Sustainable Gardening Tips

Here are some great sustainable gardening tips that will improve your gardening both indoors and outdoors, while also helping the environment.

Check your soil pH

You can test the pH of your soil with two household staples: baking soda and vinegar. If you add baking soda to soil and it bubbles then your soil is acidic. If you add vinegar to soil and it bubbles then your soil is alkaline.

Vinegar

Whilst you’ve got the vinegar out testing your pH, it can also be used as a natural means of getting rid of weeds! in a spray bottle full of vinegar, add in a tablespoon of dishwashing soap and a few tablespoons of salt, shake to combine and spray on weeds.

Coffee

As a garden fertiliser, coffee grounds can stimulate plant growth with their many essential minerals and also help accelerate composting due to it being a natural nitrogen source.

Epsom Salts

Can be used as a fertilizer, as Epsom salt is high in magnesium, which benefits plant growth.

Egg shells

Add egg shells to your compost or garden as they make great fertilisers due to the calcium and other nutrients they have. They also help keep pests away.

Cooking water

Next time you cook vegetables, keep the nutrient-rich water and, once cooled, use it as a fertiliser to water and feed your indoor and outdoor plants.

Egg cartons

egg cartons are great seed starters. Use the biodegradable cartons to grow seedlings and plant them directly in soil when big enough.

Toilet paper rolls

These make great biodegradable planters. use them in a similar way to egg cartons.

Composting

Without a doubt, one of the best sustainable gardening practices is composting. Fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, dried leaves, and much more, can be turned into a nutrient-rich fertiliser for your garden. To read more on composting visit our blog on composting.

There are many ways to re-use or re-purpose household items into your garden!