New Years Resolutions For Sustainable Gardeners
As we approach the beginning of the new year, this is a time for reflection, when all sustainable gardeners should look back on what has gone well in the garden over the last year, and what has not. This is a time when we can reflect on all that has occurred and think about the changes and resolutions we should make to be sustainable gardeners next year. Looking for some resolutions to make? Here are some of the best new years resolutions to make as a sustainable gardener.
Look Around Yourself More
Gardeners often underestimate the importance of observation. But looking around you and taking time to fully understand and appreciate your space really is very important.
Though it sounds like one of the most ridiculous new years resolutions, simply looking around yourself as you spend time in your garden throughout the year can make a big difference in the connection you feel to the space, and in how successful all your gardening efforts will be.
Making a resolution to be more observant and to take time out of your schedule to simply look at your garden and the natural world around you really can help you become a better gardener, and arguably a better person too.
It will help you understand your climate, microclimate, and soil. It will help you choose the right plants for the right places. It will help you see how your garden changes over time, and also learn more about the other creatures who share your space.
Make Full Use of Your Garden
If we are lucky enough to have a garden, however large or small, it is our duty to make the most of the space available. Now, what that means exactly is certainly up for debate, but when we have a garden, we should not neglect it, nor fail to use it to the fullest. So, why not make one of your new years resolutions to find what that means for you?
For many, making full use of a garden involves making sure that we design and use it in such a way that we maximise its utility and beauty all year round. We should also make sure that we create a garden where we want to spend as much time as we can, throughout each and every season.
Make sure, next year, that you are not one of those who simply has a garden that is a patch of lawn, delivering little more than a view to look out on. Make sure you take steps to create a garden that works for you.
It is also a great idea to look into how you can extend your growing season (by getting a polytunnel, for example). And also how you can use vertical gardening techniques and other strategies to make the most of very inch of space available to you.
Making full use of your garden also means taking steps to make sure that absolutely nothing goes to waste.
Grow as Much of Your Own Food as Possible
One of the best new years resolutions to make sure that you make full use of your garden is to use the space to grow as much of your own food as possible.
Remember, no matter how large or small your garden may be, and no matter what challenges the space may present, there are ways to obtain a yield – often, you will find it possible to grow far more food than you may have imagined.
There are more ways than one for sustainable gardeners to grow their own food. You might grow annual crops in raised beds, vertical gardens, containers, or in the ground. You can and should also consider growing food under cover, in a polytunnel, so that you can continue to grow and harvest your crops year-round.
You should also think about perennial food sources, and consider growing fruit trees, fruiting shrubs and canes, and numerous other perennial vegetables and herbs. Forest gardening is an exciting option to explore.
Garden Organically
Of course, whatever you choose to grow and however you grow it, you should always garden organically. This means avoiding the use of any non-organic substances on your property.
But organic gardening is not only about avoiding the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. It is about taking a holistic approach to make sure we are creating functioning ecosystems that really can stand the test of time.
Gardening organically means planting to create systems that function as closed-loop systems, where nature is in balance and we work in harmony with it.
Manage Water Wisely
One of the best new years resolutions for sustainable gardeners to think about in organic gardening is managing water wisely on our properties – collecting rainwater, catching, storing and slowing water on our land, and taking steps to conserve water wherever possible.
Learning how best to manage water in your garden should be one of your top priorities to make sure that you are a sustainable gardener not only next year, but over the years to come.
Harvest rainwater from the roof of your home, and consider earthworks and planting schemes to manage water in your garden. Irrigate wisely, making sure water is directed to the plant roots where it is required. And use mulches to reduce moisture losses from the soil or growing medium.
Look To Fertility: Take Care of the Soil
Another important element in organic gardening is taking care of the soil. As a gardener, it is important to remember at all times that everything comes back to the soil. Healthy soil equals healthy plants equals healthy people.
If you do not already have a composting system in place, you should get one up and running right away. There are many different methods to choose from, but always, in composting, the general goals remain the same – to eliminate waste and return nutrients to the system.
Take a little time to give back to your garden with homemade compost, mulches etc. and you will continue to reap the rewards of healthy soil for many years to come.
Welcome in Wildlife
Of course, wildlife is also crucial in an organic garden. So all gardeners should make it their resolution for the following year to do all they can to welcome in wildlife in their gardens.
Attracting wildlife to your space will help you as a gardener, as well as helping the wildlife itself. We need wildlife for successful gardens – since there is an army of helpers aiding us in an organic garden, whether we know it or not.
Welcoming in wildlife most effectively involves creating habitats that are as diverse and abundant as possible. So this year, make sure you focus on drawing in those pollinators, predators to keep pest numbers down, and all those other beneficial creatures that help us to grow successfully in our gardens.
Avoid Harmful Materials and Products
As well as avoiding the use of harmful synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides in our gardens, to make sure that our efforts are as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible, we should also avoid the use of other harmful products and materials.
For example, we should try to avoid the use of plastics in our gardens and our gardening efforts wherever we can. Here are some tips for a plastic-free garden.
Gardeners should also make a resolution this year to avoid all use of peat. Going peat-free in your garden is definitely the best choice for the environment, and is something all sustainable gardeners should make a top priority.
Co-operate and Collaborate More
Gardening can often be a solitary pursuit in a home garden. But sustainable gardeners should make it their resolution to co-operate and collaborate more with others – whether that involves getting your partner or kids more involved, or sharing and working with friends, family, neighbours or other gardeners in your area.
There are many times when gardeners may forget to look beyond their own gardens. But thinking about how the garden can enhance not only your own life but the lives of those in your community could allow you to take things to the next level.
If you struggle to find time for your garden, try reaching out to others who may be interested in helping you to tend it in return for a share of the food produced. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a garden, so bringing together keen gardeners with garden owners who are not as keen can be a wonderful way to bring value to a community.
If you are a keen gardener, think about how you can share your skills, seeds, plants or produce with others, and how you might be able to work collaboratively with neighbours, or with other gardeners who live close by. We can often achieve far more amazing things together than we could possible achieve as individuals on our own.
Think Long Term
Finally, all gardeners should make resolutions this year to avoid short-term thinking and plan, design and tend gardens for the long term.
Reject garden fads and fashions, and instead, spend some time thinking carefully about how you can create a garden that really works for you, and which will stand the test of time. After all, hope for the future and care for that future is what sustainable gardening is all about.
