5 Ways To Be An Eco-Friendly Gardener

While people know the benefits of going green, busy lifestyles don’t allow many to fully embrace eco-friendly gardening. Instead, people go for readily available synthetic products that end up polluting the environment and even deteriorating our health.

According to the Climate Action Business Association (CABA), food accounts for 8% of a personal carbon footprint for the average American. When you embrace and adopt green gardening, you reduce the effects of global warming and at the same time better your health.

As a gardener, there are a number of things you can do to garden in an eco-friendly way.

Recycle Waste

Start off by recycling waste produced in your home. Plastic and wooden containers and grocery packaging can be used as planters instead of being discarded in the compound. Plastic bottles can be used for drip irrigation, as sprinklers or as seedling covers.

Organic waste should be used to make compost manure. Design a compost pit and drop all organic waste from your home to produce healthy and nutrient-rich manure for your garden. This will reduce the amount of fertilizer you need for your garden and save thousands of dollars. If you have a large garden, design a compost pit. For a small garden, use a compost bin.

Conserve Water

Water is essential to keep a garden lush and green. Sadly, most people ignore or are unaware of the looming water crisis.

According to a study by Global Researcher, the amount of water consumed by humans has grown three folds since 1950, and irrigated land has doubled. Today, over 20% of the world’s population lacks enough water and that figure could hit 40% by 2025. It is therefore imperative to conserve water.

Start by planting indigenous plants that don’t require much watering to survive. Avoid overwatering your plants as this not only depletes your water resources but can also be dangerous to your plants. Waterlogging is as dangerous as a lack of water for plants.

Another way to conserve water is to water them in the evening when the sun is not so hot. This allows the water to soak into the soil before it evaporates.

You should set up a watering system that is convenient for the size of your garden. One way to do this is to harvest rainwater and ensure that you have a perfect land drainage system from reputable dealers such as EasyMerchant.

Control Pests Biologically

Your garden should be scenic enough to attract bugs, birds and small mammals. These animals make your garden look even more picturesque and help control pests and diseases. This strategy also saves you from using synthetic fungicides and insecticides.

To make your garden welcoming to wildlife, construct bird feeders, a small pool to water animals and help another breed, and install nesting boxes for birds. Birds will eat caterpillars and snails leaving your garden pest free. You can also invite wild insects such as ladybirds by planting flowers that attract them.

Start Aquaponic Farming

Aquaponic farming involves farming fish and plants in the same system without soil. The fish produces nutrient-rich manure for the plants while the plants purify the water for the fish. In the system, the worms and the microbes living in the water will fix nitrogen for plant use.

The aquaponics system is completely natural and does not produce any waste. You can also produce plants throughout the year without being limited by seasons.

Plants Trees

Whether you have a garden or you don’t, you should plant trees to reduce the carbon footprint. Trees take in carbon dioxide and convert that to oxygen for human use. While the carbon dioxide on in the atmosphere is always constant, the burning of fossil fuels buried under the increases its amounts leading global warming.

While all plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere, trees absorb carbon much more efficiently and in high amounts. According to the World Economic Forum, trees can absorb approximately 25% of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere when they’re healthy. Sadly, most forests may not be healthy enough to assist in the future.

The best trees to plant are those with large leaves, grow fast and have a long life expectancy. When choosing trees for your garden, choose those that require less maintenance and those that beautify your garden. And if you can’t plant trees, support green initiatives like joining eco-tourism movements.

Organic gardening is good for you and the environment. There are so many indigenous plants that do well in your area. If you do not know which plants to get for your garden, get help from the local gardening center. With time, running an eco-friendly garden will save you money and give you a healthy life.