January is not only the start of a new month, but also a new year. This means you have the chance to start afresh and adopt some new better habits. Of course, you may do this in many areas of your life and there is no reason that the garden shouldn’t be one of these areas. We all know there are things we should do better or more often. Here are some suggestions about gardening resolutions that you might make in the new year.
Clean The Patio Regularly
Dirt and grime can build up quickly on the patio, which means that it can get slippery very easily. Leaving months and months between cleans means that one thorough clean will require stronger products and be more difficult and time consuming than regular wash overs. A light scrub with a stiff bristled brush and detergent in hot water once a month will keep your patio clean and safe.
Make Your Own Compost
Making compost is a very easy thing to do, and it can also be satisfying as well as save you money. Simply discard fallen leaves, grass cuttings and vegetable peelings in a composter and leave to break down. After just a short while you will have incredibly nutrient rich compost to use on your plants.
Be More Environmentally Friendly
This resolution can be achieved in a number of easy, and inexpensive, ways. Save water by using a water butt with which you can collect rainwater to water plants. Use chemical-free methods to fertilise plants, such as compost and use natural methods to control pests. Use solar powered lighting outside in place of mains electrical powered options.
Leave The Lawn To Grow Longer
This may sound like an anti-resolution, but leaving longer periods of time between cutting the lawn can actually be beneficial to both the grass and wildlife living in your garden. You may be tempted to cut it every couple of weeks to keep the garden looking tidy, but this can damage the grass and destroy the habitat of insects and small animals living in it.
Grow Your Own Vegetables
Many of us are guilty of saying that we will grow our own vegetables, but never getting round to doing so. Growing vegetables is incredibly rewarding, can save you money and may even encourage the children to eat more of them. Even if you have limited garden space, you can grow herbs and chives, but carrots and other root vegetables are also very easy to grow.
Spend More Time In The Garden, Not Gardening
It is important that you can still enjoy your garden for its beauty, and that you don’t simply associate it with the hard work you do in it. Aim to spend around thirty minutes just sitting in the garden without doing any gardening chores out there. It is the perfect place to relax and stay close to nature.
Which of these resolutions will you take up? Share your gardening resolutions for the New Year in the comments!
