Chemicals and fertilisers create massive amounts of CO2 in their production and transport. But there are plenty of environmentally friendly ways to keep your garden looking good.
Deal with weeds
- Add a 10cm layer of mulch to suppress weeds. It also cuts down on evaporation so you need to water less frequently. You could use your home-made compost, well-rotted manure, straw, bark chips or even a layer of sheet cardboard topped with grass-clippings (provided that chemical weed killer/synthetic fertilisers have not been applied)
- Weed by hand. It avoids chemical herbicides damaging wildlife and seeping into the soil. You can compost most weeds – but avoid tap-rooted perennials.
- Use traditional hand tools to avoid creating CO2 and noise pollution.
Avoid disease
Prevention is always better than cure! Good management can help reduce the risk of many plant diseases.
- Look after your soil! Unhealthy soil results in unhealthy plants. Sow green manures like field beans, grazing rye or 'Phacelia' on to bare soil to stop top soil erosion andthen dig the plants in to maintain nutrient levels. Home-made compost and leaf mould add structure and contain beneficial bacteria and fungi and ideally should be dug into the soil every year
- Select plants that suit your soil type, site and local micro-climate. Plants which are stressed by an environment that does not suit them are much more prone to disease and pest attack
- Maintain good hygiene – inspect plants regularly and remove any dead, damaged or diseased material. Clean pots, seed trays and tools between uses to prevent build-up of diseases
- Allow space for air to circulate – fungal diseases are more likely to spread where plants are packed too closely together
- If you grow your own veg practice crop rotation so that you are not growing the same crop in the same bed each year in order to prevent pests and diseases from building up in the soil
- Choose disease resistant plant varieties where possible
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Beat the pests
- Make your garden a haven for wildlife. Plant trees or a hedge to encourage birds and other wildlife to visit your garden to help to keep your plot free of slugs, snails and insect pests
- Install a water feature to attract frogs, toads and birds, all of which will devour garden pests
- Hoverflies, lacewings and other predatory insects are attracted to simple, open flowers where they can easily reach the nectar. Plant marigolds, sunflowers, thyme and poached egg plants to encourage these beneficial insects
- Wasps are predatory and will eat caterpillars and other insect pests – so welcome them instead of swatting!
- Encourage all these gardeners’ allies to visit your garden and you can ditch the chemical pesticides
- Don’t overfeed plants and don’t feed them at all later on in the season – too much nutrition can encourage lots of sappy growth making plants more prone to attack from pests and diseases
- Thwart cabbage root fly by covering your crop with a barrier of horticultural fleece. Planting through a sheet cardboard mulch can also be effective in stopping these pests from reaching the roots
- Blackfly and other aphids can spread plant viruses and stunt growth. Infestations can often be avoided by picking them off by hand as soon as any signs are spotted
- Try planting Pot Marigolds next to your tomato crop – their strong scent is said to deter whitefly
- Accept that some level of imperfection is normal! Many organisms which are often deemed 'pests' in the garden in fact have an important role in the eco-system
Alternatives to chemical fertilisers
- Commercially produced fertilisers tend to have long supply chains and create massive amounts of CO2 in their production and transport. This includes many products labelled as ‘environmentally friendly’
- Home-made compost is one of the best sources of nutrients – dig into soil before the start of the season, or use a 5-10cm layer as a mulch
- Horse or farmyard manure from a local source make an excellent soil improver – this should be well rotted before use
- Steep a large bundle of comfrey or nettle leaves in a covered bucket or barrel for 2-3 weeks to make an excellent nutrient-rich fertiliser for tomatoes and other crops. To use dilute one part to 10 parts water. Be warned – it does smell very pungent!
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