How to Make Gardening Supplies and Tools from Recycled Materials

Many gardeners grow their own food because it saves money and is less expensive than buying food from the store. Not only that, but by growing your own food, you know exactly where your food came from, how it was grown, and what kinds of chemicals were used in the growing process.

If you are like me and you grow garden fruits and vegetables because you are on a budget and want to save money, you may be interested in knowing that there are even more ways that you can save money by gardening. There are a number of gardening tools and supplies that you can make yourself from recycled materials.

Yogurt containers are one of the most useful recycled materials for gardeners. Any size container will work, depending on the types of plants you want to grow. Save all of your yogurt containers and wash them well. Most yogurt containers stack easily. I try to buy the type that are cup shaped: small at the bottom and large at the top. These are the easiest to use if you want cups that are stackable.

Yogurt containers can be used as planters when seed starting. Use them the same way that you would any other seed starting pallet or container. Fill the yogurt cup with soil and plant your seeds on top. Small yogurt containers can be used for starting small seeds before transplanting them. The larger yogurt containers can be used for starting larger plants such as fruit trees or shrubs. It's also a good idea to grow herbs in larger containers so that they will be stronger and have a well-developed root system when you plant them.

I like to save water jugs for growing container gardens. Many garden plants can be grown in containers and it is not necessary to purchase special pots to grow your herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Plastic milk jugs and water jugs can be just as useful. All you need to do is use a pair of heavy duty scissors or a steak knife to carefully cut the top off of your bottles.

Another great use for plastic milk jugs is plant markers. Cut them into strips and make one end pointed. You can write the names of your garden plants on the plastic strip with a permanent marker or sharpie. The plant label will not fade and it will withstand the elements very well.

Plastic milk jugs also make wonderful watering cans, garden scoops, and spreaders for fertilizer. To make a watering can, poke small holes in the bottom of the milk jug. Fill the jug by immersing it in a barrel of water, then hold it by the handle and sprinkle over your plants. If you want to use the jug to spread fertilizer, make the holes in the bottom larger - about ¼ inch in size. For a scoop, cut the bottom half of the jug off diagonally starting from the handle and cutting in a diagonal line to the opposite corner. These scoops are great for spreading manure, fertilizer, and animal feed.

Newspaper can be used for all types of things in the garden. Aside from the obvious compost, old newspapers can be used for plant mulch. The wet newspaper pages can be laid down in layers over our garden and it will not blow away. Make individual x-shaped cuts in the surface of the newspaper for your seedlings to sprout through. The mulch will prevent weeds from coming up in your garden.

Another great use for old recycled newspapers is to make planting pots out of them. Several companies online sell seed pot kits that let you make perfectly shaped planting pots from paper. Bountiful Gardens sells a neat little maple wood pot maker that is very affordable and will last for years. All you have to do is put newspaper in and smash it into a pot shape.