Page 37 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2022/23

Recycling in the Garden
I know we have had short articles on recycling before and not that long ago, but I thought I would put together a fairly comprehensive list especially with the current economic situation and the need to recycle more and lead more sustainable lives. The more we reuse and recycle the less resources we are using, and this is important if these resources use oil, other energy, concrete in there manufacture. Have a look at the list and you could save a few pennies, help the environment, or pass onto a friend or relative who may need to save money. They are in no particular order just as
I thought of them or found them when researching. Some have been mentioned before but there is no harm in repeating good ideas.
Pallets
These have many uses from making compost bins, seed boxes, tables, outdoor chairs, benches and plant containers, just keep your eyes open
they are freely available.
They make good shelving
and vertical growing
containers. They are ideal
for making fencing and
windbreaks and are about
the right height for a low
fence. There are many
ideas on the internet for
uses for pallets if you
have a good supply.
Plant Pots
Recycle plastic or clay
pots for as many times as
you can, there is no harm in reusing plastic just try to avoid buying new if you can. Loo roll tubes are useful for growing seedlings, newspaper can be used to make paper pots. Yogurt, cream, and other plastic food containers make very good plant pots just make some holes in for drainage. Plastic bottles and milk container can be used the same.
Glass jars that held jam, honey,
Recycled materials used to build a bug hotel
mayonnaise, etc fit nicely over 9cm pots to make a mini green house for propagation of seed or cuttings. They could be used
as cloches in the garden but you need to
and used as plant labels, if cleaned they can be reused again as can most plastic plant labels. Lollipop sticks are a useful source
of wooden labels. If the edges of seed trays are wide enough use old light coloured emulsion paint to paint part of the end edge then the plant name can be written on here. The trays can be re-painted many times.
Paths
Used bricks, concrete slabs, woodchip can all be used for paths, broken paving slabs make good crazy paving and is a lot cheaper than decking! Old tiles can be used for the path edging.
Plastic Bottles
These have a multitude of uses from cutting the bottom off and using as a mini cloche, drilling holes in the cap to use for watering, making a greenhouse (I have seen one and they work, you need a lot of bottles). They can also be made into bird feeders without too much effort.
The caps to some bottles can be used as cane tops to reduce the chance of being poked in the eye, or at least reduce the damage. Corks can also be used if a hole is drilled in them or the are partly split to slide onto the cane.
The 4 or 6 litre milk containers can be
Frame made from recycled glass
Glass jars that held jam, honey, mayonnaise, etc fit nicely over 9cm pots to make a mini green house for propagation of seed or cuttings
make sure not to
accidentally smash them or you have broken glass to clear up.
Plant Containers
Old furniture drawers make good plant containers / beds
and even without any preservative treatment I had a deep drawer that lasted 5 or 6 years before I had to replace it. Pallets can be deconstructed and made into raised beds, other materials are car tyres, old wheelbarrows,
old buckets even if they leak, plastic paint or fence treatment tubs, old sinks and even toilets, old concrete slabs. Tin cans can be painted to make attractive small growing containers but are better recycled for new cans via the local council.
Plant Labels
The lids from margarine and butter containers can be cut into 2cm wide strips
3 recycled containers
Cress in a recycled punnet
Simply Vegetables 37