How To Create An Eco-Friendly Garden?

Change, as they say, starts at home. It also starts in your garden!

Make your home garden and the way you consume food more sustainable and environmentally friendly with the following eco-gardening tips.

Water appropriately, and be careful not to overwater

Water use can be a big problem when it comes to our gardens. Be sure not to overwater plants and use more water than you need. One good way to do this is to add compost and mulch to your soil.

This will help it hold on to water and reduce evaporation. You can also consider putting a soaker hose or drip irrigation in your garden, as these use up to half as much water as sprinklers do.

Use plants from the local ecosystem

Don’t import foreign plants into your garden. They’re simply not well suited for your local climate. Instead, use native and indigenous plants, which will be easier to grow and won’t need as much water or fertilizer to thrive.

Don’t let rainwater go to waste

Harvesting rainwater is a good source of mineral and chlorine-clean water that will keep your plants healthy and happy. Using rainwater in the garden will also cut down on your conventional water usage. When it comes to the environment, rainwater is a real win-win.

Compost your scraps, don’t throw them in the green bin

Setting up your own backyard garden compost is a simple idea that can yield big results. Letting your table scraps compost rather than throwing them into a green bin to be picked up by the garbage man will give you a backyard source of amazing enriched soil.

This is because compost adds nutrients that plants thrive on. Compost soil will also help soil retain water better, be better aerated and even improve the texture! If you’re looking to accelerate the compositing process, add earthworms.

No backyard? Try a community garden

Community gardens are an increasingly popular option for many urban-dwellers who don’t have the option of cultivating their own backyard garden. With an urban garden, you will get your own plot of land that you can care for and grow plants in. They’ll also have resources that you would not otherwise have at home – such as a communal compost you can get healthy soil from.