You might be surprised to learn that by implementing just a few simple methods, you can make a big difference in your garden’s impact on our environment. And you won’t have to go out of your way or drain your bank account to make these changes.
Environmental awareness is becoming more of a concern across the country and across the world. And any positive impact you can make, no matter how small it is, will ultimately be beneficial for everyone and everything we share this planet with.
In the age where COVID-19 has begun to reshape our economy, with prices rising in every sector, having an eco-friendly garden can also help ease the strain on your grocery budget as well. And this is even more incentive to “go green” in your garden, literally.
If you’re interested in learning a few essential practices for building an eco-friendly garden, the following will offer some helpful suggestions for you to consider.
Avoid Using Chemical Herbicides or Pesticides
One of the biggest ways you can change or help nurture soil profiles is by avoiding using any chemical herbicides or pesticides. Not only do these chemicals have harmful effects on wildlife and insect populations, but they can also alter soil composition.
Additionally, some herbicides in particular have caused harmful effects in humans such as cancer and a host of other physiological problems. And this is evident by a large number of laborers, farmers, and others who have developed debilitating conditions after working on large commercial farmland where chemical herbicides are common.
Thankfully, there are many natural alternatives for deterring pests and weeds in your garden. A few of these methods for deterring weed growth are as follows:
- Lemongrass oil
- Clove oil
- Citrus oil
- Citric acid
- Vinegar & water
- Saltwater
- Cinnamon oil
Now if you’re looking to get rid of pests that may find their way into your garden, a few of the following methods can be considered:
- Chile pepper spray
- Tomato leaf spray
- Neem oil
- Planting Marigolds around the perimeter of your garden
- Oil and soap solution
- Diatomaceous earth
- Planting Lavender, Basil, Tyme, and Lemongrass within your garden
The key to keeping your garden healthy begins with tending in regularly. The more time you spend working in your garden, the more you’ll be able to notice problems that need to be addressed. And once you begin to notice pests or weeds, removing them the natural way will keep your garden environmentally sound.
Pollinators
You may not like them, especially if you’ve ever been stung. But bees, flies, ants, wasps, beetles, butterflies, and moths are all essential to the health of your garden and for the environment.
Catering to pollinating insects, especially bees, butterflies, and moths, will help your garden to proliferate, and will help to increase the population of pollinators who are vital to the ecosystem.
Recent studies have shown that due to the use of pesticides and herbicides, bee populations have dwindled considerably. And if these populations continue to decline, this can have severe consequences for the entire planet and the food crops that depend on pollinators.
In order to help the cause, choosing pollinator-friendly plants such as wildflowers, foxgloves, echinacea and buddleia to incorporate into your garden will help considerably.
Conserving Water
The planet Earth is made up of approximately 71 percent water. However, most of this water isn’t drinkable freshwater. In fact, less than half of 1 percent of fresh water on the planet is accessible, and the rest is either deep underground or locked away in glacial ice.
With this in mind, conserving water is one of the best eco-friendly practices you can implement for your garden. And you can accomplish this by building a cistern irrigation system. Or by creating a rain-catch and using only natural rainwater to irrigate your garden with.
Growing Produce
The more fruits or vegetables that you can grow means less money that you’ll spend at the grocery store. Additionally, this also means that you’ll help to lessen the demand for these fruits and vegetables, which also translates to less global consumption, overfarming, and clear-cutting for agricultural production.
Now you might not think that just one person can make a difference in this regard. However, there are many others who are on the same path. And the more people who grow their own food, the better off the environment will be due to less commercial land use for agriculture.
Creating an eco-friendly garden can be one of the best contributions to the environment that you can make within your own space. And the more you’re able to utilize natural elements within your garden, the better it will be for your local ecosystem.
