- Green Lifestyle
The courage to be chaotic.
Kristin Oldenburg
From my home office desk I usually have a great view into the backyard, which would have been the perfect inspiration for writing this article. But all I am seeing this time is white. It’s snowing. Not only a little, it’s a blizzard. My poor roses…It’s not like I have a green thumb – but that was actually the reason for me (and the rest of the editorial office) to find out how to create a garden or arrange a balcony or flower box appropriately – meaning: ecologically correct. Here are our results:
The most important rule: Wilderness works.
Or in other words: Put an end to the orderliness. Yes, even of you want the balcony to be an extension of your living room: Some leaves, brushwood, and decorative branches between the cozy pillows, plaids, and candles won’t hurt. In fact, the contrary is the case. Insects need places to hide. And plants need insects.
Of course, that is much easier in a bigger yard. But a balcony does not have to be spotless either.
And then you can already start with the planting. The motto is: Local wild plants instead of Cherry Laurel or other exotics. Those are often quite easy to handle – a befriended eco-gardener once called the Cherry Laurel green concrete – but they do not support the biodiversity or the nutrition of bees, bumblebees, or butterflies. That’s why we prefer local wild plants.
Nature conservation organizations like Greenpeace, WWF, or local organic seed distributors provide all the information that you need.
There is one topic left to talk about: Garden soil.
Conventional, peat containing potting soil is taboo – even if it is “organic”. The extraction of peat releases CO2 that has been stored in the moors and increases the loss of many plant and animal species. An example from Germany:
“The local moor landscapes used to cover an area of 1.5 million hectare, which makes up 4.2 % of the German land area. Today, 95% of them are drained, their peat has been extracted, they have been built on, or they are used for agricultural or forestry purposes. The animals and plants, that have their habitat in moor landscapes, are endangered. More than half of the 177 plant species, that can mainly be found in nutrition-poor moors in Germany, are endangered…The CO2, that the plants absorb during their growth, is stored in the moors. According to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, moors draw 150-250 million tons CO2 worldwide from the atmosphere each year. When moors are drained, the stored greenhouse gas is released. Because of their function as CO2 reservoirs, the moorland protection as well as the renaturation of moors play a major role in terms of climate protection.” (Source WWF – translated from German)
That means, garden soil that is made from compost, bark humus, and wood fiber is definitely the better alternative.
With this in mind: Grab your rubber boots and start digging.
You would like to know more about biodiversity and climate protection?
https://www.mounthagen.de/en/responsibility/heart-soul/biodynamic-farming-is-climate-protection/https://www.mounthagen.de/en/responsibility/heart-soul/biodynamic-farming-is-climate-protection/
