If you are thinking about switching to gardening sustainability, then you don’t need to look further than your own home. Several household items can be recycled into useful materials for the garden. Here are some ideas to start you up.
Plant Markers
Instead of opting for those expensive plant markers in market, you can make your own markets at home with discarded container lids. For instance, you can use a plastic yogurt container lid to make a plant marker. Simply write down the name of the plant on the lid, cut two slits on the sides of the lid to insert two sticks (like chopsticks) into for stakes. Place these sticks firmly into the ground and voila, your personalized plant marker is ready. You can also use other items for these markers, including old corks from wine bottles.
Weed Preventers
Need not to spray that expensive, chemical loaded weed killer spray in your garden again. Just use a bunch of old papers to block the weeds from growing. Spread some newspapers on the ground, making sure you cut out holes around the plants. Cover the newspapers with a thin layer of compost or mulch. This would prevent the newspapers from flying away. It would also water to seep into the ground when you water the plants. However, it would stop the weeds from growing back.
Seed Starters
Old plastic containers can be used as seed starters. For instance, a group of empty toilet paper rolls can be placed vertically in order in a small plastic container. Fill the toilet rolls with soil and plant the seeds in them. You can transfer these starters to the garden as and when the saplings start coming out. The cardboard is biodegradable. Therefore, you would not need to remove them as and when you transfer the saplings as well.
Compost
Instead of buying compost material, you can transform food scraps and other throw away eatables into compost that would supply enough nutrients for your plants to grow nicely. However, not every food item can be used for the same purpose. You would need to consult a book or website about how to transform these foods items to be used as compost so as to avoid ending up with a stinky garden.
