Research shows that gardening has many surprising benefits for people. A green and healthy backyard can help support the local environment in many different ways. You can also have a beautiful backyard for many purposes if you don’t have a lot of space. However, It does take some effort to keep the backyard healthy in an eco-friendly way. As if your garden becomes unhealthy, pests and diseases can affect your crops. In the process of plant growth, use these sustainable ways to prevent your plants from bacteria, viruses, fungus, or pests.
Make a Plan
Planning is essential before you start setting up a garden. Firstly, the choice of the right location is the first step to a healthy garden. It is crucial to consider the soil type and environment surrounding the garden before you decide on its location.
You should also consider the types of crops you will plant when choosing the location for your garden. For example, some plants need 4-6 hours of sunlight every day while some plants don’t require much sunshine.
It should be convenient to water your plants. It is preferable to have a garden with minimal disturbance. If the garden is located in an area with disturbance, you need to install fencing.
If you don’t have a backyard, a balcony or front door porch can be a great place for planting at home.
Redesign Your Garden
If your garden is at the start, you can try to redesign the garden based on the space and needs. A vertical garden is one of the most eco-friendly ways to make your backyard green. Vertical gardens do not require much ground space, and they can produce a variety of fruits and veggies that can help you save money on groceries.
You can make them from recycled materials. Vertical gardens are very easy to maintain as they only require the soil that will support the plant. They don’t require weeding and are relatively low in water consumption. You can find installation kits online and in local garden centers. Or, you can make your own with milk jugs, tin cans, or recycled yogurt cups.
Vertical gardens can be placed on the balcony, the back wall of a house, the front porch, or along a fence.
Add Recycled Materials
Make sure you choose products that are sustainable when adding items to your garden. You can add useful items to your small garden with sustainable-sourced wood furniture. You can also recycle old tires to make a swing, or build a wall with them. This will prolong the product’s life beyond what it was intended for. Recycled items can be used to save the environment and keep them from ending up in the dump.
Include Native Plants
Native plants are those that can adapt to your environment in both the wild and cultivated gardens. They are easy to maintain and can be well-suited to the local climate. Generally, they should be able last the winter without much trouble and do not require additional moisture. The most important is that they don’t cause damage to the environment.
Native plants can attract local pollinators to your area, which is one of the many benefits you get from including them in your garden. Ask around for examples of native plants in your area and ask your local nursery to recommend native plants that can thrive in your yard.
Make sure to inspect your seedlings for diseases and pests before you plant them in your garden. This is the best way for you to make sure that your garden is free from disease. It is a good idea to learn more about pests and diseases before you start planting new plants in your garden. Ask an expert for advice on best practices.
Sensible Spacing Between Crops
Space between crops is an important practice to ensure healthy crops. It is difficult to decide if you should plant more plants in a smaller space. Consider the size of your garden, plant more plants but leave plenty of space between them. It doesn’t mean that you have to adhere to the prescribed spacing. You must use sensible spacing.
Make Your Own Compost
Fertilizers and healthy soil in your garden play a crucial role in the overall health of the garden. Making your own compost is a great way to add eco-friendly value to your backyard.
You can make your compost pile with the household waste and garden waste as big or as small as you need. Smaller coffee cans will create small amounts of compost while larger garden composter bins can hold more grass clippings and other decomposing materials.
Composting usually takes a few weeks to several months depending on its size and management. You can speed up the process by mixing dry leaves with green materials and kitchen waste, such as overripe fruits, fruit peels, vegetable leaves & roots, eggshells, dried and green leaves, small plant branches, and vegetarian animals waste from rabbits, and cows.
To maintain a healthy amount of air, mix the pile (turn it) occasionally. A compost pile of good size should not exceed 3 cubic feet. The compost can be used as a soil conditioner within a few weeks to several months
Start to make nutrient-rich, eco-friendly, and healthy soil, this will support your healthy planting in the future. If you find that composting takes a long time, it’s a good idea to cover the compost pile with garden soil and plant some vegetables on top of the compost pile.
Healthy soil will be ready when the vegetables are harvested. Don’t forget to add in some sunlight, worms, and air, and let go of the decomposition water.
Trim Messy Shrubs and Trees in Time
It’s important to trim shrubs and trees timely to allow space for the growth of new plants. This can not only maintain a beautiful backyard but also prevent plant diseases. A professional hedge trimmer can easily help you trim lawn edges, hedges, and all live fencing. The best time to complete this job is in winter.
Properly Clean Dried Leaves and Twigs
The plant leaves and twigs can dry out and become brittle over time. It’s best to clean these fallen leaves or twigs with a garden rake. This can prevent plant diseases.
Some people might be tempted to burn the leaves in their yards. Please be aware that leaf burning is sometimes illegal in many places. Many cities allow closed burning on a stove but ban open burning in the wild ground.
Backyard burning is subject to seasonal changes. You will not get permission if there is a high wildfire risk or pollution to a public health concern. It’s important to check with any rules regarding backyard smoke and fire before you start to burn fallen leaves and twigs, especially moist leaves, which give off more smoke when they burn slowly than dry leaves.
Alternatively, you can rake and bag them as regular waste. The best way to deal with all these leaves is to make compost and mulch your garden with shredded leaves, even apply the leaves directly to a garden, or an unutilized area of soil if there is any.
Spread the leaves as wide as you can, then till them or plow them down. The leaves will break down quicker if they are first chopped or shredded with a lawn mower. Dry leaves are easier to work with than wet leaves. The smaller, the better.
Spread Organic Mulch
If you have an established lawn, spreading organic mulch is an easy way to help the plants.
Instead of plastic film, you can use grass clippings or bark dust to cover areas under plants. You can also mulch your garden with shredded leaves.
This will help prevent weeds from growing. The mulch also retains moisture and moderate soil temperature, so less watering is required. Organic mulch will naturally degrade in the environment, so it needs to be reapplied as needed.
To prevent young plants from heaving out of the ground, you can apply leaves to dormant plants in winter. Leaf mulch can be used to keep the soil cooler in summer. Actively growing plants should not have more than a 2-to-3-inch layer of leaf mulch. The best way to prevent leaves from sticking together and air from getting to roots are to chop or shred them first.
Garden Soil Management
In order to maintain healthy soil in your garden, you need to turn it at least once per month. This will keep it loose and light. Add some composted manure to keep the garden clay soil from becoming too dry.
Properly Water Your Garden
You should water plants when there is less moisture. This will help to prevent withering, especially in summer. To prevent the disease from spreading, it is essential that plants are watered carefully. It is important to use an irrigation system that restricts moisture access to the plant leaves.
Water plants in the early morning rather than midday, because the cool soil in the morning allows water to reach the roots, but at noon, the heat in the ground evaporates water, and plant roots cannot get enough water.
Apply Fertilizer Correctly
Fertilizing your garden is essential for a healthy and happy environment. Use less fertilizer, and only when it is needed. Instead, I suggest you use manure. Make sure your manure is ready before you apply it to your garden. Manure that isn’t ready can carry pests and diseases.
Sustainable Weeding
Regular weeding is essential to control weeds because weeds can compete with crops for nutrients. Uprooting young weeds with effective garden tools can be the most sustainable and efficient weeding method.
Mulching can also prevent weeds, but you should pay attention to the thickness of the mulching layer. And prevent leaves from sticking together and air from getting to roots, otherwise, your plants may get sick.
Pest Control
It is important to take care of pests using healthy methods, from using clean soil, and pest-resistant seeds, to adding or protecting beneficial insects. Alternative methods are better than pesticides. To naturally combat pests and diseases in your garden, you can try crop rotation.
You can do many things to improve your backyard’s health and eco-friendliness. You can redesign your garden and make healthy compost to grow your own food. Also, support the environment by using recycled materials or spreading organic mulch. Finally, control pests and weeds.
A healthy garden can lead to a healthier lifestyle because it is less susceptible to diseases and pests. This will result in healthy yields and happy lives.
Things that Help You Maintain A Healthy Garden
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