Be Brave, Go Organic and Save Your Corner of the Planet
It can be a big change for many gardeners to step away from herbicides and pesticide controls.
Many don't feel confident.
But we NEED to be confident to step away from the sprays, because as Sir David Attenborough says, “the world is in peril.”
We have to do what’s in our power. We have a resposibility, even if there’s only a fragment of hope left. We have a responsibility to do something.
Sir David Attenborough, talking on BBC Breakfast, (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) 28th September 2020
When you read the facts, it does look pretty grim.
97% of Britain’s wildflower meadows have gone
There are probably only 60 harvests lefts according to the UN FAO (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
We lost the equivalent of 30 football pitches of soil every minute to degradation
One-third of the world’s arable soils are degraded (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
We are losing species 1,000 times the natural rate of extinction
40% (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) of all insect species are in decline
Our arctic stronghold – the Svalbard seed vault (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) – is threatened as the permafrost melts
We have lost 94% of peatlands (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) – because of our demand for peat-based compost
In the UK we apply 16.9 thousand tonnes (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)of pesticides to the landscape
It certainly seems like there is nothing we can do.
Don’t squander those bits that we have control of.
Sir David Attenborough, talking on BBC Breakfast, (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) 28th September 2020
But, we all have the power to make a difference.
Around the world, people are trying to re-wild, regenerate their farms, and go organic in their gardens.
We can all join them.
So what can you do in your back garden or community garden?
Be confident that you can go organic. Think more ‘wildly’ and you can as Dave Goulson says, you can get rid of weeds instantaneously.
I realised the value of my clover and dandelions and ragwort, and the tumbling ivy over the walls and the self-heal along my drive.
Suddenly "weeds" transformed from annoyances into insect saviours.
These are plants to be treasured.
Need more convincing? Check out Jack Wallington’s book “Wild about Weeds (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)” to help tame and nurture weeds.
As well as loving your weeds why not try the following:
Make your own compost from organic waste
Add organic matter to your garden to help feed the soil
Go peat-free if buying in compost
Stop using pesticides and herbicides
Companion plant
Make a home for wildlife
Love and respect insects
Reuse and reduce waste
Buy organically grown plants
Don’t mow in certain areas
Re-imagine your weeds (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)as WILDFLOWERS
Plant native and insect-friendly plants
We inevitably romanticise wildlife to some extent, but every creature that we shape our gardens with, including slugs, rats, mice, ants, worms, caterpillars and aphids – all the so-called pests that gardeners have spent far too much time and trouble trying to elimate – is part of the rich and interlocking web of life.
Monty Don, My Garden World
Check out these inspirational videos from the Soil Association and Dave Goulson if you need more confidence.
Saving our Soils – From Potato To Planet
https://youtu.be/G7lj8Akf_x8 (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)Why we all need to learn to love insects – Dave Goulson
https://youtu.be/6TS0L4D2nCQ (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)How regenerative farming can help heal the plant and human health – Charles Massy
https://youtu.be/Et8YKBivhaE (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)An animated guide to rewilding – George Monbiot, The Guardian
https://youtu.be/X-qquAUA1TI (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)Knepp in England is run by its animals in this massively adventurous rewilding project.
https://youtu.be/2DnLOzdFsEY (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)This farm in England is run by its animals – Knepp