Are you looking for more ways to make your garden look terrific?
Reuse the trash that clutters your home by repurposing it into something valuable and beautiful for your garden. Reusing items in your garden is a great way to reduce waste and conserve energy and money.
Check out these 13 easy recycling tips! They’ll help you reduce waste and conserve resources while giving your garden a beautiful makeover.
So what are you waiting for? Start recycling today!
1. Start by Recycling Your Food Scraps by Adding a Compost bin to Your Garden
Did you know that garden mulch retains nutrients in the soil for much longer than fertilisers?
Yes, that’s right! Garden mulch retains moisture, so your plants get the water they need over the hotter summer months. This is especially helpful when growing smaller plants and vegetables that need regular watering and attention. It can also prevent weeds from growing in your garden!
Mulch also helps to retain nutrients in the soil for longer when fertilising your garden with fertilisers. By retaining nutrients in the soil for longer, you can save money because you do not need to fertilise your garden as often, and it reduces your carbon footprint because you do not have to use as much fertiliser in your garden.
That is what makes composting an excellent way to reduce your environmental impact. It can also help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, as well as help keep greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to a minimum, not to mention that it can save you money at the same time. Composting is collecting and recycling food scraps and other organic materials and then turning them into a nutrient-rich material that you can use in your garden.
Furthermore, compost can also feed plants and trees because it is rich in nutrients and can improve their health and growth significantly. Composting also improves your garden’s health because it provides it with beneficial microbes and nutrients that are beneficial to the health of the soil. It is very inexpensive to start and maintain because you can easily make your own compost pile using materials you already have on hand.
Furthermore, composting improves soil structure and water retention, so your plants will grow better than in soil that hasn’t been composted.
2. Make Beautiful Mulch for Your Plants out of old Newspapers, Cardboard Boxes, And Other Recyclable Materials
Newspapers or old corrugated cardboard are inexpensive materials that you can use to make attractive mulch for the flowers and vegetables in your garden.
Making the mulch from a wad of crumpled cardboard or newspaper only takes a few minutes, and you can save even more money by recycling the materials this way. Below are the steps involved in making your own mulch from these materials:
- Firstly, tear the newspaper or cardboard into strips and shred them into small pieces.
- Next, you can spread a layer of newspaper or cardboard on the ground and moisten it with water. Allow it to sit until it has soaked up the water, and then cover it with another layer.
- Finally, spread another layer over the top and moisten it. After about a week, the newspaper or cardboard will decompose and turn into mulch that your plants and flowers will love!
Did you know that you can make beautiful containers from recyclable materials and other household items?
This can be beneficial to your gardening efforts in several ways: it’s great for recycling old items that would otherwise end up in a landfill or strewn around your yard; it’s also good for the environment since you are making items last longer and reducing your carbon footprint, and a variety of containers can be used to grow different types of plants, and these are sometimes more decorative than the typical plastic or ceramic containers that are typically sold in garden centres. We’ll look at a few simple tips for making your containers look great and keeping them looking good all season long.
There are two main components to building an attractive container for your garden:
- Choose the right container.
- Then follow a few simple design rules to create an attractive container for your garden.
Selecting the Right Container:
Several different types of containers could be used to create beautiful containers for your garden, such as plastic containers, plastic tubs, ceramic containers, wood or terracotta pots, wooden crates, metal buckets, or other items.
Choosing the correct container for your garden is important because it needs to be large enough to contain the roots of the growing plants. Otherwise, your plants will not grow as they should. It is best to choose a container roughly the same size as the root system of the plants you are growing.
Choose Plants with Similar Growth Habits:
Choose plants with similar growth habits for your garden to make it look terrific all year long!
Plants with different growth habits will grow at different rates, resulting in an unkempt garden and a confused gardener! That is why choosing plants with similar growth habits for your garden will help keep things looking neat and orderly!
Choose Plants with Similar Water and Sunlight Needs:
When choosing plants for your garden, you want to choose plants with similar watering requirements. Otherwise, your plants will not have enough moisture, or on the flip side, you could end up with too much moisture.
Plants have specific needs for their water uptake and sunlight requirements, so you should ensure that all of the plants you choose have similar needs to allow them to thrive.
3. Collect Rainwater in a Barrel to Use for Watering Your Plants or Garden
Collecting rainwater for watering your garden and plants is a great way to save yourself some money on your water bill!
Watering plants and flowers with rainwater instead of tap water can save you a large percentage of your water bill each year! Not to mention it is good for the overall health of your plants and, more importantly, the environment!
Collecting rainwater allows you to have fresh, clean water for use in gardening tasks and other household uses. You might be wondering about the best approach for capturing rainwater for your garden and plants, and we would recommend using a barrel to store your rainwater.
This barrel should sit directly below your downspout so you can catch all of the rainwater that runs off your roof without having it go to waste. Barrels are suitable for this because, unlike other containers, they are large, making them perfect for storing a lot of water and having a lid that will prevent animals and debris from getting into the barrel and contaminating your collected rainwater.
You can easily buy a rain barrel at many local home improvement stores, which are relatively inexpensive.
4. Reuse Old Jars and Cans as Unique Planters
Did you know that you can repurpose old jars and cans to make yourself some creative planters?
This produces more fun and vibrant garden displays and makes for a more exciting garden, especially at night if you decide to decorate them with lights.
This also makes them a great addition to any home or garden decoration, and you can select from many different styles of jars and cans that you might have lying around. Creative planters are easy to make and a great way to add colour to your garden!
A creative planter is easy to make and a great way to add colour to your garden with plants such as succulents or flowers. You can also choose to adorn them with lights for nighttime displays.
These creative planters are sure to impress your friends and neighbours and will add character to your garden.
5. Vegetables Grown in Recycled Plastic Bags
Did you know that you can use recycled plastic bags to grow vegetables?
You could very easily repurpose an old plastic shopping or grocery bag lying around at home. This can be done by punching a few holes in the bottom for drainage and then hanging it up. It is easier to grow your own vegetables in plastic bags than you think.
Many gardeners will use this gardening approach to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on garden supplies. Many gardeners are also concerned about the waste created by conventional farming methods and recycle their gardening supplies, such as plastic bags, to grow vegetables.
Growing vegetables in recycled plastic bags is a great way to reduce the amount of plastic waste in landfills and the environment in general. Recycling plastic bags into garden beds is easy and cheap and won’t require unique supplies or equipment.
All you will need to do is to reuse recycled plastic bags to make the grow bags for your vegetables. There are many benefits to growing vegetables in plastic bags as opposed to other available gardening materials, such as the traditional plastic containers sold at garden centres:
- Plastic bags can be used many times and are lightweight, so it is easy to move them around your garden or backyard.
- The bags can be filled with soil or compost, and plants can be planted directly into the bags. They can also be closed at the top with twist ties or rubber bands to prevent soil from spilling out and to keep out birds and other small animals.
- Plastic bags can be cut open at the top or bottom to make planting holes for seeds or cuttings.
- Most bags are waterproof, so plants can be watered directly through the bags without the risk of water seeping out the bottom or sides.
- The bags can be left outside all year-round without the risk of frost damage and the risk of pests such as mice or squirrels digging up and eating your plants.
- Plastic bags are inexpensive and can be purchased at supermarkets or online in bulk.
- Each bag can hold up to one bushel of vegetables, and you don’t have to go far to find plastic grocery bags.
- They can be used to grow vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, eggplants, squash, and potatoes, as well as many other vegetables that grow well in containers.
- They can be used over and over again for multiple crops, and one of the best things about growing vegetables in recycled plastic bags is that they can encourage the use of other methods of vegetable gardening, such as square foot gardening, which require less use of plastic containers.
6. Start Seedlings Indoors Using Egg Boxes
Planting a garden is a beautiful way to bring nature indoors and beautify your home simultaneously.
Starting seedlings indoors before planting them outdoors can give you a jump start on the growing season and help ensure successful growth. Here’s a fun idea: instead of using expensive seedling trays, use egg boxes!
Egg boxes are inexpensive and easy to find. They make excellent containers for starting seedlings and are ideally sized for young plants.
Using these also eliminates the need for plastic seedling trays and pots that end up in landfills. The boxes provide just the right amount of drainage for seeds and seedlings and help prevent overwatering that can result in rotting and disease for a garden’s plant roots.
They also make perfect mini-greenhouses for seedlings as they provide warmth and protection from the cold and help with temperature regulation for young plants. Put the lids of your egg boxes on to trap heat and moisture inside, and stack them in the window or under grow lights to keep them warm until your seeds start to sprout.
7. Construct a Wind Chime from Recycled Metal Cans
For a unique addition to your home, create a wind chime out of recycled materials and hang it in your garden or on your patio.
You’ll need recycled cans and metal wire or chain to hang your wind chime from. Choose cans of the same width but different lengths and heights for a fancier look.
Then cut each can’s top off at an angle using tin snips or scissors. Next, punch holes through each can’s top and the bottom of its lid using a hammer and nail or a drill and drill bit.
Wind chimes are great decorative for gardens and outdoor spaces, so get creative! Hang them next to your vegetable patch or garden for a cheerful addition to your outdoor space, and enjoy the sound of wind chimes whenever the wind blows!
8. Repurpose an Old Pallet to Create a Vertical Herb Garden
Pallets are valuable items that can be upcycled into many things, including a herb garden!
An old pallet can be transformed into a vertical herb garden by planting your favourite herbs in small pots and placing them on the pallet’s slats. This vertical garden will take up less space than a traditional herb garden and leave space below for planting vegetables or flowers.
These are perfect for small spaces like patios and balconies, where space is limited, and gardening activities must also be limited. For the best results in the garden, make sure to use potting soil for herbs that drain well and to place each potted herb on slats that allow access to water.
9. Construct a Bird Feeder from Recycled Bottles
Attracting birds and wildlife to your garden is suitable for many reasons. Not only are they beautiful to watch and listen to, but they also help pollinate flowers and eat insects such as aphids.
You can easily make a bird feeder from recycled materials and hang it from a tree, or place it in your garden to attract birds and brighten your outdoor space! You can make your own bird feeder out of recycled bottles; you’ll also need some bird food and twine or string to make a simplistic bird feeder. It’s effortless to make.
- Cut a hole in the side of the bottle a bit larger than a 10-pence coin at the lower end. Poke a wooden spoon handle through it until it reaches the opposite side of the bottle, then cut a small hole there to allow the handle to pass through.
- Repeat step 1, but this time higher up the bottle for the other spoon to go through. You’ll likely want this to go through the opposite sides, so the feed is accessible from two sides of the bottle.
- Make a hanging for the birdfeeder by tying a piece of twine around the neck of the bottle.
- Fill the bottle with birdseed and hang your feeder outside. Your feisty friends will be happy to visit you!
- The seed will fall onto the spoon as the birds consume the feed.
- Fill it up as needed!
That’s it! You now have a birdfeeder! All that is left to do is sit back, relax, and watch your new garden guests visit!
10. Flowers Can Be Grown Inside Old, Recycled Tyres
If you have any old tyres lying around the garden, why not recycle them into something useful?
Tyres are great for being used as planters because they are so easy and quick to create! Just get some old tyres (any size will do), then fill them with potting soil and plant some flowers inside them. You can choose any plant you’d like. You could even grow vegetables if the soil is deep enough! It’s super easy to do and a great way to recycle!
Don’t have old tyres? No problem! You can easily pick some up for relatively cheap at the scrap yard.
11. Use Recycled Bottles to Mark Plants
Do you struggle to remember where you planted your favourite flower in your garden? Or do you worry that you might forget where you planted your tomatoes or peppers?
If so, you’re going to love these recycled bottle plant markers! They’re easy to make, and they look terrific too! Here’s how to create them:
- Gather your supplies: old pop bottles, markers, scissors, twine, or string.
- Cut the bottles in half using scissors or utility knives.
- Use markers to write “tomato”, or “pepper” on the bottle.
- Tie the twine or string around the bottle and hang it in the garden! These markers will also help deter pests from eating your vegetables as well!
See, simple! Now you’ll never get lost looking for your plants again, and you’ll even be able to protect them from pests too!
12. Use Old Light Bulbs to Make Mini Planters for Flowers and Small Succulents
Did you know you can recycle old light bulbs into mini planters for flowers and small succulents?
Old light bulbs can be transformed into mini planters using various methods. For example, you can poke holes into the bottom of a light bulb and fill it with soil or sand.
Or you can drill small holes into the bottom of a bulb and fill it with potting mix and decorative pebbles. You can even cover the bottom of a bulb with a clear plastic bag and fill it halfway with water, and pebbles, before planting your flowers or small succulents in it.
These simple ideas can help you turn your old light bulbs into small planters for your favourite plants. Alternatively, you can purchase a light bulb planter if you prefer.
Either way, it’s an easy and practical way to turn an old light bulb into something practical and beautiful for your home.
13. Look for Additional Ways to Recycle Your Garden Waste, Such as Recycling Old Plastic Bottles or Making Fertiliser From Old Food Scraps
There are various ways to recycle garden waste for gardeners who don’t have a compost heap or prefer not to use chemical fertilisers.
These include recycling old plastic bottles as plant pots or containers and turning kitchen scraps into compost or fertiliser made from old food scraps. Several ways to make your garden look terrific without spending money on expensive fertilisers or garden ornaments.
These range from painting old wooden chairs or benches in bright colours, to planting a garden of edible flowers, or planting colourful flowers in pots next to your vegetables or herbs. These ideas can help your garden on a budget by recycling old plastic containers and turning old kitchen scraps into compost or fertiliser.
There you have it, 13 ways to start recycling your garden waste today! What are some other ways you use recycled objects in your garden?
Do you have any other suggestions on how gardeners should recycle garden waste? If so, feel free to leave comments below.
Conclusion
These are just a few ways to recycle and reuse materials in your garden.
With creativity, you can upcycle all sorts of objects into beautiful and functional gardening tools and accessories. If you have any questions about organic gardening or composting, our team is always here to help.
Happy gardening!
