Twelve eco-friendly resolutions
Make 2020 the year of positive change with these gardening habits that help to protect the planet
Practical ways to make positive changes
1 Garden organically Ditch synthetic fertilisers and chemical weedkillers. Use muck to feed the soil, and protect plants from pests and diseases, by regular watering and hoeing out weeds. 2 Recycle your pots Reuse old plastic pots rather than buying more. It saves on materials and the energy used to make new ones. Broken clay pots make good crocks for drainage.
Grow your own
If you’re serious about reducing your carbon footprint, try growing your own food. You don’t need a huge plot – carrots, potatoes and salad leaves grow well in containers. Beans and peas are also reliable growers.
Plant tough
If you’re on a water meter, you’ll know keeping your garden lush can be expensive. Choose plants from hot countries that can cope with dry conditions. These include succulents and plants with narrow, spiky leaves, such as phormiums (left) and cordylines.
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Condition soil
Covering bare soil with a 3-10cm layer of mulch can reduce water evaporation by up to 70%. Biodegradable materials like leaf mould, garden compost, spent hops or spent mushroom compost condition soil and keep down weeds. Mulches protect plant roots.
Give back
Why not volunteer for a wildlife charity and help to build a better environment for plants, animals and people alike? To find out about volunteering opportunities near you, visit wildlifetrusts.org
Encourage wildlife
Even a small outdoor space can be a nature reserve if you include nectar-rich flowers, which are a magnet for insects. You can also create features to encourage birds into your garden, such as planting trees and shrubs, and putting in a birdbath. Provide suitable wildlife habitats, too, like an area of long grass, a wildflower patch or a pile of logs.
Watch water
Install a water butt so you can collect rainwater. Choose a model with a lid to prevent dirt and leaves polluting the water. Collect ‘grey’ water from baths, sinks and the washing machine, too. To keep the water smelling sweet, you’ll need Hozelock Water Butt Treatment, which prevents scum and keeps water free of slime and algae. Don’t use grey water directly on salad plants.
Get composting
Invest in a well-insulated compost bin with a fitted lid. Turn the compost every week or so. To speed things up, sprinkle layers of nitrogen-rich feed.
10 Avoid peat
Peat has formed over millennia, but it’s depleting, which is killing the wildlife that depends on it. Peatlands also play a big role in storing carbon, so digging it up adds to our carbon footprint. 11Where Fix flooding ground is covered with concrete or paving, water will run off and may flood your garden. Lawns, borders or a quickdraining gravel will reduce the risk. Land drains will help divert water away from the house, or you could try a raised deck.
12 Be imaginative
Reusing household items is both thrifty and good for the environment. Strong, timber boxes make great plant stands or seat bases, and newspaper is useful for shading greenhouse plants and making pots for growing veg and bedding plants – they decompose when you put the plants in the ground.