With resources becoming more scarce and expensive, we need to undertake initiatives that save what we have for what is important. Water is one of the essential elements that we need to survive, but with a climate that is becoming drier, it is essential to protect this precious resource. We can do this by converting verges into edible gardens.
According to The Water Corporation, over 40% of our water is used in the garden. Any reduction in this not only is good for the ecosystem, it’s also water that the residents aren’t paying for.
Traditional green lawns take a lot of water to maintain and keep them looking nice. It’s reasonable to want a beautiful place to live, and we can do this by planting out our verges with waterwise plants or edible gardens instead of lawn. These are great alternatives to artificial turf or paving which reduce the availability of increasingly valuable greenspaces that also help to keep the suburb cool.
Edible gardens use less water than grass, and they not only can look good, but also help supply fresh food for the family or community. Including trees in a garden can also provide a habitat for native wildlife.
Lawns generally require reticulation that involves spraying, which wastes water because of evaporation, or sometimes falls outside the area and ends up on the road and paths rather than the lawn. Vegetable gardens can be watered through drip watering, which feeds the water straight to the roots of the plants, using less water.
Many areas are already supporting the growth of gardens or natives on verge areas and we believe that this should be encouraged everywhere.