082 GARDENING
indexmagazine.co.uk
HOW TO BE AN ECO-FRIENDLY GARDENER
By gardening with a few eco-friendly practices in mind, you will be positively impacting the environment, local wildlife and your garden, plus autumn colour on show, diary dates, jobs to do this month and more
Caroline Knight
right? Wrong. Plants themselves are perfectly balanced in nature, with species having evolved to live alongside each other, while many are vital to each other’s health and continued survival. They live, they grow, they produce seeds and fruit, which feed others. Eventually they die and return everything, and more, to the soil. But then along comes a foreign species that throws everything out of kilter. Some dominate, others come with their own special pests and diseases. Certain species repel the growth of others nearby. Then we have the recycling of materials issue. That plant pot in which your new plant grew is probably a single-use plastic pot. It might go straight into the bin, along
G
ardening and related activities are surely sustainable, environmentally harmonious and largely organic,
with the plastic plant pot-transporting tray. We don’t need Sir David Attenborough to tell us the effect of throw-away plastics. It is perfectly possible to garden sustainably. We need to realise that not all plastics are bad. Some, such as watering cans, strong seed trays and wheelbarrows, for example, will last for decades – and there’s nothing wrong with that. What about compost? The majority of “multi-purpose” compost contains between 70-100% peat. This is still the case, even though we are fully aware of the precious peatbogs that provide unique habitats for insect, plant and bird life.
Making a difference
Consumer power is highly effective and gardeners and garden-lovers can make a huge difference to common practice. The National Trust is now on a pathway to replace environmentally unfriendly containers with more sustainable alternatives. Several garden centres have introduced recycling schemes whereby their customers can bring back pots and trays for re-use, while many nurseries are now on a pathway to use peat-free compost. Defra (the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) now has a long-term environmental plan which aims to
stop plastic from entering the ocean and major retailers are being encouraged to adopt more sustainable practices. The first place for us all to start is in the home. Recycle “useful” things that would otherwise be thrown away. Wooden pallets, for example, make great compost bins. They can also be used for the creation of bird boxes and feeders, also kindling wood. Old CDs make excellent bird-scarers, as do scarecrows made from unwanted fabric stuffed with dried grass. Plant labels and seed trays can be made from plastic cartons, pots can be made from newspaper and micro-ponds can be formed from larger plastic containers. If you’ve already collected an array of plastic pots, make sure you re-use them or take them to a nursery that practices recycling. Then you can adjust your buying habits and choose only outlets that support sustainability. Grow more plants from seed or cuttings, thereby cutting out the need for retail pots. You might justify getting a (recycled) greenhouse in order to extend your propagation efforts. You can even buy sustainable garden furniture, with some of the latest designs being made from plastics recycled from the ocean. Once you get into your eco stride, it all becomes an established way of life.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110
