to keep the pests in your garden under control. Garlic, elder, and rhubarb leaf sprays are great to control garden pests, or you can use copper slug rings for non-harmful slug control. If weeds are your problem, spread a layer (5-7cm) of compost or shredded bark around your plants to repel weeds.
Grow your own veggies
Nothing makes a garden more eco-friendly than growing your vegetables, and the most important thing you need is a small area in a sunny location. Homegrown vegetables are often richer in nutrients, pesticide-free, and it’s a great money-saver. As a bonus, growing carrots and leeks together will repel each other’s garden pests naturally, and planting horseradish near potatoes will increase their disease resistance.
If your garden is currently home to a selection of old appliances, a few bicycles and a collection of wellies, Louth Self Storage can assist. With a wide range of affordable personal self storage units, you can give your lesser-used items a secure home for as long or as short as you need while freeing up valuable garden space. For more information on our self storage services, give us a call on 01507 327008 or feel free to pop by our facility for a tour.
