Ways to Recycle Items for the Garden

In this article you will learn how to recycle items in and outside of the garden, from the starting of seeds to the compost bin.

For Seed Starting:

These next few items are nice to recycle for starting seeds because they can be put right in the ground when planting and they will quickly decompose. Card board egg cartons, toilet paper rolls can be stood up in a shoebox, paper towel rolls cut in thirds, ¾ or ½ of an egg shell, Jell-O, pudding and medicine boxes.

You can also start seeds in items such as yogurt containers, single serving jello, pudding and fruit containers. You can also use soda bottles cut in half, laundry detergent caps, juice containers, Dixie cups, Styrofoam egg cartons, old ice cube trays.

Cloches, Mini Greenhouses and Cold Frames:

For a mini greenhouse you can take a 2 liter bottle and lay it sideways, squish it down a bit so it will stay in place. Cut three sides of a rectangle on top, leaving one of the long sides uncut. Open and bend back the rectangle flap. Fill about 1/3 of the bottle with dirt and plant about 5 - 8 seeds in it. Water, close flap and when seeds start to sprout put in a sunny spot. Clear plastic containers that hold a sandwich or salad make nice little greenhouse.

To protect seedling that are already planted outside cut a 16 or 24 ounce soda bottles bottom off. With cap removed put the bottle over the seedling and push in to the ground a bit. For plants such as a tomato or green pepper, use a 2 liter bottle or a milk jug using the same procedure.

To make a cold frame you can take a fruit crate, wooden box, sand box, and an old dresser drawer or build a box from some recycled wood, like from wood pallets. Find a window that will fit over the box and put two hinges on the back. You can even use an old fish take for a cold frame by turning it upside down.

Plant Markers:
Plant marker can be made from a lot of recycled items, you can use old mini blinds, paint sticks, Popsicle sticks, plastic knives, forks and spoons, knitting needles with wooden beads put on (one for each letter), ceramic or terra cotta tiles and old wooden spoons make great plant markers.

Items:
The Large Buckets you can get from a bakery or restaurant make wonderful little rain barrel for the garden.
A Garbage Can with a hole cut in the lid, can be put under a downspout for saving rain water.
A Step Ladder in your garden can hold pots of flowers, or is wonderful for having morning glories or honey suckle climb on.
Hang or stake a piece of Lattice, to use as a trellis.
An old Garden Hose makes a good cover for over cords outside. You can use an old hose for a garden soaker, lie the hose in your garden and with a spike nail poke holes where needed by plants, cap end and let water trickle through.
Wooden pallets make great compost bins; can be taken apart and made into raised beds and can make cute garden signs.
Keep some Garden Tools and Gloves in an old mail box, bread box or tool box. Put it by your garden and it makes it very handy when you need these items.
Old Dishes can make a nice border.
For Herbs plant by your kitchen or back door in a old roasting pan, wooden fruit crate or wash tub. You can hang a three tier vegetable basket and even have some lettuce or spinach in the bottom basket.

Compost Bins:
You can make a compost bin from chicken wire and metal stakes. It is a perfect idea to hide the bin a bit by planting some beans or peas around the chicken wire. If flowers are more your style morning glories come in an array of colors and would cover the bin quickly.

You can make a wooden compost bin very easily by using wooden pallets, you can screw them together of even wire them together with sturdy wire. This bin being sturdier than the chicken wire you can plant cucumbers or such on it.