It is often overlooked that home gardens, community gardens and allotments can be the perfect place to support native ecosystem health and biodiversity. People love variety and in your average garden or allotment you will find that people plant all sorts of ornamental flowers, trees, shrubs, veggies, herbs and other plants. These plants offer food for pollinators and animals, habitat for invertibrates/insects near the bottom of the food chain, and help to shade and cool ground temperatures and store moisture and carbon dioxide. Of course this is in addtion to the value provided to our lovely gardeners in Ireland and beyond.
Your Mission: Encourage garden insect, invertebrate, and fungal life to thrive. These are at the base of the food chain and support soil health. Ensure native plants thrive over invasive plants.
- Control invasive plant species:
Invasive plants may have attractive flowers, but they often outcompete native species that provide essential habitat and food for native insects. Native insects in turn support soil health and are food for animals higher in the food web. Removing invasive plants and replacing them with native species is crucial for maintaining biodiversity. - Promote soil health:
Avoid excessive tilling or turning of soil to protect its microbiome. Adding organic matter like compost or leaf mould can further enrich the soil. - Avoid pesticides and herbicides:
Never use chemical pesticides or herbicides. Even natural alternatives like neem oil should be used sparingly, as they can still affect non-target species. These chemical can disrupt the soil microbiome and soil quality on many levels. Companion plants like marigolds and onions can act as healthy pest deterents when planting along side tomatoes and other veggies. - Plant flowers in and around vegetable beds:
Companion planting with flowers like marigolds, nasturtiums, or calendula can attract pollinators and beneficial insects, improving vegetable yields. Allow native hedge and bramble to grow when posslbe around the garden itself. - Compost on-site:
Composting your garden waste reduces the risk of introducing invasive species and provides a habitat for native critters. It is a circular and sustainable way to save money and ensures you know exactly what’s in your compost. - DIY bug hotels:
Create bug hotels using natural materials like logs, bamboo, or old bricks. Ensure a variety of hole sizes to accommodate different species. Logs and off-cuts of wood can be drilled with holes and placed in a quiet spot. - Encourage fungal growth:
Leave logs to rot on-site to support fungi and invertebrates. For a more decorative option, consider creating a “stumpery” with arranged logs and stumps with mosses, ferns and small perrenials to detail the area. - Leave wild spaces:
Dedicate a portion of your garden to wild growth. Even a small patch can provide shelter for shy species. Monitor for invasive plants to ensure the space remains beneficial. - Support hedgehogs:
Install a hedgehog house and create hedgehog-friendly corridors by leaving gaps in fences. Avoid using slug pellets, as they can harm hedgehogs. Instead, use alternatives like beer traps or diatomaceous earth. - Add water features:
A small pond, bog garden, or water dish can significantly boost biodiversity. Ensure ponds have shallow edges or ramps for easy access. Bird baths are also great for providing water to birds. - Install bird and bat boxes:
Bird boxes and bat boxes offer nesting sites and help control pests naturally. - Let grass grow:
If you have grass, allow some of it to grow long to allow hidden wildflowers to grow. Allowing grass to grow longer and embracing “weeds” like dandelions and clover can provide food and shelter for insects. Try “No Mow May” for starters. Mow attractive paths through or around the long grass to make it look planned. - Plant native species with year-round value:
Choose native plants that flower and fruit at different times of the year to provide a continuous food source for pollinators and critters. - Rethink garden tidiness:
Leaving leaf piles, dead wood, and other “messy” areas can create valuable habitats for insects and other wildlife. Leave native ivy or bramble to grow on walls or trees or peripheries as they are valuable towards biodiversity. - Grow native trees and shrubs from locally found seeds:
Once you learn to identify your local native trees and shrubs collect seeds or cutting in the autumn and plant them in a bed. Allow them 1-2 years to grow with the intension of giving them to a friend, local community, or estate to grow in a native hedgerow or neighbourwood.
Let us know what you like to do to nuture and celebrate biodiversity and nature in your garden!
At GKCG we do our best to put all of this into practice. You will notice our perimeters is protected by wind and noise pollution by a lush hedge of mostly native trees, orchard trees, bramble and shrubs. We enjoy warmer temperature and lower windspeeds within our space. We compost on site and produce a high quality product as a result. We have bug hotels and a bird box with more to come. There are areas left wild and those we cut short. We actively manage invasives such as three cornered leek and buddleai. Our code of conduct bans chemical sprays and petrochemical fertilizers.
Photo by Marlowe Weingart