While it is our belief that all natural gardens begin with bulbs, there are many other ways to go green in the garden. Here are some tips to get you started on your path to a greener more eco-friendly home.
1. The Bare Necessities
Sure, chemical fertilizers and pesticide will make your plants slightly easier to maintain and appear to grow larger, but the same could be said for steroids in humans. Short term solutions are not always the best solutions; chemicals in the garden will help your plants for the moment, but the long term effects will result in weakened root systems causing less stable plants, not to mention the potential effects on you, your family and Spot eating the grass in your backyard. To grow an all-natural garden you must remove all garden related chemicals from your home and yes, this does include lawn chemicals. For every chemically based fertilizer, pesticide or lawn treatment there is an organic natural solution; just as mother nature intended. Here are a few examples of excellent organic matter that are superb for your plants:
- Worm Castings – (or worm poop) are primarily composed of water-soluble plant nutrients that can contain 50% more humus than normally found in topsoil. A mixture of plant matter including animal manure, bacterial enzymes and natural garden nutrients, worm castings are a safe alternative to chemical fertilizers both indoors and out. Effective with every plant, the humus in worm castings protects root systems from the toxins, fungi and bacteria often found in soils substantially reduces the risk of disease.
- Cottonseed meal – produced as a by-product from cotton mills, cottonseed meal has a high acidity and is used most effectively with acid loving perennial plants such as rhododendrons and azalea shrubs.
- Horse Manure – acts as a complete garden fertilizer for all plants. However, manure is most effective the fresher it is, with time and weather conditions the nutrients levels will reduce.
- Blood Meal - is dried, powdered blood usedas a high nitrogen fertilizer. It is one of the highest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen and if over-applied it can burn plants with excessive ammonia. Blood meal is completely soluble and can be mixed with water to be used as a liquid fertilizer. it usually comes from cattle as slaughterhouse by-product.
2. Let Them Live
Nobody likes a pest but you’d be surprised to know that neither do birds, bats, beetles and spiders do. Although some may consider bats, beetles and spiders to be pests themselves they are actually a gardens best friend. Birds will eat pests such as slugs and snails, bats mosquitoes and beetles and spiders will take care of everything in between. To attract birds and bats to your garden habitat simply foster their presence by giving them a home. Bat house and bird houses are easy to find at any local garden center or hardware store. Spiders will thrive naturally, but try not to disturb their webs unless they are getting too large or are in walking paths. Beetles will thrive under thick layers of mulch, simply set a small pile of mulch by itself off to the side of your garden and ground beetles will begin nesting.
3. Save the Leftovers
Kitchen scraps are some of the best organic materials for gardens that can be used to create your own nutrient rich soil. All sorts of food scraps can be disposed of in addition to scraps from old plants, annual flower bulbs and biodegradable packaging. Visit our link to the left for composting to learn more on how to set up a composting bin in your yard.
4. Go Vintage
Do some research to discover what plants are native to your area. Keep in mind this does not mean research anything that will grow in your area but specifically what is indigenous to your location. Planting a garden of plants indigenous to your location will promote a vast array of desirable native fauna that will thrive in your garden and maintain a homeostasis for your plants. Providing this suitable habitat you will help save local species from extinction but also allow your garden to grow more naturally with increased pollination. Finally, creating indigenous gardens will reduce the risk of ‘articificial hybrids,’ which are often most damaging when there is an invasive variety you just can’t seem to get rid of.
5. Drink it Up
Why let all of your rainwater go to waste? Plants often thrive from water that is lime free, which unfortunately is not always the case with water from a faucet or a hose. Perhaps the simplest green tip to implement, collecting rainwater, all you need is a barrel or container with a lid (some stores sell fancy versions of these with spigots and attached hoses but any hole-less container will do). When its raining outside remove the lid of your barrel and allow the rainwater to collect. Ensure to close the lid when it is not raining, as standing water can often create an infestation of mosquitoes and other pests. Now you have your own natural water that you can recycle back into the earth by watering your plants throughout the garden and/or indoors.
