Gardening close to nature
Autumn is approaching and with it one of the most important seasons for hobby gardeners. Which is becoming increasingly important for them: Maintaining the home garden as a valuable habitat for insects and other animals. One of the prerequisites for this is not using pesticides or other chemicals.
Although synthetic chemical pesticides are mainly used in agriculture, many active ingredients are also approved for hobby use and, despite the trend back towards natural gardens, around 5,500 tons of pure active ingredients are still sold to non-professional users in Germany every year. Agents that fatally harm not only aphids and other unloved insects, but also beneficial insects such as wild bees, butterflies and hoverflies.
And this despite the fact that chemical-free and natural gardening is not only possible, but also very easy.
- Weeding wild herbs by hand
- Use nesting aids to create habitats for beneficial insects, preferably in "wild" corners of the garden
- Don't mow the lawn every week
- Native plants are usually more robust than colorful exotics
- Use natural fertilizers such as plant dips for fertilizing
- Choose peat-free soil
