Lillian Connors Our planet has reached its boiling point because of our lack of care and concern for it. The situation is so bad that today we even have to think twice about how we are going grow plants, and that is why sustainable gardening has become so popular lately.
By taking such interest in your garden you are not only keeping you and your family healthier, but your planet in general, by conserving its resources.
You will also know exactly how it was cultivated and what you eat, as only then are you completely sure that it is chemical free.
What Does It Really Mean?
As sustainable is most commonly directly associated with eco-friendly, it implies gardening without causing harm to the Earth. As people started using too much pesticides, there was a necessity for a practice like this one.
However, that does not mean that they are not used at all, just in lesser quantities that are easier to keep under control.
What You Can Do
It might sound difficult to go green when this practice is in question, but sustainable gardening is actually quite manageable.
First rule is, do not use bulldogger if you can do it with your bare hands. It might be more difficult, and your hands will get dirty, but remember every time why you are doing it and who you are doing it for.
Secondly, use rainwater whenever you can, especially for watering your plants. You can collect it by setting up barrels in your yard, or even installing some more complex rainwater conservation systems. Also, be sure to use ground covers so that the water would not evaporate so quickly and you would not have to water it too often.
Another preferable technique is to compost, which is actually a way of recycling. By simply collecting leaves that have fallen this autumn in your garden and placing them in compost bins you are using more natural and organic material for your soil.
That way you do not have to spend money on fertilizers in specialized stores, that are not only expensive, but toxic for the soil too, if used in greater amounts.
Finally, think carefully about the plants that you want to grow. Do your homework, find out what fruit and vegetables you can actually grow in your area, because it is not just about planting what you wish to eat.
You need to know if there are appropriate conditions so that you would not have to use any unnecessary additives. Another thing you should definitely look up is which plant grows in which season, for the same reason that was previously mentioned. Also, check this cheatsheet for dummies, you dummy 🙂
Design
When you decide to have a sustainable garden, there are many other things to think about. You will need paths like aisles to approach those plants without stomping and destroying the soil around it.
Those paths can be made out of old pieces of concrete that are leftover from some construction works you did on your house, and never knew where to throw them away.
Another thing is that no matter which part of the world you live in, there will always be natural elements like rain, snow or hail that will get in your way from time to time and that is why you will need to build some kind of protective construction. True sustainable gardener will always use recycled material for walls, windows and decks too.
For some vegetables you will need wooden trellis, but do not cut perfectly healthy three to make it, better collect branches that fall on their own. You know that there are always a lot of them just lying around, so do not let them annoy you, use them for good.
So no more trips to the farmer’s market – simply make some room in your garden, buy necessary seeds and start digging.
Help yourself, your family, country and planet by living green and properly caring about your plants, and at the same time your environment.
Further reading:
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