Sustainability- As per Oxford dictionary, it’s the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.
Most gardeners are automatically working towards this goal by growing responsibly and using organic resources for their gardens.If not done right, some gardening methods can actually do more harm than good to you, as well as the environment. Let’s find out how you can create a more sustainable garden, be a more responsible gardener and help make our planet better. (God knows we need it more than ever.)
- Grow Organic: Doing good always starts at home. So if you are growing food for your family or have a flower garden to deck up your surroundings, make sure you are being responsible by using organic resources. Avoid using chemicals in your garden. It is not just for the environment but for your family as well. Exposing your family to chemicals is harmful in many ways, whether it is a food or a flower garden. But just by using organic fertilizer and avoiding chemical exposure to your garden is not sufficient. Read further to know more.
- Composting: The easiest and most helpful way to reduce your waste and turn it into beneficial garden food. All the organic matter from your kitchen ( veggie peels, rotting fruit, anything except meat) and garden can be easily converted into a fertiliser. Benefits:
- Gives you the most organic fertiliser for your garden, thereby no synthetic or store bought fertiliser.
- No waste going to the trash and doing your part by reducing waste going to the landfills.
- Gives moisture to the soil which means less usage of water.
- Manual labor than machine power: We know this one can be tough and sometimes impossible as well for many of us but one can try. Reducing the use of powered tools makes a world of a difference in the environmental impact. Think, lawn mowers, blowers and so many more power consuming garden tools. Imagine the amount of energy we consume by using these tools. Nowadays, there are energy efficient lawn mowers available as well and maybe you can mow your lawn less often and try to rake the leaves rather than using the blowers, unless necessary. Garden chores can give you good workouts as well, so why not use it and save money in the gym.
- Grow local climate- friendly plants: Growing plants that are from your area also called natives, helps in using less water and attention and they thrive better compared to other plants as they are already suited to the surroundings. One more benefit of growing natives is that it will attract local birds and you will have created your own little ecosystem.
- Save seeds: This will save you from buying new seeds every time as well. Collect seeds from the plants when they go to seed and store them in a dry dark place in winter and plant them in spring.
While these are just a few of the many things that you can start in your garden and eventually add more practises. Being a responsible gardener does not just keep you and your family happy and healthy but gives you a chance to make our planet safe and healthy for our future generations.
