Don’t be afraid to let it grow! Wild gardening may strike fear into the hearts of many keen gardeners. The very thought of an overgrown and unruly garden goes against many gardeners' much relied-on routines and practices.
But while our borders, lawns and hedges may not look so neat it is worth remembering the good that it’s doing for the wildlife.
Benefits of a wild garden to wildlife
- A lawn dotted with dandelions, daisies and primroses encourages the bees.
- Piles of leaves and sticks under hedges create shelter for small animals and insects.
- Soil that is not turned over maintains the beneficial organisms and microbes which help plants to find nutrients and moisture.
Getting a wild garden started
The best thing about this approach is that it reduces the need to use chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Just let nature take care of its own business. But perhaps you could help a little with some of these passive gardening tips:
- Create your own compost that you can lay on top of the soil to nourish and keep in moisture.
- Introduce insects into the garden - ladybugs are wonderful at controlling aphids and whitefly.
- Get some chickens that run free range around your garden and helps to control insects.
- Introduce bird feeders and bird baths into the garden to help control bugs and they can help your plants pollinate.
- Look into companion planting (plant beneficial plants close to one another eg garlic below roses to control aphids, marigolds and basil around tomatoes etc).
For more tips on no-dig gardening and how to create your own compost, follow @captain.compost on Instagram.
