Ways to avoid waste
Nic Wilson looks at how we can garden more sustainably, offering easy, fun and effective steps we can all take to reduce, reuse and make the most of our resources
Even recycling uses energy that could be saved if we reduce the amount we throw away
Every resource is precious on this finite planet: from the soil in our borders to the plants we grow and the materials we use. Gardening can be an environmentally friendly activity, but it can also generate a lot of waste. By planning our activities to make full use of the resources we already have, and sharing, hiring or repairing equipment rather than buying, we can work together to reduce our impact on the planet.
It might be convenient to pop down to the garden centre for supplies, but everything we buy has a carbon footprint based on the raw materials and energy used to produce it. Do you really need new gardening tools and equipment or could you borrow, upcycle or just make do without?
If you do have to buy, try to source sustainably made, repairable tools (preferably second hand), plastic-free products and plants grown without pesticides in peat-free compost. Use everything for as long as possible, mending if you can rather than discarding, as many items that end up in landfill contribute towards water, air and soil pollution.
Even recycling uses energy that could be saved if we reduce the amount we throw away. If every UK gardener bought just five fewer new plant pots in a growing season, it could potentially add up to 150 million fewer pots being made per year. So although our individual greener gardening choices might seem small, together we can make a massive difference. And your waste could be someone else’s treasure – the trick is to know how find those who want it. Websites like
Freecycle, Freegle and Gumtree and plant-swapping groups on Facebook make it easy to pass on items such as plants, spare pots and unwanted tools.
It requires a little forethought to minimise waste and manage excess in the garden, but it’s time well spent. If you plan what crops to grow where, when and in what quantities (think two or three courgette plants for a family of four), you’ll be less likely to end up with surplus produce that might get thrown away. Another simple way to prevent gluts is to sow fastmaturing veg like lettuces, radishes, beetroot and French beans little and often throughout the growing season. You can reduce the risk of losing an entire crop to disease by choosing less susceptible varieties – such as blight-resistant ‘Sarpo Mira’ potatoes and ‘Ferline’ and ‘Lizzano’ tomatoes. Keep an eye out for hidden waste too. It’s easy to discard edible bits of plants without realising you’ve overlooked a potential harvest. Rather than composting flower buds (known as scapes) that can form on garlic plants, use them as a spicy addition to salads. Instead of buying new plants, with all the energy required to transport them, try dividing herbaceous perennials, sowing your own seeds and taking cuttings. Many house plant are easy to grow from a single leaf or by rooting shoots in water. And to minimise the environmental costs of taking green waste away for composting, you can turn weeds and plant debris into compost (see p88) and autumn leaves into leafmould, and use prunings to make dead-wood piles for wildlife.