10 Steps to a Nature Garden (online course)
10 Steps to a Nature Garden is a wonderful self-paced online course from Patch of the Planet, on how to grow a wildlife-friendly garden. Ideal for anyone who loves nature, it includes over 4 hours of videos, and lots of exercises, plus you join the ‘Patch Pals’ online learning community.
The course was created by ecological gardeners, who are experts on permaculture and fruit trees. They know how to grow a garden that will be loved not just by you, but visiting mammals to tiny insects!
If you share your home with animal friends, learn about pet-friendly gardens (many plants and mulches are unsafe near animal friends). And use nontoxic humane slug and snail deterrents (organic gardens should take care of this by attracting birds, ladybirds, frogs and toads).
Simple swaps for a wildlife-friendly garden
Know what not to feed birds (and how to site feeders/houses/bird baths safely – clear look-outs for predators and keep cats indoors at dusk/dawn when birds are feeding – avoid ‘climbable’ poles)).
Read how to create safe havens for garden birds and stop birds flying into windows (switch off lights when not in use, avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens and place feeders less than 3 feet or more than 10 feet away).
Swap strimmers for garden shears. Good exercise and avoids injuries to sleeping wildlife (or sweep through long grass with a broom handle first). Same with mowing (never use robotic mowers as slow-moving wildlife can’t escape in time).
Choose native plants and garden organic! Recycle empty chemical bottles in bins, take non-empty bottles to hazardous waste (don’t pour down drains).
No-dig gardening (protects earthworms which do most work for you, and stag beetles (big grubs you find in soil).
Fruit tree protectors over netting are best (remove during pollination, so bees can create food and flowers). See the post for info on how to safely dispose of plastic netting (buy fresh produce loose to avoid onion/citrus netting). And stow away rotary washing lines and football nets, when not in use.
Peat-free compost (keep fresh compost and cocoa mulch away from pets – pine and rubber mulch can also puncture or choke). Move piles gently to avoid harm to hogs and frogs (avoid bonfires).
Garden water safety. Choose shallow (non-slippery bowls) with large stones as landing pads for small creatures. Ensure sloping sides for wildlife-friendly ponds. Troughs on farms are hazards, read more on how to help wild owls.
If knocking down old sheds, check for foxes (make dens underneath) and hibernating bats and hedgehogs. Check hoglets have left home (at least 8 weeks after giving birth, which can be from spring to July).
Hedges are better than solid fences. It’s not always practical (choose non-toxic versions for pets (holly is unsafe) and livestock (yew is toxic to horses and livestock). But in the wild, hedges are better as it’s easier for wildlife to shelter.
Leave sheltered spots. Leave out leaf litter, log piles and hollow stems for wildlife to shelter (and hibernating mammals can sleep through winter):
- Prickly hedgehogs (need ‘hedgehog highways’ to move between gardens at night). If you have pets, cover up holes during the day, when hogs are asleep). Also cover drain holes and remove litter.
- Sleepy dormice (farmers can plant hazelnut trees, which they fatten up on, to get through their long winter sleep).
- (not-scary) bats! (illegal to disturb unless a bat rescuer). Plant night-scented flowers for nectar). Evening primrose and lavender are listed as non-toxic to most pets (there is conflicting info for rabbits and guinea pigs).
