Easy Ideas For Creating An Eco-Friendly Garden

Do your kids love nothing more than spending time playing games in the garden? Would you like to make your outdoor space an eco-warrior’s dream? I’ve been working with my family to achieve the same goal over the last couple of months. Today, I’m going to talk you through some of the changes we’ve made in the hope of providing some ideas and education. When all’s said and done, everyone should try to make the most out of their exterior space. We are living on a planet that is deteriorating thanks to human actions. So, it’s vital that we all start thinking about ways in which we can help the environment. A start is wooden structures which, when FSC approved, are very eco-friendly and carbon-neutral. Whether you choose wooden playsets for the kids or wooden fences to keep the nosy neighbours out, wood is the way to go!

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• Reclaiming timber for a new shed

Speaking of wood, you may want to embark on a shed building project using reclaimed timber. Reclamation is the ideal way to recycle and reuse old material, so as long as the wood you’re using isn’t rotten, it should be good enough to build a new shed. Reclaimed wood also has a beautiful weathered look, which is perfect if you want the shed to merge with the rest of your garden and look established. Alternatively, you can head to https://www.modern-shed.com/sheds to have a shed built for you – great if you’re not so good at DIY!

• Use old oil drums to collect rainwater

Contrary to popular belief, there is no need to use tap water to keep your plants alive. Rainwater is just as suitable, even though it contains lots of salts. With that in mind, you should buy some old oil drums online and use them wisely. Leaving the lids off will allow you to collect lots of rain during the wet season. You can then use that water to keep your plants alive when the sun is shining. There are special products you can buy for that, but oil drums work just as well. Just make sure you clean them out thoroughly. The last thing you need is oily water. That will kill your vegetation.

• Collect dead leaves for composting

If being eco-friendly is your main aim, then collecting dead leaves to use as compost could be a great idea. They can act as value additions and offer a sufficient amount of carbon to balance the nitrogen from other organic items (think kitchen scrapes) — this can help create a nutritional mix for the plants. But collecting leaves one by one could be tiresome. So, how do you go about this? Simply make use of your battery powered leaf blower to collect dead leaves as manageable piles. Remember this can work wonders for large lawns.

• Grow your food

So long as your garden isn’t tiny, there is no reason you can’t grow some food. Kids love spending time in the garden. So, make sure you involve them in the process. There is a whole range of different fruits and vegetables that will grow in the UK. You can find a full list of them by searching online. Make sure you do some thorough research because it will be a waste of time planting anything that won’t mature. If you live in a rental property, make sure you speak to your lettings agent before digging up the entire lawn. They might not want you to make sure a drastic change. However, there is a solution if that happens. You can use your pole barn shed roof! You may also want to consider the “no-digging” approach to gardening. More and more people have been turning to aquaponic gardening in recent years, doing away with the need for soil altogether, and the need to dig up your rental property’s garden. Some of the best aquaponics greenhouse kits are even small enough to keep inside, so if you live in a flat with no garden at all, you can still grow all your favourite herbs and flowers. All you need is water!

• Buy old tyres and make some flower beds

Old truck tyres are perfect for making raised flower beds. You might think they would look a little tacky, but the opposite is true. Anyone can purchase them very cheaply online. Just take a look at some of the top providers. Indeed, it is even possible to get them for free if you use your head. Once you’ve obtained the tyres, simply buy some seeds and start planting. With a bit of luck, you should have some pretty amazing flowers by the end of the summer. That is a wise move because it allows you to recycle something that would otherwise have been useless. Also, more plants mean you will attract more wildlife.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my ideas today. They were just a few of the concepts we used when altering our family garden this year. As always, thanks for stopping by and reading this post. It’s nice to know my advice is making a difference to some people out there.

See you back here soon!