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ECO-FRIENDLY GARDENING
If you have decided to go eco-friendly in your garden this year , there are many ways you can achieve this .
Watering
Droughts are now becoming a regular summer occurrence , collecting water in a garden water butt is a simple but effective way of keeping your garden ' s water supply going and reducing the demand on the mains water supply .
All the water we use to water our plants at the Garden Centre is recycled in a large underground tank at the bottom of the garden centre where it is filtered and pumped back up and then reused to water our plants again .
Mulching your borders with bark chippings is also a great way to help lock in moisture and reduce the amount of watering required .
Compost
Going peat-free is a must in the fight against climate change . The peat bogs help store more carbon than the world ’ s forests . It is vital that we keep them healthy so as not to release this carbon and accelerate global warming . You can do this by creating your own compost with your home garden waste . All you need is a compost bin located in a lightly shaded spot and filled with a mix of brown leaves , hedge trimmings , spent veg , annual flowers and grass
clippings . The composting process can be sped up by adding a compost maker like Garotta which will also help produce a better quality of compost .
If creating your own compost is not something that would work for you then we have a great selection of peat-free composts available at the garden centre . Modern peat-free composts are more sustainable containing carefully adapted wood fibre , composted bark , and coir .
Growing your own
Growing your own food is a great way to cut your carbon footprint , it is a lot of fun , educational for children and can result in a crop of vegetables with a superior taste to shop bought , plus no single use plastic ! There are many easy-to-grow varieties for beginners and options available such as potato sacks and growing tables are great for the smaller garden . Runner beans , lettuce , tomatoes , cucumbers , onions and seed potatoes are all easy to grow and without the use of pesticides .
Reduced chemical use and helping wildlife
Reducing the use of chemicals in the garden will help to protect the wildlife and increase the natural pest control in your garden . Use methods such as
beer traps , crushed egg shells or slug gone wool pellets to reduce slug damage . Nasturtiums can be grown to lure aphids away from your crops and other plants . There are also many new natural products available . Bug Clear Ultra 2 can be used on flowers and fruit , and it is safe to eat the crops immediately after .
If you have space in your garden , try creating a wild flower area as this will increase the amount of natural predators and be beneficial to the declining bee and butterfly populations . It also creates a beautiful summer display without requiring too much attention .
Choose to weed by hand or use a thick mulch to remove weeds from borders where possible .
At Sussex Country Gardener we take our impact on the environment very seriously . You will notice that all our plant pots and trays are changing colour from black to grey . The black plant pots cannot be recycled , so we are careful to choose suppliers whose plants are potted in a recyclable colour . Our other packaging materials such as cardboard are also recycled . Look out for our new supply of herbs and cottage garden plants grown in hairy coir pots from the The Hairy Pot Company who supply a lovely range of eco friendly , sustainable , and ethically grown plants .
www . sussexcountrygardener . co . uk
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