GreenFan.org

There are a large number of ways you can be a more eco-friendly and environmentally conscious gardener, and this can help to save valuable resources and protect the wildlife in your local area.

Recycled Outdoor Furniture
Instead of buying outdoor furniture made from new materials, consider some of the excellent recycled options that are on offer, which have been produced from reused plastic, wood and metal. There are many companies making durable, waterproof and low maintenance outdoor furniture for both public and residential areas, so whether you need a park bench or a picnic table you should be able to find a low cost, eco-friendly recycled option from various companies.

Make Your Own Compost
Compost can add useful minerals and nutrients back into the soil, but it is also expensive and can be made from non-sustainable materials such as peat. You can easily make your own compost at home using garden waste and kitchen scraps, and to help speed up the process you can buy compost kits from your local gardening store (some are also available from local councils), which provide you with a compost bin and even worms to help breakdown the waste matter more quickly.

Grow Your Own Food
If you like to know how your food is grown and want to make sure pesticides and chemicals are not used in the process then you could try growing your own herbs, fruit and veg. There are some varieties that are very easy to grow, and will take in pots if you do not have enough space to set up a whole vegetable plot in your garden, and as long as you have a sunny, protected spot you should be able to grow things like broad beans, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes without too much fuss and bother. It is cheaper to grow your own vegetable from seeds, but if you are an inexperienced gardener, or do not have a lot of space available you may find it easier to visit the garden centre and spend a little bit more money on juvenile plants that are already well established.

Native Plants
Instead of buying expensive exotic plants for your garden do your local wildlife a favour by finding out which plants grow naturally in your area, and then include these in your overall garden design. There are some lovely native wildflowers and plants, and by growing them in your garden you can help to maintain habitats for all sorts of local wildlife from birds through to butterflies, and provide protected, safe areas for them to live and breed in.

There are a number of eco friendly ways in which you can manage your home garden, and you do not need a lot of pesticides and fancy exotic flowers to create beautiful havens for both you and the wildlife around you to relax and feel comfortable in.

Pests
There are a number of natural ways you can keep down pests and this can help prevent the overuse of pesticides and insecticides in the environment. For example a very effective way of getting rid of slugs and snails is to get up early in the morning once or twice a week when the dew is still on the ground (or after a rain shower) and simply pick up the slugs and snails as they come out to feed and move around. Put them in a bucket then release them on a nearby patch of wasteland or wild land.

Encourage Natural Wildlife
Creating natural eco friendly environments in your garden will not only benefit the wildlife in your area, but it will also help to maintain a balance between useful creatures and pests, which can benefit other areas of your garden too. You can buy packets of seeds that are suitable for attracting bees, butterflies and other wildlife to your garden from nurseries, garden centres and also online and if you want to find out more about creating natural environments in your garden you can visit veggieglobal.com