Sustainable gardening: planting, fertilization & Co.

If you like gardening, nature is usually very important to you. We give tips on how you can make your hobby as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.

For many, gardening is one of the most environmentally friendly hobbies of all, after all, you spend a lot of time in nature and make sure that everything grows and thrives. Unfortunately, the reality is often different: plastic pots, mineral fertilizers and even potting soil are often anything but sustainable and even damage our environment in the long run. Luckily, there are some ideas on how we can banish our environmental sins from the garden - you can find the best tips for sustainable gardening here.

Do you want to do something for the environment? Start in your own garden - we will show you how you can quickly and easily become a sustainable gardener.

1. Biodiversity instead of a gravel bed

Gravel beds and English lawns can still be found in many gardens - easy to care for and yet always clean and tidy, they are perfect for gardeners who don't have a lot of time to have. For nature, however, such gardens are a nightmare, because particularly beneficial organisms such as bees or bumblebees cannot find enough food here. Fortunately, there are great alternatives that are not only in terms of looks, but also in terms of Being able to measure the time spent on gravel beds and the like: how about a nice one, for example wildflower meadow? Once sown, it hardly needs any care and is not only insect-friendly, but also inspires people with its blooms. Heaps of leaves, old wood or wild hedges not only have their own charm, but also ensure biodiversity in the garden.

2. Save water cleverly

To keep the garden nice and green in summer and not dry out in the blazing sun, many gardeners turn on the lawn sprinkler or lug heavy watering cans through the beds. Often more of the water, which is precious in periods of drought, is wasted than many people think. Instead of drinking or well water, it is therefore advisable to collect rainwater and use it for watering. This not only protects nature and the wallet, but is also better for the plants, as there is usually much less lime. But watering sparingly is also important - the right time in particular makes a big difference in water consumption: In the early morning hours, they can Plants absorb the water best - in the blazing midday sun, on the other hand, a large part of the precious moisture evaporates before it even comes into contact with the plant comes. The lawn sprinkler should also be avoided if possible, because in extreme cases only about a third of the Water the earth while the rest evaporates - instead, the well-known watering with a watering can has proven to be much more effective proven.

3. Plant protection with plant power

If you grow your own vegetables in the garden instead of buying them in the supermarket, you have already taken the first step towards sustainability. It is all the more annoying when weeds, pests or even diseases destroy all the work. The reach for chemical agents is not far away. But if you take precautions early enough, you can just choose the right bed partner in the so-called mixed culture effectively drive out all sorts of evildoers. So protects basil (Ocimum basilicum) Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) from powdery mildew, lavender (Lavandula) protected roses (pink) in front aphids and marigolds (Calendula officinalis) expel nematodes that otherwise potato (Solanum tuberosum) and cabbage (Brassica) damage. So-called ground cover on the other hand, suppress weeds perfectly with their creeping growth and can even blossom into decorative eye-catchers. And also the green manure through the cultivation of bee friend (Phacelia) or legumes (Fabacae) contributes to the fact that we no longer have to resort to chemicals for soil improvement.

4. Fertilize without chemicals

So that the vegetables really grow well and the roses bloom in all their glory, many gardeners quickly grab them mineral fertilizers. Unfortunately, these are not particularly environmentally friendly: a large amount of energy is required to produce them and fossil resources are often mined. In addition, many mineral fertilizers have the disadvantage that they are quickly washed out of the soil so that they not only do not supply the plants with sufficient nutrients, but also pollute the groundwater be able. In fact, there are good organic alternatives that are not only environmentally friendly, but are also easy to use. the compost is probably the best example here: Leftover kitchen scraps and garden waste can be cleaned with the composting turn into a high-quality fertilizer. This compost fertilizer Thanks to its long-term effect, it not only nourishes the plant, but also improves the soil. But also horse manure, ash fertilizer, eggshells and even the Fertilization with coffee grounds are environmentally friendly home remedies that strengthen your plants. When buying fertilizers, you should primarily rely on organic fertilizers like ours Plantura organic fertilizer, which optimally care for your plants, strengthen the soil and protect the environment.

5. Green roofs against heat stress

When it gets really hot in summer, many flee from the garden into the house and hope for a cool breeze there. But often you don't even find the cooling you long for here, unless you reach for a fan or waste a lot of electricity on an air conditioner. On the other hand, it is easier and more sustainable to lower the temperature with the help of plants: Hardy climbing plants like winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) on the south side of the house wall, the temperature inside the house can drop by several degrees in summer. This phenomenon is even more extreme in houses with a flat roof - up to 5 °C less are measured here. The combination of green roof and solar system is also optimal, because these often lose their efficiency from an operating temperature of 25 °C. Since roofs that are covered with gravel, for example, heat up extremely in summer, the effectiveness suffers. So it happens that a solar system on a green roof delivers up to a fifth more energy than a comparable area without greenery.

6. Creative planters

Anyone who grows their own plants knows them: the small red or black plastic pots that you can find in every garden center for sowing new plants. Unfortunately, the pots are not particularly environmentally friendly and are not a real eye-catcher either. Also, the small pots often cannot be reused because they break easily. But instead of buying new ones every year, you can find things in almost every household that are suitable as sustainable seed containers. How about, for example, eggshells, a hollowed-out lemon (citrus x lemon) or a coconut shell? These special seed boxes are not only a special eye-catcher on the windowsill, but can also cover the bed with the seedling and decompose there quite naturally.

7. Sustainable potting soil

Balcony gardeners in particular are dependent on buying potting soil. But the purchased soil is also used in the garden, for example to help with growing the seedlings. What few people know: Many potting soils are often real climate killers. And that's not (as one might assume) because of the plastic packaging, but because of the content. In fact, most of the commercially available potting soil contains peat, which is mined from raised bogs. This not only destroys the sensitive ecosystem of the raised bogs, which are home to numerous endangered animal and plant species, but also large amounts of CO₂ released, which was previously naturally stored in the bog. When buying potting soil, you should always use peat-reduced variants. the organic soils in our Plantura shop are all peat-free or peat reduced. In addition, they are produced sustainably and are harmless to humans and animals.

8. Regional building material

Furniture made of wood and paths made of natural stone - pretty sustainable, isn't it? Unfortunately, this widespread opinion is an insidious fallacy: Many products first have to travel a long way to be sold in Germany. Tropical wood in particular, which is often used for garden furniture because of its robustness, usually does not only have widths trails behind, but is also extracted directly from the rainforest, which has fatal consequences for the sensitive ecosystem Has. It is better to use local woods such as beech or ash - these are in no way inferior to tropical wood in terms of robustness thanks to new treatment methods during processing. You should also pay close attention to the country of origin when it comes to natural stones: since natural stone was mined in Germany is often quite expensive, many markets offer cheap import stone from the Far East - mostly from China or India - at. Due to the long transport routes from the quarry to Germany, the stones unfortunately leave a very large ecological footprint and also Ethically, the purchase of the stones is usually not justifiable, since children often work in the quarries with inadequate safety precautions have to.

9. native plants

Tropical plants in the garden are becoming increasingly popular. But also classic cultivated flowers such as roses (pink) are still on the rise - no wonder, after all, these plants often impress with their impressive appearance. But many gardeners quickly notice that the exotic beauties are very susceptible to disease and require intensive care, and also Beneficial insects don't enjoy the pretty plants because they don't have enough food, especially in the case of flowers with double blossoms Find. It is therefore advisable to use local residents. Old fruit varieties, for example, are often very robust and highly sought-after by insects because of their blooms. Even native plants like that sunflower (Helianthus annuus), evening primroses (Oenothera) or mallows (malva) can not only score with their appearance, but also serve as a source of food for many animals.

You still want more about Species diversity and biodiversity know or your garden even in one bee paradise transform? Then you will find everything you need to know about the topic here.