7 Tips for Keeping Your Home and Garden Clean and Eco-Friendly

This post may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure here.

By Melanie Saunders

Ever planning on taking up gardening as a hobby? Do you have a home garden that you’re really proud of? Gardening is such a great pastime – it is very relaxing, yet, at the same time both challenging and sometimes frustrating. More importantly though, your home garden, in a small, can contribute to the environment.

At first glance though, it seems that home gardening is an eco-friendly hobby. However, if not done right, you can actually do more harm than good to the environment. So, in order to avoid this, here are seven tips you can follow to make your home and garden more eco-friendly.

Choose your plants well

One method to ensure sustainable gardening is choosing plants that are native to your area. Because of already having adapted to your area’s climate and environment, these plants will require less of your attention. Native plants require less resources like water and fertilizer; thus, saving your resources and effort. Moreover, other great choices of plants are those that are resistant to pests and drought.

Use just the right amount of fertilizer

Fertilizers are a gardener’s best friend; however, they also have their drawbacks. In order to maximize growth, plants need a combination of nutrients. While most fertilizers are helpful, beware of using too much. Fertilizers are moisture-absorbing salts; thus will draw water from your plants and can be the cause of shriveling or stunted growth. What’s worse is that the overuse of fertilizers can be a great threat to the environment – running off into bodies of water and spiking nitrogen levels.

Apply pesticide sparingly

The best amount of pesticide to use is actually us none at all. Pesticides are poison and toxins that can be spread through the wind, water, and ground. The use of pesticide not only damages the environment, but can also pose as a threat to the people and animals that it gets in contact with.  And like fertilizers, pesticides can also runoff on water – so use them carefully and sparingly.

Keep a compost bin in your garden

If you’re an avid gardener, then you know the benefits of maintaining a compost heap in your garden. Compost is a great natural fertilizer; thus a good source of nutrients for your plants.  So, save those vegetable/ fruit peelings and leftovers for yourself, and for any other garden waste you can call rubbish removal services! And oh – don’t forget to secure your compost bin because it can attract animals and pests.

Set up a rainwater collection system

As a gardener, your most valuable resource is water – and one of the best ways to ensure that your garden stays eco-friendly is to recycle and conserve water. One of the best ways to recycle and conserve your number one resource is to use a rainwater collection system.  Through rainwater collection, you can save water until you need to water your plants. This helps you avoid wasting water as compared to having your sprinklers on.

Recycle materials for your garden supplies

Being eco-friendly and sustainable means that you also have to recycle some materials for your gardening tools and supplies. For example, much can be made out of shredded newspaper or fallen leaves. Egg cartons can be used as containers for indoor seedlings. Plastic bottles can also be converted into watering cans or rainwater collection pans.

One more thing—should the repurposed biodegradable egg cartons become unusable, shred, cut, or tear them up for composting. So, the next time you shop for supplies, look for durable and eco-friendly egg cartons or flats.

Be more hands-on

Your environmental impact can be greatly reduced if you take care of your garden by hand. Aside from savings that you get from avoiding buying equipment and tools, you also reduce your environmental footprint. So instead of using machines, be more hands-on. Use your old-school, no-frills rake and shovel, and some good-old elbow grease. When it comes to weeding, pull out weeds by hand instead of sprayed-on chemicals.

Conclusion

One of the best feelings while pursuing a hobby is the sense of accomplishment that goes for each small milestone you achieve. In terms of gardening, nothing beats that feeling when your flowers finally begin to bloom or when you serve the fruits of your labor on your dining table. And to make sure that you also do your part in helping the environment, don’t forget to keep your home and garden eco-friendly too.

More About the Author

Melanie Saunders is a blogger and content manager at 1300 Rubbish – experts in the field of rubbish and junk removal. Personally, a huge fan of sustainability and green living.

*Photo courtesy of Melanie Saunders