Healthy Gardens
Your garden can be a great contributor to promoting and maintaining a more comfortable healthy life. The immediate environment surrounding a house (or any building) can have a dramatic affect upon the health of people both inside and outside (nearby) the house. Consider the following ideas to use in your garden:
• Organic materials outside a building will help buffer temperature fluctuations. Organic mulches, such as wood chips or pine bark, or vegetation covering the ground, will not heat up so rapidly in hot weather, and will not cool down as fast in cold weather as would many other materials. Such materials will also help reduce water loss from the soil, and provide valuable nutrients that will help keep your plants growing healthily.
• Surrounding trees can provide protection from excessive heat and light in summer, and also help protect from adverse conditions such as cold winds or frost. Deciduous trees lose their leaves and let the sun penetrate in winter, while providing leafy shade in summer. Be careful to choose tree varieties which do not have very invasive roots, or not to place your trees too near buildings or paving where root damage may occur, or dropped branches and leaves may be a real problem.
• Hard paving (including pavers, concrete or asphalt) can become very hot in summer and very cool in winter. Shade from trees can help keep such areas cool in summer, particularly the hot afternoon sun, if trees are located carefully. Try to avoid placing trees or large shrubs in positions where they will create heavy shade in winter, as the paving may remain damp for much of the day, encouraging moss, and becoming slippery. Lawns can provide a living alternative that will help moderate the temperature in your garden.
• The use of pergolas, verandahs or wide eaves can also be used to buffer the outside walls of a building from excessive heat, cold or rain, or create the ideal conditions in your garden to relax, protected from the worst of the weather. Many modern cladding materials, such as polycarbonate sheeting, will also reduce the passage of UV light, reducing the risk of skin cancers.
• Ventilation plays a major role in maintaining air quality. Fresh air circulating into a home increases oxygen levels, and flushes out carbon dioxide build up resulting from human respiration, as well as flushing out odours, fumes, dusts, pollutants, etc. resulting from human activities. Air moving through a clean garden will be purified, and cooled before it enters a building, and if you have lots of sweet smelling flowers can help brighten up the house with delightful fragrances. Installing good quality, well fitting insect screens on windows and doors will enable you to enjoy fresh air from outside without any of the “nasties”. For added security consider mesh security doors with insect screens, particularly for front entries.
• House plants will help filter out air-borne toxins to make the air cleaner indoors. They will also help moisten dry air that often occurs when ducted and combustion heating systems are used. Regularly taking your plants outside during good weather conditions, and lightly hosing them down will help remove dust, and other residues that have settled onto the foliage, which will help keep your plants in top condition. Colourful foliage and flowers indoor will also be very visually pleasing, and really brighten up your house.
• Colour has both a physical and psychological affect upon people. Colour choice can have a very real affect upon people’s health. Colours are sometimes divided into two broad groups: Hot colours include reds, orange, & yellow. Cool colours include blues and greens. Hot colours have the psychological affect of making people feel active encouraging work. Cool colours are more relaxing. Choose your plants based on colours (flowers, foliage, bark, fruit), and place them to help create the mood you desire, for example, bright colours in play areas or work areas, and cool colours in areas where you like to sit and relax. Such colours can be complemented by careful selection of similar coloured paints for exterior buildings and structures.
• The scents released from many plants have very definite medical benefits, while the scent from others can actually aggravate many people, causing allergies. Herbs such as conifers, mint and thyme release scents that help clear the sinuses (ie. are a decongestant); but some plants like wattles, gardenias and jasmine can give allergy sufferers a headache, particularly if ventilation is poor in the garden.
• The exhausts from engines used to propel machinery such as mowers, edgers, chainsaws, etc contribute to air pollution. The noise they create can be extremely annoying, especially to someone trying to sleep in on a Sunday morning. They can also throw up stones or other debris at high speed, which can cause injury to people and pets, or damage to property, such as windows. Where possible try to use gardening methods that don't require engines. This can also be a great way to get some exercise. For example:
- Instead of using a powered lawn mower use a hand pushed one. Regular cutting will ensure that the grass doesn’t get to big to make cutting difficult.
- Instead of using a brush cutter or whipper snipper use a scythe.
- In place of a chainsaw use a hand-saw or axe.
- Use hand tools such as hedging shears to trim plants instead of powered trimmers.
- Ensure any machines you do use are operating at peak performance (well maintained) to minimise noise and fumes, and that you use them at times when their noise will not create too much disturbance to others.
• Try to avoid using incinerators at anytime. As a general rule if you can burn it you can probably compost or recycle it. This means you don't waste useful material, and you don't pollute the atmosphere with smelly, even toxic fumes, or upset your neighbour when the wind blows smoke or ashes into their garden or over their washing. Many councils have now banned burning off in gardens in suburban areas.
Some Ways To Improve The Health Of Your Garden
Earthworms
To all keen and professional gardeners and horticulturists, the sight of earthworms is a good indicator of the soil's health. The health of the soil in turn influences the health of garden plants. As such the more earthworms you have in your soil, the better the chances are that your plants will grow bigger, stronger, with better flowers and fruit and generally be less prone to pests, diseases and other ailments.
To encourage earthworms into your yard, or even to increase their existing population, it is essential that you supply the soil with plenty of organic matter. Compost is the preferred item. If that is not available, heavily mulch your garden beds with products like lucerne straw, pea straw, and sugar cane mulch. Also avoid, as much as possible, the use of pesticides on the soil, as many commonly used garden pesticides will also kill worms. Keeping soil moist, but not waterlogged, particularly in dry seasons will also encourage earthworm activity. This must be balanced against the need to conserve water supplies.
Earthworm farms use specific species of earthworms that do best in the 'farm' rather than in the soil. However the castings are great for distributing around the garden to improve overall plant vigour. Worm farms are also a great way to get rid of kitchen scraps, without filling up your garbage bin.
Seaweed
Seaweed solutions have gained a lot of support amongst organic growers and gardeners as a healthy supplement to plant growth. Many believe they aid in disease resistance, overcome transplant shock and offer a 'soft' form of organic nutrients. Seaweed solution can be sprayed onto plant foliage or the soil without harm to the plant. A mild 'beach-like' odour may be experienced for a day or so, but that is easily tolerated.
Use Organic Fertilisers
Although a plant will not know if the nutrient it obtains are from a man-made source or organic source, the soil microbes which are essential for plant growth and nutrient conversions will know the difference. Many chemical based fertilisers are too strong for soil microbes resulting in their death. Organic fertilisers tend to be more harmonious to these microbes, which in turn improves nutrient conversion for plant growth. The end result is better plant growth, more earthworms and a healthier soil. Learn more about organic gardening with our eBook.
Using Compost
Compost is natures “own fertiliser”. It helps improve the health of a garden in numerous ways including: improving soil structure, fertility and water holding capacity; acting as a buffer against temperature and chemical change in the soil; and encouraging soil organisms such as earthworms. Much of our kitchen waste can be composted, along with much of our garden waste. Compost can be readily made in a heap in a hidden corner of your garden, or in one of the many compost bins available commercially. Compost can be ready in as little as three or four weeks from placing the fresh material.
Avoid Using Chemicals
Although this is an obvious point, chemicals that have been used in the past may still be active in and around your garden and house. When houses are sprayed for termites, ants, spider etc, the active ingredient may last up to a year or more. Such chemicals may also kill beneficial organisms, such as bees or earthworms. More and more people believe that illnesses or problems they suffer result from exposure to use of such chemicals. If possible avoid the use of garden and house chemicals, or try to find safer alternatives. New “safe” paints and stains are also available for both indoor and outdoor use. These often come with such claims as being non-allergenic, or as being free of dangerous solvents. Our Organic Gardening eBook considers gardening without chemical use.
Encourage Birds In The Garden
Not only can birds be a real delight in the garden with their antics, their song, and their colourful plumage, they can also be an important way of controlling pests in the garden. Birds can be encouraged by providing plants that provide shelter, nesting sites and materials, and nectar rich flowers. A source of clean water that is ideally elevated, such as a bird bath, to provide protection from predators, such as cats, will also help. Learn more about recognising the birds in your garden with our Birds eBook.
Garden Hygiene
We all know about the importance of good hygiene in the kitchen and bathroom, but the garden and surrounds are often neglected, or are seen as not needing similar care. Some common problems include:
- Old building debris may have exposed rusty nails or sharp cut metal - dangerous items around children, adults & pets.
- Snakes, spiders and rodents may be encouraged by the presence of debris such as galvanised sheeting, wood piles, or long grass and weeds. Rodents and other vermin may be attracted by poorly stored animal feed, or poorly housed pets, such as caged birds or poultry.
- Large weeds & long grass, or poorly placed woodpiles may pose a fire risk.
- Stagnant water may provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other nasties. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a paint tin half full of water, or in water that has collected inside the rim of an old tire. Potential breeding sites such as these can be easily removed.
- Make sure you regularly remove pet droppings, or provide a suitable place for pets to “do their business”. Pet droppings can be smelly, unsightly, a real mess if stepped on, and can be a potential health risk.
- Wasp and bee nests/swarms can pose a real risk, but should only be removed by experts. Contact your local for advice.
Choosing Safe Plants
Be careful to select plants for your garden that don’t pose a health & safety risk. This could include plants that have sharp thorns or spikes, plants that commonly drop branches (such as many Eucalypts), plants that may cause allergic reactions when brushed against (such as some Grevilleas), plants whose pollen may cause allergic reactions, and plants that may have poisonous parts (e.g. leaves, flowers, fruit).
Ensuring Play & Recreation Areas Are Safe
The backyard can be a very unsafe place for those involved in play or recreation, particularly for children. It is very important to ensure that all play equipment, such as swings, sand pits, cubbies, and monkey bars, are well maintained, securely fixed in position, with sufficient room around them to minimise the likelihood of contact injuries, and suitable surfacing materials (such as wood shavings) are used to minimise the effect of falls, or to reduce the likelihood of cuts, or grazes. Find out more about Playground Design with this 100 hour course.
Pool and spa safety is critical. Backyard drowning is one of the most common causes of death in small children. Make sure all safety requirements, such as fencing and spa covers, meet state and local government regulations, and make sure they are well maintained, particularly gates. Don’t place objects next to, or grow plants nearby that would allow children to climb over safety fencing. Ensure that suitable non-slip surfaces are used in wet areas such as pool surrounds. Don’t compromise. Spending a little extra on ensuring safe conditions may save your, or a neighbour’s, child’s life!
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