Eco-Friendly Gardening: The Basics

According to conservation.org, the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere in 2018 was the highest it’s been in 3 million years.

This shocking figure just outlines the global importance of doing everything we can do to reduce our household carbon footprint. In recent years, a wide selection of environmentally conscious advancements, such as solar panels, biomass heating and electric cars, have brought environmental concerns into the mainstream. However, although significant progress has been, the fact remains that many facets of modern life are having a negative impact on the planet.

For example, many methods and tools used in the garden actually harm the environment rather than contribute to it. This includes synthetic fertilisers which contaminate natural soil stores and ineffective watering systems which use up unnecessary energy.

Fortunately, eco-friendly gardening offers an alternative which reduces toxic emissions and encourages wildlife by preserving their habitat.

Organic gardening takes on the leading causes of climate change; depleting water supplies, habitat destruction, chemically tainted produce and declining wildlife species and attempts to find a solution.

By overhauling your current gardening procedures with careful plant care, such as making your own compost and water preservation methods, such as installing rainwater butts, it’s possible to safeguard your local ecosystem; it’s residents, plant life and wildlife from further harm.

Planting Trees

Some of the best tree species for the absorption and storage of carbon include mulberry, chestnut, dogwood, oak, poplar and maples, amongst others.

If you’re looking to plant trees to reduce carbon emissions, you should, generally speaking, adhere to the following guidelines:

 

•Plant trees with broad leaves and crowns to maximise photosynthesis.
•Choose trees with a fast growth rate – these will be able to store larger amounts of carbon in their first few years of development.
•Select trees with a considerable life expectancy since these will store carbon within their trunks for years without releasing it.
•Plant native trees that are attuned to your region and climate, since these will thrive and support the plants and animals in that area.
•Select tree types that are most resistant to disease, since these will be able to repel the effects of any contamination.

 

Above all else, the one golden rule to remember is to ensure that plants and trees you select require minimal maintenance. Otherwise, once you’re no longer able to care for the tree, it will either die or require the intervention of expensive tree surgeons.

There are dozens of choices of species to choose from, so as long as you plant a tree that can thrive in the right location, climate and soil you will be contributing positively to the environment.

Choosing Your Plot

 

 

No matter the size of your outdoor space, there will undoubtedly be room for different types of fruits and vegetables. As we’ve mentioned you could be lucky enough to have acres to play with, or you might only have a few hanging baskets or indoor pot plants, but so long as your plants have plenty of sunlight, you can reap the benefits of homegrown produce.

You will, however, need to ensure you take the required safeguards to protect your seedlings from changeable weather conditions such as wind, fro

st and snow. Of course, if you plan to grow your produce indoors, then this isn’t something you need to worry about.

Otherwise, it’d be a wise idea to invest in cloches, row tunnels and hoop tunnels to sit over your crops to protect them. Always check that they are manufactured with organic gardening standards in mind before you buy them, though.

Alternatively, you could always make your own cloches by cutting old plastic bottles in half and punching holes in the bottom half for drainage. Not only with this neat improvisation protect your seedlings from the weather, but also from destructive insects, slugs and snails.

 

Fruit & Veg Beds

There’s a considerable selection of diseases and soil-borne pests that may prevent your produce from reaching its maximum potential. Therefore, if you plan to grow a variety of fruits and veg, it would be advisable to plant similar food in the same garden bed to prevent cross-contamination from these potentially fatal diseases and dangerous pests.

By doing this, you can rotate your garden beds every year to ensure a full, healthy yield.

Also, there are individual plants, that, when grown in conjunction with others, will complement each other and encourage growth and continued health. This could be as simple as a tall plant providing shelter for smaller ones or planting certain species which deter certain kinds of pests, more specifically:

 

Tomatoes & Chives

The sweet onion scent produced by chives deters green flies and other predators when grown near each other.

Roses & Garlic

Rose plants and garlic have long been close companions, and this is because garlic is an effective guard against pests and fungal disease, and the flowers of the garlic perfectly compliment a rose in bloom.

Carrots & Spring Onions

The scent of onion plants is known to prevent carrot root fly attacks. Conversely, the smell of the carrot plant will also prevent various winged insect species from attacking the onions.

Dill, Radishes & Cucumbers

If you plant dill near cucumbers you will be attracting predatory wasps, hoverflies and other beneficial predators that prey on the types of soil and flying insects which would otherwise attack your crop. If you were also to plant radishes near cucumber, you’d also be reducing your chances of attracting cucumber beetles.

Fruit Trees

The likes of mango and avocado trees are better suited to tropical climates. That said, certain fruit trees such as apple, cherries, pears, quince, mulberries and plums are well at home in the milder British weather and can do very, very well. The same can be said for hazel, chestnut and walnut trees.

If space is at a premium though, it’s a good idea to train espalier fruit trees, since this will still provide you with tasty fruit, but it will take up much less space.

Reduce Waste – Reuse & Recycle

According to The Guardian, when demand is at its the peak, gardening consumes up to 70% of the UK water supply, which forces suppliers to tap into under and above ground reserves contributing to environmental damage and soaring energy costs.

This massive demand has led many organic gardeners to devise their own solutions to preserve such a precious commodity with a range of re-use, reduction and recycling techniques.

Many of these ideas don’t break the bank and are easy to implement.

Roughly 24,000 litres of rain falls each year in the UK – even in the driest parts. An eco-friendly plastic or terracotta rainwater butt will hold upwards of 160 litres of fallen rainwater. By stockpiling excess water over the autumn and winter periods, you can conserve vital water supplies for potential hosepipe bans and save money in the process.

 

Rainwater Butts

 

Grey Water

Even though it may not look the nicest, reusing grey water collected from your sink, showers and baths are safe to water your plants with, so long as the water doesn’t contain chemical cleaning products such as bleach or disinfectant.

Water Strategically

Even experienced gardeners, when caught out by the weather, can mistakenly over or under-water their plants, which can both overuse resources and hinder the growth of your crops.

To avoid this mistake, push the blade of a spade down into the soil around the plant, and if it’s still damp, there’s no need to water it.

As a general rule of thumb, most plants require about 24 litres of water every ten days or so. Sandy soils require more water than heavy soils, and clay-based soils will also need frequent watering, but in larger volumes.

It’s also best to water during the evenings, especially during higher temperatures. This is to ensure that your plants can retain more oxygen and essential nutrients and the leaves won’t sear in the heat.

 

Composting

 

 

It doesn’t matter what kind of earth you have in your garden; compost will help fortify the soil structure; helping to retain water and store the vital nutrients the roots need to breathe, which in turn, attracts worms and other insects which can enrich the compost, which is returned to the plant.

Although many gardeners are aware of the benefits of compost, many still rely on the synthetic stuff, which can’t retain nutrients and can actually pollute plant life.

It’s for this reason that organic gardeners make their own rich compost made from 100% organic matter. Making compost is entirely free, requires very little investment and is a great way to recycle food waste.

 

How Can I Make My Own Compost?

Compost is really very easy to make and doesn’t require much in the way of resources. In fact, a list of the following is all you need to get started:

 

• •Old newspapers, cardboard and other paper items such as shredder leavings
  •Food such as fruit and veg peel, eggshells, slightly off veg, tea bags and coffee grounds
  •Plants and shrubbery
  •Grass and untreated wood chips
  •Leaves, stripped branches, foliage and other natural litter

 

When making compost, you should only ever use natural, organic materials. Never use substances which could affect the balance of the soil, such as diseased plants and sprouting weeds, or food which could attract rats such as meat, dairy products or oil.

Once you have brought together your selection of organic materials, break them down into smaller pieces, then layer them up in a pile or onto a compost container.

There’s a wide selection of eco-friendly compost bins available, or you can even choose to put together your own using a metal bin, plastic bin bags or any kind of large plastic container.

Regardless of what kind of container you choose to use, after collecting all of your compostable materials and putting them together, all you’ll need to do in the meantime is water and turn your heap at regular intervals to keep it moist and aerated.

How to Use Your Fertiliser

 

 

Once your concoction has turned dark brown or black in colour and is crumbly, it’s ready to be used as fertiliser. There are numerous different ways you can utilise your brown gold.

 

 

Essential Nutrients

There are three primary nutrients that plants require to thrive:

• Nitrogen – Promotes dark green stems and encourages leaf growth
• Phosphorus – Supports rapid plant and seedling development, as well as robust stems, roots and flowers.
• Potassium – Develops overall vigour and bolsters drought and disease resistance.

Although these three amigos are essential for healthy plant development, they aren’t found in every soil type, which is why more and more gardeners are opting to take matters into their own hands.

 

 

To Support Growth in the Early Stages

If you spread some of your fertiliser around every time you dig a new hole and mix it around with the existing soil, you can provide your new plants, trees, flowers, fruit and vegetables with the best possible start to life.

 

 

Mulching

: Adding organic matter to the soil is probably the most crucial thing any gardener can do to keep the soil as healthy as possible. Mulching with fertiliser can prevent the land from compacting and drying out due to excess temperatures, which can sap the ground of available nutrients. Doing this will increase the presence of earthworms and other microbial organisms, which promote healthy plant growth and suppress moisture stealing weeds.

 

 

Boost Dying Plants

If you begin to see plants with discoloured leaves that aren’t blossoming as you’d expect, they may be lacking one of the three ingredients we previously discussed. Scatter an inch or so of the fertiliser around roots of the plant to give them a timely boost.

 

 

In this blog, we’ve covered everything from recycling to mulching, but if you have any questions about organic practices in the garden and your carbon footprint, then don’t hesitate to contact us here at Trees Direct.

Our business began due to a shared passion for nature and wonders of the outdoors, which is why we’re dedicated to doing everything we can as a business to contribute to the reversal of climate change.

If you have any questions about eco-friendly gardening or any of the products we’ve featured here today, then contact over the phone on 01584 878 878 or drop us an email on info@treesdirect.co.uk.