Planning an Eco-friendly Garden
Making your garden from scratch can be a difficult task, and if you’re trying to design a green garden, there are more aspects to take into consideration.
To start the garden you’ve always wanted to start, you must gather ideas. It is possible to gather inspiration through magazines, online, or go to social media to view some of the Whitfield Yards of the Month selected from Keep Dalton Whitfield Beautiful. Find patterns, like the color of the plants, the kinds of plants and the features like edging or pathways.
Draw your yard to scale on paper or digitally. I prefer using Google Maps to measure my yard. Begin by drawing the perimeter first and then work your way into. Be sure to draw any driveways, trees, or shrubs or structures that are still in their current location.
Record the sunlight as well as wind and noise levels in various parts of the yard. If you are able, wait until an extremely wet day to observe where water drains in your yard and where it gathers. This could be a crucial aspect in deciding where to place certain plants, and also help you keep from excessively using your water.
Draw your ideal concept using the ideas you got from the first step. It’s likely to take a couple of tries, so don’t be shamed about erasing and beginning over. It’s much simpler to draw it again now rather instead of replanting it later. Begin with simple, large forms with interlocking pathways. This will allow you to decide what your garden beds ought to appear and which combination of size is the best.
When you are adding hardscaping elements to your pathways, choose permeable material like gravel, which allows rainwater to penetrate the soil to replenish groundwater and prevent runoff, which can cause pollution and erosion.
Have a soil test conducted for the area where you intend to plant. The soil can be brought to the nearby University of Georgia extension, and they’ll take it for testing and send you the results. It will tell you the soil conditions you’re working on and help you determine what you could be able to do to improve your soil.
I would suggest adding compost at the beginning of your gardening. It will allow your plants to thrive thanks to the nutrients and provide you with a fantastic starting point. Additionally, it will create a closed-loop system since you can utilize the scraps from your garden to make compost, which can then be recycled back into the garden.
Plan your garden using native plants. These plants are adapted for our climate, which means they have less need for water or upkeep. They provide habitats as well as food sources for wildlife in our area.
Conduct some research about the plants that you are interested in. Find out how big and tall the plant will grow at the time it is mature and how much watering you must do, and what preferences for sunlight it has. Check out if there are plants that can be paired with those you love with similar soil as well as sun and water preference. Plants with similar watering habits will help them flourish and help keep water consumption low.
Make sure you choose a plant with a low energy footprint when you plant trees in order to create shade for your home, and reduce consumption of energy during the summer, particularly.
Create your garden keeping wildlife-friendly features in mind, by creating features such as butterflies-friendly plants, bird feeders as well as bat-friendly houses. These features draw pollinators and are beneficial not just to your garden but also for our entire community. This transforms your garden into your own miniature zoo.
Reduce lighting pollution by directing light down and using the motion sensor or timer to your lights outside. The lights that are lit at night can disrupt wildlife at night, and by making sure your lights are controlled, you’ll enjoy an amazing view in summer nights as the fireflies dance across your garden in the dark.
When it’s an ideal time to start planting your garden, you should cover your bed with three to four inches of mulch. It is possible to get recycled mulch from Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority for no cost. It is created by breaking up green waste and bringing it to the dump. The mulch can help reduce the growth of weeds as well as maintain moisture levels and help keep the soil cool, which is crucial during the summer heat.
Whatever type of garden you decide to create for yourself, it will bring lots of happiness to your life. knowing that you made decisions that are beneficial to the environment will leave you feeling happy even when you leave from the backyard.
Amy Hartline is the recycling and education program coordinator at the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste