5 Tips for Environmentally Conscious Gardening
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Credit: Terriem
Gardening can be costly, both to you and the environment. Thankfully though, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are numerous ways to save money and, more importantly, to protect the environment. Gardening is all about communing with nature anyway, so it should be done in the greenest way possible.
Here are 5 simple tips for green fingered folks who would like to garden in an environmentally conscious way:
1) Use Last Year’s Seeds
One inexpensive way to grow new plants is from seeds left from the previous year. For example, if you have grown some garlic bulbs in your garden you could plant individual garlic cloves and each clove should produce a whole new bulb next harvest. This can of course be done with any number of plants, so consider what you already have in your garden before you go and buy any seeds.
2) Take Clippings
Another top tip for growing plants for free is to take cuttings from your friends’ plants (with their permission of course!). If you have spotted some plants that you love in the gardens of friends and family ask if you can snip off a little bit. They will probably be more than happy to oblige you. Then simply plant your cuttings in a pot and they should start to root in a few weeks, providing you with new blooms and bushes at no cost at all.
3) Make Newspaper Plant Pots
A great green way to make plant pots is by using old your old newspapers. Most people have a few papers lying around the house, so why not make use of them? All you need to do is cut your old paper down the centre, fold it and roll it around a cylindrical object such as a jar or cardboard tube. Twist and fold in the bottom of the paper and you have a basic but functional plant pot. The great thing about these paper pots is that they are biodegradable, so they can be planted straight into your soil and left to decompose naturally. Very clever and very green.
4) Recycle plastic containers
Everyday items such as fruit punnets are ideal for planting in. Just punch a few holes in the bottom to allow water to escape and they are ready to use. You could also use takeaway coffee cups as plant pots rather than throwing them away. Recycling is a fantastic way to make use of non-biodegradable items and this is certainly an environmentally conscious way to garden, as well as a tip that will save you money.
5) Make CD Bird Scarers
Rather than building a full size creepy scarecrow you can use compact discs to keep the birds at bay, while maintaining a green approach to your gardening. These shiny discs hung on strings, suspended on bamboo canes, are very effective at protecting your vegetables and they also give you an opportunity to throw away your more questionable musical choices!
With the tips above, a few gardening tools, a hose pipe for watering your plants and a bit of luck you should be able to look forward to a fantastic garden that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
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