Zero Waste Gardening
When we think about a Zero Waste journey we don’t always think about Zero Waste Gardening. The first thing that springs to mind is reducing plastic indoors. But if you’ve been reading my series of Zero Waste Blogs you’ll know that there’s more to Zero Waste than just reducing plastic.
The aim of Zero Waste is to send nothing to a landfill. Refuse what you don’t want, reduce what you need, reuse as much as you can, send as little as possible to be recycled, and compost whatever you can’t.
If you have space to garden not only can you look for ways to reduce your waste but you can also think about growing your own vegetables which is a sure way to ensure you’re plastic free.
And, if you’re growing flowers remember as well as enjoying them in the garden or as cut flowers you could also dry them to make Pot Pourri to scent your home.
Zero Waste Gardening Remember the 5 Rs
If you start thinking of Zero Waste Gardening in terms of the 5 Rs you can quickly come up with ways to reduce your waste.
Refuse – Learn to say no! Say no to plastic, stop buying compost in plastic bags and make your own.
Reduce – Think before you buy. Buy quality tools that will last.
Reuse – If things break, repair them or have them repaired.
Recycle – If you’ve managed to Refuse, Reduce and Reuse then you shouldn’t have a lot left but make sure you separate out your remaining rubbish and put the recyclable rubbish in the recycling bin.
Rot – Compost your kitchen waste and cardboard packaging and use your compost to enrich your soil and help your plants grow.
5 Tips for Zero Waste Gardening
1. Composting – Home composting transforms your kitchen and garden waste as well as small amounts of paper and card into a nutrient rich food for your garden. It’s easy to make and use. All you need to get started is a compost bin and some outdoor space. For more information on composting take a look at my Zero Waste Food Blog
2. Reduce Water – If you’re growing vegetables you’ll probably need to water them as you will some flowers. Make sure you have a Rainwater Butt to collect the rainwater and you can also use grey water. You can invest in a grey water system which can divert grey water from your sink, bath, washing machine water and put it to use to watering your garden.
Another tip for saving water is to mulch your soil to retain the moisture and make sure you water early morning or evening so that the water doesn’t evaporate in the sun too quickly before it’s absorbed into the ground.
3. Reuse – if you’re growing plants from seed you’ll need some seed trays. You can reuse plastic punnets or yoghurt pots from the kitchen and keep old see pots to use time and time again.
4, Tools – its worth investing in decent quality tools that will last you for several years rather than buying cheaper ones that may break and have to be replaced. Keep an eye out for good second-hand tools.
5. Plant labels – if you are using a Bamboo Toothbrush rather than adding the bamboo handle to the compost bin when you’ve finished with it you could repurpose it as a plant label. You can also use old lolly sticks to make plant labels.
Enjoy your garden and I’m sure there are lots more innovative ideas that you can come up with to help you with your Zero Waste Gardening.
