Zero Waste Gardening For Beginners

In your garden, as in your home, it is important to think about how you can minimise waste. Zero waste is about what we buy for use in our gardens. But it is also about how we use our gardens to minimise the amount we consume from the outside world, and the waste we generate in our homes.

First of all, when is comes to what we buy for our gardens we can:

• Make our own compost to avoid buying in compost/ potting mix in plastic bags. (And to combat food waste.)
• Create our own organic mulches and organic fertilisers (again, to avoid the packaging).
• Buy seeds and grow from scratch where possible, rather than choosing bedding plants etc. in plastic pots or plugs.
• Choose seeds that comes in paper envelopes rather than in plastic ones.
• Take a DIY approach to creating compost bins/ rainwater harvesting systems etc..
• Avoid buying plastic pots by using reclaimed household waste, making our own biodegradable plant pots, and/or using soil blockers to do away with the need for a container altogether.
• Choose wooden handled tools rather than those with handles made from plastic/ composite materials.
• Use natural jute or hemp twine/ mesh/ netting rather than synthetic options.
• Make our own plant labels etc. using reclaimed or natural materials.
• Avoiding environmentally costly materials when making bed edging, paths, fencing etc.. Again, taking a DIY approach and using natural or reclaimed materials.

These are just a few beginner’s tips to help you move closer to zero waste in your garden.

Today I have been doing some pruning in the forest garden, and collecting woody biomass, some of which I will soon shred for use around my garden. This weekend, I have also been preparing some growing areas for spring planting by top dressing with home made compost, and have popped some peas and broad beans in the polytunnel (with supports made from natural branches that I will later string with natural twine).

Sowing and growing continues, and I hope, like me, you will think about how you can reduce waste as we head into spring.