BE A GREENER GARDENER: Try these 5 feel-good ideas
Want to do more for the planet? Gardeners are uniquely placed to create greener spaces that absorb CO2 and provide food and shelter for wildlife. Here are five changes to make this weekend...
1 Harvest rainwater with a water butt Now’s the perfect time to install a waterbutt. If you’re handy at DIY, its easy to attach one to a plastic downpipe, using a rainwater diverter kit. This involves removing a small slice of your downpipe with a hacksaw, then bridging the gap with a diverter trap and hose. The other end of the hose can then be connected directly to the waterbutt. 2 Create a compost heap This is a time-, energy- and resource-efficient way to make your own soil improver. By turning garden waste into nutritious mulch for your borders, you’ll be creating a virtuous, sustainable cycle – you don’t even need to dig it in! It’s best not to add annual weeds, anything that’s been treated with herbicides, or diseased plant matter. Pop these in your green bin. 3 Plant for bees These vital pollinators rely on nectar for carbohydrates and pollen for protein, so a steady, year-round succession of their favourite flowers is crucial, and makes for more attractive, buzzing borders. Choose single flowers over frilly-petal doubles – they’re easier to rootle in. 4 Welcome aphid and slug eaters Create habitats for pest predators such as birds, frogs, ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies. This way, you don’t have to reach for chemical pesticides or bug sprayers that are harmful to beneficial insects – if you can get the aphid eaters in in sufficient numbers they’ll beat these annoying sap suckers for you. Or, squish the little blighters twixt thumb and finger. 5 Reuse, recycle Think of ways to garden without plastics and other non-biodegradable materials. For instance, make pots from newspaper using a Paper Potter (£10, Nether Wallop Trading). Pack them in tight together when sowing and water seedlings with a fine rose – they’ll disintegrate in time but should stand up to a bit of light watering.