Great Green Idea: Green Gardening: Make your Garden more Ecologically Friendly

Make your Garden more Ecologically Friendly

If your home has a garden attached to it then I am quite sure that you would like to make the most of it and create a really enjoyable space for you and your family to spend time in.

Thankfully you can do this while still making an environmentally friendly garden which does a little to help the planet without making any sacrifices. Let's have a look at some ideas.

Grow your own vegetables. This is a fantastic way to reduce your food miles. Instead of buying onions and potatoes which have travelled hundreds of miles you can grow your own and do everything organically. You will save money doing this and will also give the kids a fun hobby which helps them realize where their food actually comes from.

Attract more wildlife. Giving a safe, alluring habitat for birds and small animals can actually be easier and more fun than you probably think. Putting out food trays is just one step and planting local, native plants and trees is the best way to get some wildlife to visit you. Your local garden center should help you choose the best kinds of plants for the area you live in and getting a good mixture of types of plant is the best way to make sure that you get a good variety of wildlife. Another idea is to add a pond to your garden with a gently inclined approach which will let small animals and amphibians use it, as well as being a magnet for birds. Another idea is to choose a fence instead of a boundary wall. If you have a solid wall round your property then animals can't get in, no matter how enticing a wildlife haven you have created for them. A fence with some small gaps will allow your new visitors to gain access to your garden. To top it all off you should consider adding some sort of shelter your family can enjoy seeing the wildlife from without disturbing them.

Use organic materials. Organic chemicals and pesticides can get rid of pests and stop weeds in their tracks just as well as products which are far more damaging to the Earth. The green products tend to break down naturally a lot quicker than chemical laden ones, meaning that you are not causing long term damage to your environment.

Make a compost heap. There are some really big benefits to be had from compositing and more people would probably compost if they knew more about composting. First off, how much garden waste do you send to the local landfill site each year? All of these cuttings and trimmings can be used to give you an excellent, natural fertilizer to improve your soil for the next year. The process for creating a compost heap is 100% green, with no chemicals involved whatsoever. Getting your children to take part can be a great way for them to start to understand nature a bit better and will also give them practical experience which could come in handy at school.