Sustainable Gardening
Steve Wells
Designing a sustainable garden should be done with a single goal in mind, a garden that works in harmony with itself. One things for sure, when you improve the health of your garden you are making a difference to the environment. We are the ones responsible for our future. There are many ways to start and my advice is to pick a spot and start. You can spend hours planning and drawing, but in order to make it work you have to become part of your garden. It is healthy and relaxing to do anyway. You can start on the terrace, roof, balcony, apartment or backyard.
Sustainability is a lifestyle that embraces how we live, what we live on and the footprint we leave behind. “Sustainable” means taking care of yourself or your survival. Sustainable gardens consist of everything living including plants, insects, animals and everything non-living like, water, soil, sunlight and objects. All of these must work together in harmony to become an effective system! You don’t have to be an expert designer planter or builder to start. Just remember you're starting a journey into gardening and it is inspiring to your community so share and get them involved. Here are some simple tips:
• Use native plants, trees and shrubs.
• Be creative and recycle everything and more.
• Provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
• Plant flowers with vegetables and be sure to plant helpful stuff.
• Save water and conserve water.
• Use organic and your own seeds
• Handmade tools are just more fun.
The goal here is to create harmony one step at a time. It's important to have a simple plan you can change as you get more involved. When it is time to take on a project consider what effects it has on the existing landscape around you. Projects like adding vegetables, planting shade trees, gathering rain watering, adding flowers in pots or honeybee hive all help and have an effect on the area around what you're doing. Local nursery, the internet, and hardware stores have everything you need to learn and start. If a beehive is a project you consider try EcoBeeBox™ hives. They have a Mini Urban Beehive (MUB). The hive can make yards plants, flowers fruit and vegetable yields increase dramatically. The hive also makes amazing honey and honeycomb, royal jelly and more. Funny how a little thing can make a huge difference for healthier ecosystems and sustainability. All you have to do is start with one idea and you won't believe the difference one project can make.
Any project is a good starting point. A simple hive is the MUB - it is small and not complicated. You can harvest honeycomb, or raise new queen bee, it is up to you. This MUB system is the only "training wheels" for new beekeepers out there. Great for young or old and everyone in between. The hive is also a great way to help the bee population increase. Do your part and look at purchasing a MUB or any of a number of modern cedar EcoBeeBox™ hives, as they come in a variety of different shapes, styles, and looks. A perfect way to help a sustainable garden focused on saving honey bees.
