Three ways to connect with nature from your backyard

Spring is a wonderful time of the year to enjoy the outdoors. Here are some top tips from our environmental experts on how to connect with the nature around you without leaving the backyard.

1. Start or level up your garden

You don’t need much to get a Spring garden going, and just a few pots are enough to get started. Start by removing out of season plants and weeds, then turn the soil and add compost a few weeks before planting your seeds or seedlings. Some great plants to grow in Spring are beans, capsicums, melon, tomato, carrots, basil and rocket. Until established, seeds and seedlings will need daily watering. Potted plants need regular watering to stop them from drying out.

2. Become a citizen scientist

• Your backyard is teeming with life waiting to be discovered. Download the FrogID app so you can identify the frogs near you by recording their calls. Scientists use these recordings to understand the diversity and habits of frogs around Australia and develop research to protect them
• Download the Aussie Bird Count app to count and discover the birds flying overhead or in the trees around you. Every bird you count helps scientists gain a better understanding of bird populations and how to protect them.

3. Grow vertically to reduce urban heat

Build a vertical garden in your backyard to help reduce urban heat by increasing shade and reducing reflection from surfaces, but also it’s a fun way to grow plants in an interesting way. A vertical garden is simply a garden that isn’t horizontal. It can be as simple as planter boxes mounted to a wall or just a recycled modified pallet safely leaning in a good spot for sunlight.