While caring for our gardens can seem like the most natural way to preserve our patch of the planet, reckless gardening can have the opposite effect and cause severe damage to our ecosystem.

Weed killers, garden pest control products and some gardening equipment can emit harmful chemicals and pollutants into the soil that grows our food and air that fills our lungs.

Here, gardening expert Peter Dowdall, aka The Irish Gardener, lists his essential eco-friendly gardening equipment.

Eco-friendly garden essentials

It’s not just that petrol garden machines are environmentally unfriendly, they’re extremely environmentally unfriendly. The Co2 emissions also linger around head level for quite a while after use so it’s not good for the environment, the family or wildlife.

The alternatives are electric tools or battery operated ones. Now, nothing is 100% perfect, the electric equipment uses energy and the production of lithium batteries isn’t great either, but they’re still a country mile above petrol machines in terms of emissions of Co2, carbon monoxide and other pollutants.

You can get brilliant battery operated lawnmowers, multi-function garden trimmers, leaf blowers - all of which I would say are essential pieces of garden equipment. If you stick to the same brand it also means you’ll have several batteries on the go in case one runs out.

I always say the garden is the cheapest and most convenient gym you’ll ever find so feel free to get out there without the power tools and use good old fashioned hedge shears for a 100% eco friendly option. You’ll get a great aerobic workout and you’ll feel good about yourself because you’re not polluting the airspace in any way.

Other garden essentials that I have to recommend are a good quality pair of secateurs - the ones in discount stores won’t cut it, I’ve tried them. Secateurs are an extension of every gardener's wrist and so they’re really worth investing in.

Next is a hand trowel, again the cheap ones will just bend so buy a quality trowel that will stand the test of time.

Find out more at theirishgardener.com