8 Easy Tips For An Eco-friendly Garden

If you are looking to become more eco-friendly then a great place to start is in your garden. There are a huge number of ways in which you can become an eco-friendly gardener, and here are some of the top picks:

1. Change your thinking – the greatest start to becoming an eco-friendly gardener is to change the way you think about gardening. You do not have to see changing your habits as a hindrance, rather something that will benefit your garden as well as the environment. As you learn you will start to see more and more ways in which you can do your part.

2. Compost – Composting helps to reduce the waste that we throw out, as well as getting excellent, natural fertilizer for the garden with the end product after the matter has broken down. You will need to set a place for your heap as well as any scraps (fruit, vegetable, grass cuttings, egg shells, paper and so on) to go on the pile.

3. Natural pest control – If you welcome birds into your garden they will act as a natural way to get rid of insects that tend to attack your plants. You can also try tricks such as plants that deter certain pests from attacking other plants nearby (known as companionship planting).

4. Creating a habitat for wildlife – You can do your part to provide habitats for wildlife such as birds and frogs by providing suitable homes for them in the form of bird boxes and ponds.

5. Re-use products and containers – This is a key tip both for the garden and home in general.  For example you could use containers to store compost scraps, or use yoghurt containers to plant new seeds. Often many of these containers are not able to be recycled traditionally so it is a great way of helping the environment to re-use them in your gardening.

6. Gardening products – As well as recycling you may need to purchase some new products. There are many eco-friendly websites available to take a look at what they have to offer. This may include the use of solar lighting or candles, as well as a new water butt, for example.

7. Weed-Killers – Avoid the use of chemical weedkillers and find a natural method that works for you. This might include pulling off the leaves of weeds regularly until they eventually die, blocking out the sunlight access, or just letting certain weeds be in your garden. You can also re-use old newspapers as mulch by layering sheets around your plants to protect them from weeds.

8. Water Use – Watering the garden accounts for a high proportion of household water usage so you may wish to save water by reducing the size of your lawn, planting tougher plants that need less water or using chippings around trees and shrubs to cover the ground.


These tips are just to get you started, and there are many other ways in which you can do your bit for the environment by changing a few small habits.

This article was written by Dan Harrison of EnviroGadget and Daily Eco Tips.  Dan is enthusiastic about green gadgets and encouraging people to do their bit for the planet in small easy steps.

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8 Easy Tips For An Eco-friendly Garden posted by Nimic of The Green Routine 9/4/08