A worm compost bin is a great way to break down kitchen waste and is simple to build. It is an efficient way to compost because it lets the worms to do most of the work! You can purchase worms from your local pet store or you can leave the compost bin outdoors and let worms naturally migrate to it. Here is a detailed plan on building your own worm compost bin courtesy of Pierce County Public Works.
Wildlfowers are excellent food sources for a variety of native animals like butterflies and bees. Feel free to browse the Irish Wildflowers Database to see what kinds of flowers would suit your home!
How you maintain your garden affects the soil, air, water and habitat for wildlife visiting or living on your property as well as the people around you. Excessive use of herbicides or pesticides, for example, can negatively affect the soil and water quality in your garden. Here are some sustainable gardening tips that you can use to maintain a healthy habitat garden:
1) use mulch
Mulch helps keep water in the soil and available to the plant instead of evaporating into the air. Additionally, as mulch breaks down it nutrients are transferred to the soil. This provides natural fertiliser for your plants and should help cut down on excessive use of store-bought fertiliser. Make sure to use mulches that are from sustainable forestry practices and are free from pests or, if you prefer, you can make your own mulch from leafy litter, grass cuttings, gravel and even paper or cardboard. IrishGardeners.com provides a detailed summary of the benefits of using mulch as well as the different materials you can use to make your own mulch here. Another detailed site on mulching is Sandro Cafolla's site.
2) Minimise Lawn Areas
Grass lawns often require chemicals and frequent maintenance to maintain that 'manicured' look. Additionally, petrol lawnmowers produce greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming and air pollution. Since lawns are often made of only a few types of plants that most wildlife animals do not consume, they provide only a minimal value for wildlife. By replacing grass lawn with native wildflowers, bushes, and trees that provide food, shelter and cover, you are contributing to a healthy, natural ecosystems. Sandro Cafolla provides detailed plans on how to create an Irish meadows or even Irish orchard gardens as alternatives to traditional lawns here.
3) compost
Composting is great way to recycle your garden and kitchen rubbish, and is critical in reducing the waste sent to Ireland's landfills. By composting your organic rubbish, you are transforming biodegradable waste, including fruits, teabags and garden waste, into fertiliser that can improve the quality of your garden's soil without the use of harmful chemicals. Race Against Waste.Ie provides a very informative fact sheet describing how to make your own compost and what materials to use or not use. For those handy with tools and interested in wood work, the University of Wisconsin provides detailed instructions on how to build different kinds of compost bins here.
4) Remove Invasive Plants & Restoring Native Plants
Native plant species are better for the environment than exotic plants because they generally require less fertiliser and other additives, less water, and less effort in terms of pest control. They are very important to native wildlife, that may have coevolved and therefore depend on particular native plant species. Bees, for instance, may often rely on certain types of native flowers as a food source, while these same native flowers depend on the bees to transport its pollen for reproduction. Non-native plants may upset this delicate balance and may even out-compete native species.