Sustainable gardening involves a DIY Greenhouse working in harmony with nature rather than against it. Instead of spraying pesticides and using chemical-based herbicides to control weeds in your garden, sustainable gardening utilizes age-old techniques like companion planting (planting onions close to carrots to deter carrot fly) in order to maintain a weed free landscape.
Saving water can also involve harvesting rainfall and reducing evaporation losses through mulch, drip irrigation and using a rain barrel.
1. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
With sustainable gardening techniques, you can help lower your carbon footprint by not contributing to greenhouse gasses. Begin by calculating how much energy is being consumed by your DIY Greenhouse for purposes such as electricity for pumps and lighting or propane heating greenhouses; in addition, consider how much fossil fuel was consumed powering lawn and garden equipment as well as the distance traveled when purchasing plants or supplies.
Plants play an invaluable role in cleaning the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and turning it into oxygen, helping reduce your garden's carbon footprint. Climbing plants such as ivy are great at covering fences and walls while trees and shrubs provide shade to prevent direct sunlight from damaging temperature-sensitive flowers and vegetables.
Consider replacing chemical fertilizers with compost to replenish soil nutrients, and do whatever possible to avoid digging as this releases greenhouse gasses. Mulching with grass clippings, leaves and shredded shrub and tree branches helps conserve moisture, suppress weeds and improve soil structure without disturbing it directly.
Select native species as they will thrive best in your climate and ecosystems, while invasive species should be avoided since they could stifle native flora and pollinators.
When it comes to watering your garden, opt for rainwater instead of bottled or pumped tap water. Install a rain barrel with downspouts directing rainfall onto it so you can collect rain for watering plants and filling ponds. Or choose xeriscaping: an effective low-water landscaping method using drought-tolerant perennials and shrubs.
An additional way to reduce watering and mowing expenses is to prune your plants less frequently and use an electric mower which emits far fewer greenhouse gasses than gas-powered mowers. Furthermore, use drip systems instead of sprinklers when watering greenhouses.
2. Save Money
Sustainable gardening refers to using your resources wisely in order to get maximum returns from your garden, such as selecting suitable seeds and plants that require little care but still produce high yields; forgoing unneeded expenses like watering; and recycling containers, stakes, ties and compost for multiple plantings. Furthermore, this involves decreasing fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals used within your landscape.
Avoid synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers that pollute the environment and pollute groundwater by choosing organic plant food and soil mixes that contain only essential nutrients for your garden. Crop rotation or companion planting techniques can also help minimize chemical use while encouraging beneficial insects that help control pests naturally.
Install a rainwater collection system for your DIY Greenhouse to conserve and reuse rainwater for irrigation instead of turning on the faucet whenever you need water - an excellent choice if you live in an area with limited access or where droughts are common. This solution may also help homeowners cope with limited supply or deal with drought conditions.
Another way to save money when landscaping is by planting native species of trees, shrubs, and flowers in your landscape. Natives will thrive in your climate while needing less watering than non-native plants - plus pollinators will flock to them! Additionally, for vegetable or flower gardens consider using drought-tolerant plants for xeriscaping which reduces irrigation needs significantly.
Finally, perennial plants offer another cost-cutting method by returning year after year with only occasional division required. Plus, fresh-picked herbs and flowers from these perennials will keep supplying you with seasonal flavors all season long! Plus, let your annual flowers go to seed; collect and dry the seeds for use next time around!
If DIY projects aren't your thing, check garage sales and thrift stores for used garden tools that have been gently used; build an economical compost bin out of cinder blocks, scrap wood, and trash cans as an economical alternative to purchasing expensive premade garden compost; alternatively you may find online advice and resources on making homemade compost at home and other affordable garden supplies.
3. Reduce Your Waste
As your garden produces less waste, fewer resources (including water and fossil fuels) are used in its upkeep - this principle forms one of the cornerstones of sustainable gardening techniques.
Instead of tossing food scraps and yard waste in the trash or recycling bin, create a compost pile. Composting retains soil nutrients rather than sending them directly to landfill, while stimulating plant growth. You can even purchase countertop composters to make this process even simpler.
Reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides in your garden as much as possible. Spraying invasive plants with chemical pesticides or chemical herbicides pollutes both soil and groundwater; instead try companion planting, decreasing fertilizers use, or using physical barriers to keep animals away.
Planting vegetables and herbs that thrive in your climate reduces the distance food must travel before reaching your plate. You can also improve soil health, grow drought or heat tolerant plants and employ techniques to minimize water use for gardening.
Planting trees, using natural pathways for irrigation and mulching your garden all help conserve our precious water supply and prevent runoff into sewer drains - this is particularly essential in urban areas where stormwater often ends up flooding rivers and streams, leading to flooding, erosion and pollution of water sources.
Implementing rainwater collection systems can also help conserve and recycle water efficiently by saving rain for use in your garden, saving on both your water bill and energy usage from watering equipment. By doing so, rainwater collections systems provide another great means of saving and recycling water resources.
Create your own garden mulch from collected leaves or grass clippings collected in your yard and placed around the roots of plants in your garden to keep the soil moist and free from weeds without using chemicals. Or you could create raised beds made out of cardboard that is covered with mulch to achieve the same goal; old pantyhose, empty toilet paper rolls and cardboard egg cartons make great containers for indoor seedlings!
4. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Gardeners can take many steps to reduce greenhouse gasses from gardening activities, including switching to human-powered tools, using energy efficient outdoor lighting, composting food and yard waste, foregoing peat as a fertilizer source and reusing plastic nursery pots when possible and using synthetic fertilizers sparingly. It is also crucial that gardeners choose climate-adaptive plant species while avoiding planting invasive ones.
Sustainable gardens aim to foster an ecosystem that benefits local wildlife, pollinators, insects and healthy, productive plants alike. Achieving this requires healthy soil through using organic fertilizers and techniques that build rather than degrade its microbial community - such as using natural predators for pest control and organic weed management.
Mulch helps retain moisture and decrease evaporation from the soil while using drip irrigation and planting drought tolerant shrubs and perennials can further decrease consumption and carbon emissions. Selecting shade plants as they tend to need less frequent watering.
When purchasing plants, opt for local varieties from nurseries sourcing their stock from nearby growers. Local species tend to thrive and require less watering compared to non-native species that may need irrigation in order to establish themselves; furthermore, seasonal events like plant swaps and sales help reduce carbon emissions for reduced carbon footprints.
If you have extra unused or broken equipment lying around, consider donating it to a garden center in your community or recycling it through curbside programs in your city. Also avoid buying or storing excess fertilizers and chemicals as these produce emissions-heavy production while potentially endangering the environment and harming health by seeping into groundwater supplies and rivers.
Finally, whenever possible try to opt for hand tools instead of gasoline-powered lawnmowers or hand tools. A manual mower produces less emissions than its gas counterpart and makes an enjoyable family activity to teach kids about sustainability.