Gardens play a critical role in climate and nature recovery

A resident-facing stewardship programme that supports biodiversity, climate resilience and long-term place quality, without adding delivery burden

The Self-Sustaining Garden programme

The Problem

30–50% of residential green infrastructure sits within private gardens, but residents often lack the skills and confidence to support environmental intent.

Residents are left to make decisions on soil, planting and water with little guidance. Over time, well-intended actions undermine drainage, biodiversity and place quality.

This leads to:

Declining biodiversity and climate resilience
Underperforming soils and sustainable drainage (SuDS)
Rising customer care, repairs and void issues
Gradual deterioration of scheme appearance
No credible way to evidence ongoing stewardship or resident engagement

The issue is simple: long-term performance relies on resident behaviour - but residents are rarely supported to manage gardens well.

The Solution

A fully-hosted stewardship programme that supports residents to create and maintain successful gardens with no additional workload for project teams.

The programme provides:

Clear, practical guidance on soil care, planting and water management
Improved long-term green infrastructure (in line with BNG, SuDS and S106 intent)
Reduced customer-care and repairs demand linked to garden condition.
A credible way to demonstrate ongoing stewardship after handover
A scalable solution for all plots - co-branded, fully supported and ready to deploy

How it works

A four-step, zero-admin process, scalable across all plots. Delivered within 5–10 days.

Download Overview pdf.

For consultants and bid teams:
Copy-ready wording and inclusion guidance is available on request.

Endorsement

“Mike's approach is deeply rooted in thoughtful, practical sustainability, with an eye for design that makes regenerative systems both effective and accessible. He brings a rare attention to detail that ensures solutions aren’t just good ideas—they’re well-executed, resilient, and impactful. His work has the potential to inspire and empower many.”

★★★★★

Javan Bernakevitch
All Points Design / Oregon State University

Meet Mike Carthew - Founder & Director

Mike’s background spans project management, geography and ecological design alongside more than a decade working directly with learners and households. This combination gives him a practical understanding of soil, planting, drainage and place quality - and how resident decisions shape outcomes over time.

Garden Footprint was created to address the garden stewardship gap: translating sustainability and environmental intent into clear, realistic guidance that residents can actually use. It helps protect long-term outcomes without adding delivery or management burden.

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