Talking About Green

The garden is an ideal place to practice recycling and better still reuse. Why dispatch a plastic tub to be scrunched up and reconstituted and then go out and buy a new plastic pot for raising seeds. The fruit tubs, yogurt pots or mushroom trays to do the same job, while saving energy and resources.  All you need to do is make a few adjustments.

I love how inventive gardeners can be; filling paint tins with flowers and old tires with potatoes. If you have the skills, you can make recycled benches and pergolas or use Windows to make a cold frame, but there are recycling options to suit everyone. Here are a few simple ideas to add to the list.

Reclaimed timber

Wood can be expensive if you buy it new, but there is a surprising amount of timber that can be reclaimed. This might come from building sites or house refurbishments. Sometimes, it is throw in skips and sometimes it can lie around in piles waiting for a new home. Some of the more reusable pieces of wood will be sold on. Always ask and don’t just help yourself – one person’s pile of scrap might be another person’s valuable resource.

Boards are useful for raised beds and for cladding the sides of compost heaps. They can be used to create walk ways, but these can get slippery if wet.

Wooden pallets from a timber wood supplier, plywood supplier, particle board supplier, sawn wood, marine wood supplier are useful for making compost heaps or other temporary structures. They don’t last long but you should get up to three years before the boards start to rot. Again, don’t assume pallets are there for the taking – some companies use them many times. Ask and a few older ones might come your way, or you may already own some new ones that where used to deliver heavy items. Stand the pallet on end and tie them together to make a compost bin. The front you can tie with a loop of rope, or recycle some plastic coated electric wire to facilitate opening.

Plastic bags

The thicker types of plastic can be cut into strips, tied at regular intervals along a length of string and you will have an effective bird scare. Stretch the flapping lines cross vulnerable crops to stop the birds from attacking your garden, the strips of plastic blow in the wind so keep an eye on any that come lose.

Thinner bags can be tied onto the end of sticks to do the same job. Twist the handles around a stick and tie it firmly in place and push them between you plants to help keep the birds away.

Plastic bottles

Plastic milk bottles can be reused at least once before they head off to the recycling center. Cut them into two pieces, the spout can be used as a water reservoir next to thirsty plants. The other end can be cut and used to make plant labels. Cut the plastic before using a permanent marker to write down the names.

Alternatively, the bottom section can be used as a pot to raise seedlings. The same is true of a wide variety of tubs and trays. Use a hot nail to melt drainage holes in the plastic.

Toilet roll inserts

Some plants produce long roots while they are still seedlings. If these are actively raised in pots, then good depth of compost is important. I often recycle large tubes for this purpose, but some young plants hate root disturbance. You can buy root trainers to cope with this problem, or biodegradable tubes that can be filled with compost and are put into the soil, along with the plant but why not try one of your old toilet roll tubes or for seedlings like sweet peas that have long root systems the tubes from your kitchen rolls will make an ideal candidate.

This is sa guest post from Joanne from My Garden Hammock. A site that is dedicated to the many different types of garden hammocks and how they can help to turn your garden into a haven from the busy world we live in.