GreenHome: 5 Top Gardening Tips

1. Grow a healthy, non-toxic garden

Chemical fertilisers may produce a “quick fix” to a gardening problem but will likely have adverse environmental impacts over time. Some of the negative impacts of chemical additives include the destruction of worms, deterioration of soil quality, and the alteration of vitamin and protein content in vegetables. Natural methods are far safer.

Try some of the following methods to improve the health of your soil and control pests:

• Feed the soil as much as possible with organic matter instead of fertilisers – manure, compost and other organic material.
• Worms make your soil more productive. Worms live on the organic matter in your garden; they process it for you by eating it and then providing worm castings to nourish the soil. At the same time they aerate and break up the soil as they tunnel around looking for food.
• Compost as much as possible. Compost is made up of organic matter, material which was once living, that has broken down. The nutrients from compost give a never-ending supply of all the nourishment your soil will need to grow strong and healthy plants. You won’t need to spend money on chemical products to nourish your garden.
• Mulching reduces water evaporation, controls weeds, keeps the ground cool, encourages worms, and provides much needed nutrients for your plants.

2. Plant less lawn, more plants

Did you know that lawns use the most water in the garden? They can easily drink up to 90 per cent of all garden water.

The types of lawn and plants you choose can have a dramatic impact upon your water usage.

• Reduce your lawn area and save water. If an area is not used frequently why not create garden beds or mulch areas instead of lawn. Consider planting your nature strip with plants instead of lawn.
• Replace lawn areas with native grasses, native drought-tolerant ground cover shrubs, pebbles or other permeable material.
• If you can’t resist having some lawn, choose slow growing, water efficient lawn varieties that are best suited to your soil. They have deep roots for drought tolerance and don’t need as much mowing as other varieties.
• Try not to cut your lawn too short. Mow lawns to 4-5 cm high to shade grass roots and soil and minimise evaporation. You can reduce water loss even further by saving your lawn clippings to use as mulch on your lawn or garden. They’re also great to add to your compost bin.
• Water less frequently but more deeply. Only water when the lawn looks dry. It’s much more efficient to give long, slow soakings that allow water to penetrate to a depth of about 15 cm and go deep into the root system.
• Reduce your lawn size by 50% and save around 50,000 litres of water a year!

3. Plant Australian natives

Australian gardens can play a key role in creating homes for native birds and insects. The more local plants species that we find in a garden the better the natural balance between flora and fauna, and the greater the biodiversity of our environment.

• Select plants that suit the soil and garden conditions. Local indigenous plants have evolved to handle local conditions. Many other Australian native plants have evolved to cope with very little water. Some exotics from South Africa, California and the Mediterranean also cope well with limited water.
• Explore your neighbourhood to discover what appears to grow well in your area. Take note of street trees, which are rarely watered or maintained.
• Incorporating native plants into the garden will provide habitat and food for birds and insects. These in turn can aid in pest control and pollination.

4. Use water wisely

The average Australian garden hose delivers 1,000 litres of water an hour. There are many ways to reduce the amount of water flowing out of our hoses while still maintaining a healthy and vibrant garden.

1. Mulching is an essential element of a water-efficient garden. When you look at the floor of a forest you’ll notice a thick layer of decaying organic matter (twigs, barks, leaves). This provides rich nutrients for growing plants and trees. The same can be done in our own backyards. Mulch can be in the form of leaves and grass clippings, manure, compost, straw, worm castings, newspapers and woodchips. Mulching around plants saves water by preventing evaporation and reducing run-off. It limits weed growth and can improve soil conditions. Non-organic mulches such as gravel, pebbles and larger stones can be useful in areas or little or no rainfall around plants that grow well in low nutrient situations.
2. Use smart watering techniques to save yourself water bills and reduce the impact on the environment.

The NSW government website “It’s a Living Thing” encourages gardeners to:

• Keep an eye on daily weather forecasts and check soil so you only water plants when they really need it.
• Water in the morning or evening, depending on water restrictions in your area, to reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation and run off into gutters and stormwater drains.
• Use efficient watering devices like trigger nozzles and irrigation timers fitted with a ‘rain switch’ or soil moisture sensor that turn off drip irrigation when it starts raining.
• Use a pool cover and reduce the amount of water a backyard pool loses to evaporation by up to 30,000 litres a year.
• Install a rainwater tank and use rainwater on your garden.
• Use water storing crystals when you are planting.

5. Design your garden for water efficiency

If you are starting a new garden or looking to revamp your existing one think carefully about the lay-out of your garden and how to maximise water efficiency.

• Group plants with similar water needs together. Start by classifying plants into high, medium and low water-use zones in your garden. High water-use plants such as vegetables and exotic shrubs (azaleas, camellias) should be sheltered from drying winds and strong sunlight. If you plant trees and windbreaks you will give these plants more shade and also reduce evaporation. Try to direct stormwater run off from downpipes towards high water-use areas.
• Choose soil types that retain the maximum amount of water possible. The best soil has plenty of organic matter (such as manure and compost) and a mixture of fine and coarse particles that clump together. Strong, deep rooted plants can help break up poor soils.
• Create wetlands. Installing a pond in your garden will attract native frogs, birds and other wildlife. These will eat insect pests and reduce the need to use pesticides. Small fish in the pond will eat any mosquito larvae.

thanks to Australian Conservation Foundation: GreenHome: 5 Top Gardening Tips

photo:Monomeith Designs