Recycling in the Garden
Peat Pots from Toilet Rolls
Making your own peat pots from toilet rolls couldn't be simpler. All you have to do is cut them in half, then cut one end in four places and fold the flaps inward to make a bottom. You need to put them in a plastic tray and add potting mix. It is not necessary to tape the bottom (but go ahead if you really want to) as once they are wet they will stand up fine. These are great for seed starting and cuttings. You do need to water them until the cardboard is wet so that they don't dry out the soil. It can be a good idea to let them soak up the water from the bottom rather than watering from above. If you need taller pots then use the roll whole.
When you are ready to repot or transplant all you have to do is put the whole thing into the new pot as they will break down and become part of the soil.
Rubber Tyres
1. If you have access to these then you can stack them in a corner n your garden and use them as a compost bin.
2. You can also use these to make potato planters. Stack two and fill with soil and add your seeds. You can add more tyres and soil as the plant grows. When it is time to harvest it is as simple as tipping the stack over, this saves you the back breaking work of digging them up!
Mini Greenhouses from Plastic Bottles
The trick here is to get the right size bottle to fit over your pot. Then all you do is cut the bottom off the bottle with some sharp scissors. Take the lid of for ventilation and place the bottle over the cutting. If your bottle clouds up so that you can't see in then you need to remove it temporarily and let the soil dry out a little. This method works well for germinating seeds and for cuttings. The important thing to remember is not to let the bottle cloud up as this means that the conditions are ideal for fungus to grow and ruin your plant. Remember keep these out of direct sunlight so you don't kill your plants.
If you have any great ideas to reduce, reuse or recycle in the garden then please tell us about them!
The trick here is to get the right size bottle to fit over your pot. Then all you do is cut the bottom off the bottle with some sharp scissors. Take the lid of for ventilation and place the bottle over the cutting. If your bottle clouds up so that you can't see in then you need to remove it temporarily and let the soil dry out a little. This method works well for germinating seeds and for cuttings. The important thing to remember is not to let the bottle cloud up as this means that the conditions are ideal for fungus to grow and ruin your plant. Remember keep these out of direct sunlight so you don't kill your plants.
If you have any great ideas to reduce, reuse or recycle in the garden then please tell us about them!
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