Gardening
Around 87% of UK households have a garden. That’s over 10 million acres, which is larger than all of Britain’s nature reserves combined!
Together, we have the opportunity to help restore nature, keep our soils healthy and protect the environment through our own patch of land, whether you have acres of space or a window box - we can all make a difference.
Grow a soil saving plant this month
Our soils are amazing. Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and all of the world’s plants and forests combined, with nearly 10 billion tonnes of carbon stored in UK soils alone! We must protect them if we are to move towards a world with good health, in balance with nature and a safe climate.
By growing a soil saving plant, you're helping to look after your soil at home, attract beneficial insects and help soils lock in more carbon from the atmosphere, reducing our impact on the environment.
Try planting one of these in your garden, allotment or community patch:
Clover
Legumes (try french runner beans or sweet peas)
Cover crops like hairy vetch and cereal rye
Small tree varieties or fruit trees
Make your garden a wildlife haven
Around 87% of UK households have a garden. That’s over 10 million acres, which is larger than all of Britain’s nature reserves combined! Just think of the nature we could attract to these spaces if we all made a change. Even a small increase in bee-friendly organic habitats can boost bee numbers by a third!
Why not try:
Letting your lawn grow - Long grass provides a home for nesting butterflies and allows wildflowers to flourish, which provide nectar for bees and other pollinators
Saying no to pesticides
Adding a pond to your garden
Making a hedgehog hole - small gaps cut into fences allow wildlife to pass from garden to garden
Adding boxes, baths and feeders for birds
Making an insect hotel
Don't have a garden? Try planting in pots, windowsill growing or planting in your local community garden.
Plant one bee-friendly herb or flower this month
By planting herbs and flowers that bees and other pollinators love, you’re helping restore nature’s balance. Bees transfer pollen, helping flowers bloom and fruit and vegetables to grow. Try planting one of these in your garden, allotment or window box:
• Common poppy
• Evergreen clematis
• Foxglove
• Lemon thyme
Save and plant a new seed this month
Saving and planting seeds is a great way to become more self-reliant and to learn more about gardening and growing.
A good place to start is by choosing a self-pollinating plant, like beans, peas, tomatoes or peppers. Look out for your best plants and save your seeds from there.
Top tips
Get hold of some good quality seed compost and sieve it well if it’s lumpy, especially if you’re planting small seeds
Old cartons with holes punched in the bottom for drainage make excellent seed trays and you can put the lid underneath to catch any drips, or on top to keep the compost moist
Keep your seeds in an airtight container in a dry, dark place
Always sow more seed than you want as not every seed will germinate
Plant the seeds at the right depth - generally, that’s about as deep as the seed is big, so chunky beans need to be deeper than delicate carrot seeds
Have a go!
plant a tree, plant 2 better, 3 good, 4 excellent. you get the idea
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