By agrimag
Want to lessen your environmental footprint while gardening in a low-budget? Practice sustainable gardening by following these ten tips!
First is going organic. It is important in sustainable gardening to use fewer chemicals. It produces healthier foods, too.
Second is mulching your landscape. Not only does it make your soil healthy, but it also prevents weed growth. Good mulching materials would be shredded bark, pine needles, grass clippings, and the like, and it should be spread over your planting soil in a layer of 2-3 inches.
Planting indigenous species or natives is the third key. These plants are easier to maintain since it is already used to its environment by default. Native plants need less water and feed native insects and birds.
If you have a lawn, you can replace it with perennial plants that doesn’t have to be planted on grass. Lawns require more water and fertilizers and that is one thing that sustainability avoids.
The fifth step in achieving a sustainable garden is by watering your plants less. Collecting water from natural means such as storing rainwater is one way of being sustainable. Planting drought-tolerant plants is also a good move.
The sixth step is the most fun and the most fulfilling: grow your own food! Lessen your carbon footprint by harvesting food as close to you as possible–your own garden!
Planting long-living plants is next. To save more, it is advisable to buy small perennials because they grow fast and produces more plants as they grow.
Saving seeds from your harvest is also a step to follow. Instead of buying seeds, you can actually store them for the next planting season.
Ninth, make your own compost. This is one of the best ways in doing your share for sustainability. Since using chemical fertilizers is a no-no as per the first step, using your green waste as fertilizer is a big go!
Did you know that an hour of using a gas-powered lawn mower pollutes the air as much as driving for 70km? That is why the last step is using electric or better yet, a manual mower. This is a movement towards lessening your carbon footprint. This does not only apply to mowers but also to trimmers, blowers, and other gardening equipment.
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