In the garden: 10 ways to be a sustainable gardener

It has been a cold but reasonably dry February so far, and this is handy for getting some of the seasonal jobs done, like pruning, clearing, tidying, and generally getting ready for the growing season ahead.

It was surprising, from an Irish viewpoint, to learn that January just past was the warmest on record globally, with air temperatures 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial times.

Scientists at the Copernicus Climate Change Service agree that every fraction of a degree increase will increase the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events like heavy rainfall, droughts, heatwaves and storms.

Climate change is real and happening now, which is why it is more imperative than ever that we all do our part to stabilise global temperatures.

Planting trees, considering how we heat our homes, recycling and reusing, considering how we travel and the frequency, eliminating single use plastics, and caring for the environment, are just some considerations.

Gardeners identify with nature and the environment, within which they grow and create micro-climates and oases of calm and peace.

Growing involves getting in tune with the seasons and cycles of nature and weather. It entails a deep understanding of what plants need and how nature provides it, before we can start to intervene and improve and enhance growing conditions.

In more recent years, gardening has become more about learning to understand the complex systems at work beneath the surface of the soil, and indeed above the surface of the soil, as plants, pests and diseases all compete.

The ultimate achievement is a balanced, healthy, growing environment.

The chemical warfare that was employed with great gusto in the ’70s and ’80s thankfully is losing its grip, and we can all see the benefits of understanding and working with nature rather than trying to conquer it.

How can you become more sustainable in your garden this year? Here are a few things to try.

1. Installing rainwater collection butts, which can be used to water plants during drier periods, and it is better than mains water as it has not been chemically treated.

2. Making your own compost is a great way of recycling green waste from the garden to produce brown gold for use in beds, borders and pots, to add nutrition and organic material back into the soil.

Prunings, grass clippings, leaves and kitchen waste can all be put to good use creating your own garden waste. Assemble a few pallets and away you go!

3. Planting a tree will give shade and shelter, a cooling effect in summer, provide interest 12 months of the year, particularly when the right tree is chosen, and create habitat and food for birds and insects.

It may also add organic matter to the soil if deciduous.

The best time to plant a tree was yesterday! Do take some time to consider the best one for your garden space and any restrictions that may exist with building proximity and avoiding damage to services.

4. Install a bug hotel on a south-facing wall for solitary bees and other insects to over-winter in. They look great and provide shelter and refuge for insects and pollinators.

5. Consider less hard landscaping and more permeable surfaces like gravel or herbaceous planting to lessen surface run-off and allow for the reabsorption of rainwater into the ground.

6. Mulch beds before they dry out in summer with straw, cardboard, garden compost, bark chippings, sheep’s wool or leaf mould to conserve water in the soil, smother weeds, and increase organic matter content.

7. locally grown vegetables. Food produced close to home will be fresher, more nutritious and sustainable. Consider growing some of your own. Start small and grow your confidence. The taste of food grown in your own garden or window box will be enough to whet your appetite.

8. local nurseries and growers. Plants grown in Ireland will not have been transported long distances and will be acclimatised to our growing conditions so will grow and establish better. If we do not our local growers and nurseries then they will not continue to do business.

9. Consider battery-powered garden machinery like lawnmowers, hedge cutters, chainsaws and strimmer when upgrading or investing. The quality and range are increasing all of the time and the newer machines are generally lighter in weight and without the fumes.

10. Grow flowers for cuttings to use in flower arrangements instead of buying intensively farmed and imported flowers. Alternatively, locally grown flower farmers, which are increasing in number every year as concerns grow about the use of chemicals and cheap labour.

We can all contribute in some small way to making our planet a cleaner, greener and cooler one.

Plant of the Week

The garden is still asleep and little rumblings to the surface remind us every now and again that spring is close.

Crocus have begun to make an appearance in the last week or two amid all of the storms, and are cheering us on into February!

As one of the earliest flowering spring corms, they need to be tough, emerging into unpredictable weather early in the year.

Crocus tommasinianus will re-emerge each year with their soft purple and white hues. They will naturalise and increase when given the right conditions of full sun to partial shade and a free-draining soil as the bulbs will rot if the soil is waterlogged.

Any bulbs that reappear annually are worth their weight in gold, as the work done planting autumn builds momentum each year.