We are all aware that gardening is good for our mental and physical health and how important it is for us all to do our bit. That also goes for doing our part in ensuring we are caring for our planet. Of course, gardening is already great for the environment, encouraging plants to grow, cleaning the air and welcoming wildlife. As you may be aware, the government is pushing towards the UK being ‘Net-Zero’ by 2050 and it is imperative we all continue to work towards a cleaner environment. Have a read of our top tips for ensuring we are gardening sustainably and eco-friendly.
Planting
By growing plants, we are encouraging cleaner air. With the inevitable changes to our climate with global warming, it is important we are all planting trees, shrubs, perennials and more to help reduce air pollution and improve oxygen levels in the air.
Growing your own fruits, vegetables and herbs helps us be more environmentally friendly. Not only does growing your own reduce the food miles and plastic packaging, thus reducing your carbon footprint, it also tastes better too!
Give planting more flowers a go too! Flowers such as echinacea, delphiniums, tulips, daffodils etc make wonderful bouquets. When visiting friends, instead of buying flowers at the shops, why not go out into your garden and cut your own?! Flowers from supermarkets are often wrapped with single-use plastic, so growing your own will reduce your waste, as well as adding that personal touch to your home and others!
Composting
Have you tried making your own compost? It is easy to do, and provides great nutrients for your plants! Simply collect garden and kitchen waste and pile it up! A 50/50 mix of green, kitchen and garden waste such as vegetable scraps, grass clippings and weeds, with brown waste such as wood chipping, twigs, paper, and leaves provides the perfect combination for micro-organisms to break down the pile into a nutrient-rich compost. It’s free to do and you can add almost anything to the pile! Either use a bin or a shaded area in your garden with a covering and turn the heap each month for best results.
Of course, not everyone will have space in their gardens for a compost heap. Don’t worry, you can still make sure you are gardening sustainably by ensuring you are buying peat-free or peat-reduced compost! Click here to read our blog about Peat Production and why it is important to reduce peat consumption in our gardens.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Three ideas for recycling items in your garden.
Water - Water is essential for all plants, in particular, young, freshly planted plants in your gardens. Reduce your mains water usage by collecting water in water butts, troughs or even buckets! As the Autumn strikes, expect a warmer, wetter Winter. This should allow us to collect as much water as possible for all our plants! Of course it might not be possible to collect all the water, but even reusing some each year, will reduce the amount of water we use though the garden hose!
Plastic Bags - Now is the time to change your compost in your raised beds, pots and containers. If you have wooden beds, line the edges with old plastic bags in order to recycle them effectively. Lining your wooden troughs and beds will help prolong their lives by protecting them from water ingress and rot.
Cracked Pots - Autumn is the perfect time for planting bulbs! If you have any cracked pots or ornaments you are thinking of replacing, make sure you are recycling the old ones! Bulbs require good drainage to prevent them rotting before the early-Spring months when they will bloom! Chip up your old pots to add to your compost for a well-drained soil, and layer the bottom of your bulb containers with left over chippings to prevent water-logging.
At Pacific, we are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, recycle where possible and operate in a more environmentally friendly manner. We work with many local suppliers, and ensure we are choosing suppliers who have an environmentally friendly ethos, such as reducing plastic packaging, minimising the use of harmful chemicals, and encouraging eco-friendly products. It is so important for everyone to keep working towards a cleaner and healthier environment for the future!
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