I’m Mattias, and I am the creator of this blog.
I am not your typical green living advocate.
It has taken me almost 5 years to arrive where I am today.
And I am proof that living greener can save money without sacrificing convenience. Smart and eco-friendly things save money and benefit the environment.
For me, it all started with growing herbs and vegetables at home when Covid-19 shut down my travel businesses.
The guiding force was self-interest with a sprinkling of common sense.
It All Started With Finding More Time For Gardening
When COVID-19 hit, I suddenly had time on my hands. I have always been interested in growing stuff, so being a nerd, I scaled up – BIG time.
I started growing herbs and vegetables.
And I wanted to do it well.
I read a lot and took courses in everything from botany, building raised garden beds, growing tomatoes from seed to hydroponics, indoor gardening, and rainwater irrigation systems.
And this is when it happened. My version of urban sustainability was starting to take form.
Urban Sustainability – Saving Money With Bragging Rights
Making eco-friendly choices was actually saving me money. My food bill dropped, and I ate better food (I have lost 10 kg / 22 pounds).
This spurred me on.
I started looking into energy-efficient appliances, smarter technology for heating, LED lighting, solar-powered outdoor lighting, and so on. As a result:
- My heating bill was cut in half using smart technology to heat our house
- I paid less for water using efficient shower heads, drip irrigation systems, and rainwater harvesting.
- I introduced a 5-minute maximum on showers
- I started bringing bags and a shopping list to the grocery store
- and the list goes on
I am here to tell you that living greener can make a difference for the environment and your wallet.
It is all about the journey and understanding how small changes to your daily routines can have a big impact.
Sure, there is always more to do. But doing something beats doing nothing every time.
Two Types Of Changes: Now vs. Next Time
There are things you can do today that will save you money. These things are mainly about changing habits and introducing smarter tools that do not cost a lot but can save money over time. Examples would be water-saving shower heads and replacing regular bulbs with low-energy LED lights as they break.
And then we have the “Next Time” category. It does not make sense to
- Replace a 3-year-old freezer because a more energy-efficient model is on the market.
- Replace your almost-new heater with the latest super-duper smart technology air pump from Nibe
- Do everything at once, break the bank, and lower your quality of life
Some changes would make sense already today, but will have to wait until the next time we make a purchase or investment in our home.
I can give you two examples from our home:
- We replaced our heater last year and now enjoy tremendous savings using our NIBE S2125-8/12 air/water heat pump.
- Our refrigerator broke, and after a failed attempt to repair it, we replaced it with a more energy-efficient model
These are both next-time types of changes driven by necessity where it makes sense to look for cheaper to run solutions.
A Little Bit About My Outdoor Gardening
I am gardening in a four-season climate (zone 7), and while most techniques and tips are universal, they may be best suited for zones 4-8.
I draw on years of gardening experience and knowledge from gardening courses and training programs by, for example, Hemmaodlat at SLU, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the National Gardening Association. If pressed, I would confidently label myself an expert home gardener.

Editorial guidelines
We do not cover every conceivable plant, herb, vegetable, or smart money-saving appliance or piece of equipment.
If we are not growing it or have experience using it, we cannot give a first-hand account, and then it does not belong here.
Chat-GPT and similar AI writing tools have become very popular. We do not publish content generated by robots.
We write about our experiences and use our own photos.
But we use tools like Grammarly to help with spelling and overall readability.
My problem is that I write too much. A bit like I speak. Tools like Grammarly help me stay on topic and not write about everything I know in every article. My 20 word sentences become more easy to read while staying true to my message.
What about your reviews and recommendations?
Our reviews are recommendations where we list the tools, equipment, and gadgets we use in our garden, home, and to grow indoors. We only list tools we like and feel good about recommending. After all, if they work for us, they should also work for you.
We prefer to review the actual product, but there are also instances where we review a product with specific characteristics.
Why?
Well, some products are standardized. For example, a heavy-duty seed starter tray comes in many shapes and designs; we choose a couple and guide you to the areas where you should focus for the best results and value.
We never receive payment for our recommendations. But sometimes, we may receive a commission if you make a purchase using our link at no extra cost to you.
Everything we recommend has been used as it was meant to be used - to help us live greener and grow herbs and vegetables in our home and gardens. In short, we use the product and try to help you decide if the purchase will help you and whether it is worth your money.
Sometimes we suggest co-owning tools with friends or neighbors as they are useful but only used once or twice a year, like, for example, a heavy-duty branch cutter.
If you would like us to test your product, please contact us. Our review will be fair, but you will have no say in what we write and whether we recommend your product.
We garden both indoors and outdoors – year-round
We start herbs and vegetables from seeds and cuttings, focusing on using grow bags, pots, containers, and raised garden beds.
We are also firm believers in DIY and using what you have. Successful larger DIY projects include making DIY grow bags to save money, building your own raised garden beds from scratch, and making DIY hydroponic grow systems.

But we also share smaller versions of DIY projects, like how to build a fungus gnat trap using an empty plastic bottle and apple cider vinegar.

As gardening plays a big part in my life, I may also include tips about lawn care, flowers, shrubs, trees, and bushes. You want a diverse growing space that attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects.
You Can Also Find Us On YouTube
Our YouTube channel offers easy-to-follow video tutorials that will help get you started. Thank you for bearing with us as we learn to shoot and edit the perfect YouTube video. As you have noticed, I am a gardener, not a movie director.
Find our YouTube channel by clicking this link: “Youtube.com/NordicLavender. “
If you find our videos helpful, please remember to support us by clicking “Like” and “Subscribe” to our YouTube channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
More about us
We are avid gardeners and have generations of knowledge and expertise to share.
Gardening is our main passion, particularly growing herbs and vegetables from seeds. And that is where it all started.

Most global plant hardiness zone maps place us in hardiness zone 7 (worldwide USDA hardiness zone 7a/7b). But we are firm believers in “growth zone hacking.” Using combinations of indoor and outdoor spaces, we, for example, grow ginger and turmeric. This is just one of many advantages of container gardening, where we can use pots, grow bags, and containers to our advantage.
But if we listen to Roger D. Magarey (Ph. D) from North Carolina State University all hardiness zones could soon change.
We never stop learning about a particular herb or vegetable. There is always more to learn. Our how-to tutorials are continually updated with our findings, and we always try to include details such as the type of pot and soil used.

You will also find buying guides on what and where to buy the best gardening gear to help you create your perfect garden.
Almost all photos on our website come from one of our gardens. You must contact us for permission before using any of our images.
All the best,
Mattias, aka “Matt – The Gardener”