Our top New Year’s tips to help you make your gardening resolution in 2021!

Happy New Year Gardeners. With the new year comes new beginnings – the perfect time to make change. So why not choose resolutions that benefit your wellbeing, your physical health, but also bring you joy? Yes, we’re talking about gardening! For those of you who haven’t yet chosen your resolutions or just simply want some inspiration, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a guide of inspiring New Year resolutions for gardeners to help you make a positive start to 2021.

Leave the old behind to make room for the new. The same applies with your garden. We’ve all got that place we like to store unused tools and unwanted clutter. Out of sight, out of mind. Well, that ends now! Begin by removing everything from your shed and creating three categories; keep, recycle and remove. Once your items are sorted, take everything in the keep pile and ask yourself whether you’ll use it within the next year? If not, get rid. Any broken items that haven’t been fixed over the next three months probably need to go too – remember to recycle responsibly!

Gardeners can be guilty of using lots of water. However, you can keep your garden alive -naturally - by using rainwater. Invest in a watering butt and solar powered Irrigatia system. This way rainwater can be collected and used to keep your garden thriving. The solar powered controllers provide plants with the correct amount of water they need automatically! Not only will you save water - you will also save money and time this year.

Why not make 2021 the year of growing your own fruit and veg? Some easy-to-grow crops are salad leaves, sugar-snap peas, kale and potatoes. For those of you accustomed to growing your own already, why not try some more challenging crops? You could try mastering a successful growth of onions, broccoli, cauliflower or celery.

Whilst it’s freezing cold outside, it may not seem like the most appealing time to stain and paint your fence panels. However, doing this now will save lots of time and money in the future. Untreated wood soaks in water. In the winter this freezes and expands causing the wood to split. Once this happens, it’s too late, the entire fence will need replacing. To prevent this, start the new year by treating your fences on a clear day. Be sure to look out for water-repellent shed and fence treatment. Wood preserver can be used beforehand as an extra measure for protection.

Make steps towards sustainability through reducing plastic use. Where possible - substitute plastic with other materials. Jute netting is a far more sustainable option to support climbing vegetables - and is just as effective. Rather than plastic, choose metal gardening tools too. You should also buy ceramic, terracotta or metal growing containers. The majority of plastic gardening items can now be bought using more sustainable alternatives. Did you know you can now even get gardening gloves made from bamboo?

As we all know, our bumble bees are sadly in decline. So, why not make a pledge to help out the bee population? This can be done simply through growing flowers and plants that they’re attracted to. Hollyhocks, Cosmos, Lavender, Bee Balm, Crab Apples, Butterfly Bushes, Hellebores, Crocuses and Fox Gloves are all examples of bee-friendly plants. Whilst this will help your garden to flourish, it will also help our buzzing friend community too!

Whichever New Year’s resolutions you choose, remember to find joy within them!

If you’re pledging to save water and the environment in 2021, head to shop.irrigatia.com to order your own Irrigatia system.