This last year our gardens have been a lifeline, for anyone lucky enough to have a patch of grass or even a window box they have provided a sanctuary and a distraction. Whilst we’ve been at home we’ve had the opportunity to think about how to make our gardens and green spaces as sustainable as possible and get green credentials to go with our green fingers.

• Growing your own

If you are new to the growing game you can start small with seeds and seedlings, nurture them carefully on your windowsill before planting them outside. Growing from seed is not only satisfying it’s also more sustainable, often producing more than you need so you can share with family, friends and neighbours. It’s cheaper too, a pack of tomato plant seeds starts at less than £1 for 100 and can produce 20/30 plants whereas a well established plant can be around £5 for one. With a bit of practice and time this is a brilliant project for the whole family. You don’t need any special kit either, seedlings will happily grow in most containers, loo roll or kitchen roll cardboard tubes, old egg boxes and clean yogurt pots are an excellent home for your seedlings.

Wildflower mix available at Whizz encourages pollination! 

Or why not try a Bee Bomb, great for the less experienced gardener and can be a fantastic gift too.

• Watering your garden

Once you are all set up with a garden full of happy flourishing plants they will need watering and feeding.  A water butt can help water your garden all summer and can cost as little as £20, in some areas you can even order it from your local council and have it delivered direct to your door. The added bonus is that rain water doesn’t have any minerals or chemicals added to it like tap water so you really are keeping it green and simple with a water butt watering solution. 

• Composting 

The same goes for compost bins, a lot of councils now offer this service with a reasonably priced bin delivered directly to your door. Once you compost you’ll realise how much you were throwing into landfill,  up to 60% of an average household’s waste is organic matter and can be added to the compost bin. Depending on your conditions if you start your compost one summer you’ll have excellent compost for the following summer, that’s basically free fertilizer for your garden.  you can start small with plant trimmings and vegetable peel in a small space, doing your bit doesn’t have to be glamorous; it can start with a bucket with a lid and some potato peel. 

Compositing bins available in all shapes and sizes! Here’s some:

Ubuy have a selection of composting products available in the UAE.

Evergreener have a selection of composting bins of all sizes and types.

• Keeping the garden neat and tidy

Now that everything is fed and watered it will need staking and tying back. This one is an easy switch, use bamboo canes and natural twine instead of plastic stakes and wraps. Not only does it look natural and earthy it is much more sustainable than plastic, plus now you’ve got your compost heap you don’t want any accidental plastic additions from the garden ties supporting your natural bounty. 

• World saving plants

If you are getting confident and have delivered on a beautiful green oasis, maybe it’s time to start thinking about adding some plants that will help save the world. It’s a big statement but we are talking about bee friendly plants, bees contribute to the pollination of nearly three quarters of the plants that produce 90% of the world’s food. A third of the world’s food production depends on bee so  keeping them happy has never been more important. They’re inexpensive and effective, think along the lines of lavender, campanula and rosemary these will help create a real buzz around your garden. or go for a wildflower look and try a bee bomb that brings a selection of self seeding flowers into your garden. https://www.beebombs.com/

Whether you are new to the garden game or you are a seasoned pro, we can all do a few things to be more sustainable outside and help really make our green space green. 

Gardening quick switches

1. Buy a water butt to help save water during the summer months – there are many different shapes and sizes but here’s an affordable option from Wilko at £17.50 
2. Plant some wildflowers for the bees, you can pick up packs of wildflower seeds at most garden centres but we love these Bee Bombs at £7.99 – super easy to plant for the novice gardeners and great for a gift too!
3. Buy a garden compost bin for your leftover garden or fruit & vegetable waste – there are lots of compost bins of different sizes and styles or you could even make your own! But here’s one we love from Evengreener.com at £28.00