Green Fingers

GreenFingers

The Alan Titchmarsh column

He’s a brilliant presenter, accomplished gardener, talented novelist, and all-round horticultural inspiration. This month, Alan Titchmarsh discusses how our gardens can become carbon sinks. We know how effective plants are at drawing CO2 out of the atmosphere. That means that while our gardens are wonderful spaces for our sensual pleasure, they brilliantly counteract global warming and our fight against climate change. In other words, they become ‘carbon sinks’. The best way to achieve this is by growing native plants. Non-native varieties can really take hold of a space, requiring harmful chemicals to control them, and leading to them being pulled up, exposing soil and releasing carbon. We can also compost – it’s a great way of stopping carbon getting out in the first place. The same applies to mulching, too. When you consider that over 80% of the carbon in your garden is released from the soil, by adding a layer of wood bark chippings, for instance, you are holding the carbon in the soil. Beyond this, we can be more environmentally friendly by using organic fertilisers; and never be afraid to let your outdoor space ‘go wild’. Rustic gardens are the ultimate low-carbon spaces, and that makes sense, because wild areas such as forests, wetlands and mangroves are the very best at protecting against the risks posed by climate change. As ever, our gardens hold within them the power not just to transform our own lives, but the welfare of the planet too, and that is why we love them so much.