Acquiring equipment for gardening can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve put together a list of items that you can reuse and recycle in your garden.
In this video, we identify common household items which can be reused and demonstrate how to adapt them to benefit your plant. We’ve also included the video text below, at the request of our readers. After you watch this video, why try our Almanac Garden Planner for free here: http://gardenplanner.almanac.com/
Recycling for the Garden
By recycling or repurposing waste materials you can save money while doing your bit to go green – one man’s trash really is another’s treasure!
Seed Sowing and Labeling
Old yogurt pots are the perfect size for seed sowing – just puncture holes into the base for drainage. Old fruit punnets make excellent miniature seed trays, while toilet roll tubes are ideal for starting off deeper-rooted veggies such as peas, beans and corn. You can also sow rows of peas into surplus lengths of guttering. Polystyrene cups make fun-sized containers for kids to grow small salad crops such as radishes. Pinch holes out at the base of the cup to make drainage holes.
Newspaper can be easily made into pots. Fold one page in half lengthways and roll it around a toilet roll tube so that the tube sticks out above the folded edge of the paper. Gather up and push in the loose ends of the paper, remove the tube then fill with potting soil. At planting time, leave the paper pot in place – it will just rot away in the ground.
Make your own plant labels by cutting out strips of yogurt pot, or re-use lollipop sticks. Write on the labels with a permanent marker. Lengths of batten make excellent semi-permanent labels, ideal for marking out the ends of rows.
Many plants need protection from the cold and wind when first planted out. Cut clear plastic drinks bottles in half to make two miniature greenhouses to pop over individual plants. Keep lids screwed on during cold nights or remove during the day to prevent the seedlings from overheating. Bubble wrap from postal deliveries makes fantastic temporary insulation on frosty nights, while polystyrene fish boxes provide a cozy microclimate around seed trays, especially when combined with a heat mat underneath.
Old windows can be used to make a cold frame. Attach them to a wooden frame using new or second-hand hinges, then screw in handles at the front and slant the window to face the sun.
Crops can be protected from pests such as pigeons by draping netting over canes topped with upturned pots – or, dangle old CDs on colored string, or cover young plants with hanging basket frames. Make a low tunnel by pushing down lengths of old plastic water pipe onto sturdy upright pegs to create hoops, then fix protective netting, fleece or mesh over your hoops.
Literally anything that holds potting soil makes a good container. Try planting in old pans, colanders, laundry baskets, chests of drawers, or use metal objects such as repurposed milk churns, coal buckets or water tanks for a lovely rustic look. Recycle food tins as they are, or painted to give an injection of color. Make sure your intended container has enough drainage holes, or add your own.
Use old potting soil sacks for root veg such as carrots or potatoes. Other ideas for recycled bag containers include sturdy grocery store bags, rubble or builders’ bags, and hessian sacks.
Old planks of wood are widely available, and are less likely to warp than new wood. By reusing them you’ll avoid the need to cut down more trees. Untreated wood is best, as some older wood treatments may contain toxic chemicals that can leach into the soil.
Make a compost bin by nailing planks to corner posts, create a plant stand by securing timber onto A-frames, or screw battens together to form a crop protection frame. Make seed trays, fences, window boxes, or even the garden shed – the possibilities are endless!
Timber makes good-looking raised beds. Simply fix thick planks to each other or screw thinner lengths of timber to corner posts hammered into the ground to anchor the bed.
Any number of scraps and garden cast-offs could be used to create a handsome hotel for beneficial bugs. Tires lined with garbage sacks make instant raised beds and can be stacked up for vegetables such as potatoes that need lots of root space. Salvage old pavers to create stepping stones or paths between beds, or box in compost heaps with corrugated metal sheets.
These are just a few ideas to make the most of what you might otherwise throw away.
What do you recycle in the garden? Tell us by leaving a comment below.