If space is tight, how about investing in a wormery? It’s a fast, efficient way to get great nutrients into the garden or on to the allotment. Visit the RHS website for more information. • Invest in a small shredder. We have a fair-sized garden and I’m also a florist, so I have lots of waste to shred and add to the compost heap, or use the woodier stuff to cover paths. It doesn’t just look good, it’s a great way to suppress weeds – and it means nothing goes to waste! Be careful to avoid putting anything you suspect has been sprayed on the compost heap. We grow our own flowers here, or buy in from other growers who don’t use chemicals. On that note, I’m a great believer in organic growing. If you build up a good little eco system in your garden or allotment, pests are mostly kept under control and you know you’re growing the healthiest food possible. Sometimes they get the better of you, but just move on and learn what does/doesn’t work.
• Make safe places for wildlife. Hedgehogs are also on the decline, so make safe areas for them to live and ensure they can travel between properties via little walkways under fences. Leave wild areas of logs and leaves where they can forage for food – they’re great at eating slugs! Be mindful when lighting bonfires or strimming grass, and PLEASE don’t put down slug pellets or rat poison as these kill them. • Make a pond! It doesn’t have to be huge. Just a washing-up bowl sunk into the ground with some pond plants, stones and logs for wildlife to hide in/ under will do. It also encourages more creatures into the garden to eat up those slugs… • Feed the birds, even during the warmer months – and don’t forget to provide water. Those are just a few things you can do to help biodiversity in your own green space, whatever its size!
PICTURE CREDITS: shutterstock_Coatesy
air! Keep your heap ventilated, turning it every now and again, and make sure you have a good mix of brown and green matter. Scrunched-up cardboard can help ensure the air circulates.
• A wonderful way to make your garden eco-friendlier is by growing flowers. Bees and insects love them – and anything we can do to help bees thrive is a good thing. It also encourages other beneficial insects into the garden, to eat up the pests that seem to do nothing but ruin all your hard work! 46
Cibare Magazine
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