How to Build a Sustainable Garden

Incorporating sustainable gardens into your property is not only a way to cut down on your resources and utilities, but in some cases, it can also present an opportunity to grow your own produce and keep grocery costs low. We have put together a list of our best sustainable garden tips and ideas for helping you get the most out of your resources.

Sustainable Garden Tips

1. Choose the Right Mulch

Mulching, essentially, is a term used for covering the topsoil of your garden with more organic material to keep the soil and their plants in good health. Other added sustainability benefits of mulching include:

• Preventing soil drying out too quickly (less watering needed)
• Introduction of nutrients into soil
• Erosion prevention
• Weed suppression

Mulching can be done both immediately after planting as well as covering the bare topsoil during the winter months where it is difficult for plants to survive.

Browse our range of mulch & bark.

2. Water Saving Resources

While it may seem like an obvious choice, incorporating a water saving resource (water tank) into your garden is one of the most effective and cost-benefit features of any sustainable garden.

Water tanks are generally used to collect rainwater and keep it stored away from the elements where it is susceptible to evaporation. It is later used for irrigation where water is generally scarce and can benefit from a direct watering device rather than an automated device such as a sprinkler.

3. Incorporating Native Flora

Indigenous Australian plants are not only a beautiful feature and accent to any garden, but they are usually one of the more sustainable pieces in terms of care and maintenance. Decades of evolution have made these native plants accustomed to the local climate and soil conditions. This means that you will generally not have to incorporate large amounts of fertilisers or additives to help them grow and thrive within your garden.

Your local council should be able to provide you with information regarding the most available and sustainable species of local plants to keep in your sustainable gardens. Some councils even give away free native plants to residents each year. You normally just need to show your rates notice. So, make sure to enquire with your local council.

4. Composting

Lastly, composting is one of the simplest methods that most sustainable gardens incorporate to recycle what would have previously been wasted materials. Composting is turning your everyday green waste such as grass clippings, dead leaves, weeds as well as your food leftovers and turning them into organic fertiliser.

This organic fertiliser is generally more nutrient rich and will help in keeping your soil and any plants or produce you may be growing to be of a better quality than those grown in traditional soil. Composting will also help to introduce a more positive growth environment if your natural soil type is typically more difficult for encouraging growth.

For instance, those with a clay-type of soil, composting will help to breakdown the harsh clays (or try our UltraGrow Earth-Ease Ground Breaker liquid). Whereas those with a sandy soil, compost will help to encourage water retention and nutrient delivery.

Browse our range of composting materials.