I love gardening because it’s better for the environment. And there’s no better way to double down on this benefit than to make sure my garden contributes to ensuring my life is as low-waste as possible.
It isn't always easy to skip plastic or get everything secondhand. And while sometimes there's no escaping the need to buy new products to improve your garden, there are many ways you can use items you were about to discard, or that are lurking around your home and junk drawer, and put them to good use. Sometimes, you just have to get a little bit creative or take some inspiration from other gardeners.
Here are five ways I’ve been leaning into “waste not want not” in my garden that anyone can replicate.
Labels
Getting organised with your plants is important when you’re growing, particularly seedlings when you have several varieties growing at once that can be hard to tell apart. But there’s no need to rush out and buy more plastic labels that will ultimately contribute to landfill over time. Labels can be made from almost anything. Top tip? Take a look in your recycling bin. Almost anything made of reasonably firm plastic can do the trick. Fizzy bottles, milk containers, yoghurt pots, or even old binders, can be cut up, written on in permanent marker, and used. You can also even use disposable cutlery! These same labels can be saved for next time you decide to plant the same seeds.
Other options: Simply write over labels that came with more established plants from nurseries or reuse labels from other products, such as clothes. Just ensure the material is waterproof.
Keeping track of cuttings using some homemade labels.
I simply cut up the cover of an old slightly bashed up folder I found in the junk cupboard and used a permanent marker.
Takeaway Containers
Clear plastic takeaway containers, especially from drinks or soups, are fabulous to reuse to propagate seedlings. They keep the humidity inside perfectly, can stand up to a heat mat if needed and are light and easy to store throughout the rest of the year. I tend to put smaller pots within the container, rather than fill the container itself with my seed raising mix, but I have seen friends do both successfully. The various different sizes of containers can work really well for different types of seedlings, so think it through carefully before sowing your seeds.
Takeaway containers and leftover snack food containers can also be used to store all sorts of garden accoutrement. I use chewing gum pots to store seeds and even to make small seed shakers for easier sowing. Slightly larger containers are good for keeping hold of your homemade labels, ties, rooting powders and other products that it’s hard to keep tabs on. And the large containers, such as 1kg pots of hummus, can have holes cut into the bottom to be turned into temporary pots.
Top tip: Ask family and friends for their leftover containers if they’re intending to throw them out. And don’t forget you can wash and reuse these containers over-and-over.
This pumpkin seedling is already outgrowing the takeout container. It will now get switched out for another seedling.
Coffee Grounds And Tea Leaves
If you’re like me and drink at least a cup a day or more of freshly made coffee, you’ll have an abundance of used coffee grounds. Don’t throw them out! To all my tea drinking friends out there, this applies to tea bags too with a caveat — ensure the tea bag is compostable and there’s no staples or plastic labels (or cut open the bag and take the leaves out if you aren’t sure). If you use a pod machine, you can empty out the pods to use.
Coffee grounds can be good for your soil health and for mature plants when applied directly, but in moderation. A light sprinkling over the surface of the soil, a little away from the base of your plants, is enough. I have found that applying the coffee grounds once every month to six weeks seems to work best.
If you’re unsure whether your plants will be too sensitive, compost them first or feed them to the worms. The worms in my worm farm absolutely love coffee!
Putting a light sprinkle of tea leaves and compost around my carrots. The rest will go into the worm farm.
Toilet And Paper Towel Roll Tubes
Like any non-glossy cardboard, you could chuck these straight into your compost or worm farm. Personally, I prefer to use them as a small compostable tube for seedlings. There is a trick to getting this to work well. Before you even consider planting anything in the tube, cut one side of it open half way, then fold in the base to create a small pot. Use a good seed raising mix and, when you’re ready to plant it out, unfold the bottom gently. You can plant the entire toilet roll tube and it will break down but unfolding it ensures the roots can more easily grow into the surrounding soil.
Alternatives: Wrapping paper tends to come with a central cardboard tube and most of us tend to end up with an abundance of this waste at Christmas or around big birthday celebrations. Aluminium foil, glad wrap and baking powder also tend to have a tube you can re-use. Be a bit more careful with the slightly thicker tubes as they may require more watering and you may need to cut holes in them — I learned this the hard way! Egg cartons work quite well too, you can cut them into individual plant pots.
It’s not glamorous, but it works! These are perfect for small seedlings.
Water
This is the most critical of the entire list.
We are fully on tank water, so we’re conservative with our water even when it’s raining. But even if you’re connected to the mains, it’s worth reusing water where you can.
Whether it’s the classic approach of putting a bucket in the shower as the water warms up or putting in the effort to collect the water strained off your boiled veggies, collecting what would otherwise go down the drain is an environmentally friendly approach that can help you save on your bills.
You obviously do not want any chemicals, such as cleaning products, in the water you feed to plants. So, unfortunately, washing up water is out of the question. But the water from rinsing your homegrown vegetables in the sink? You should absolutely use it to water the garden or to give your worm farm or compost bin some moisture.
We’ve successfully collected water and used it on our plants from a myriad of unusual spots around the home. This includes our dehumidifier, coffee machine drip tray, heat pump water heater and collecting ice when it has built up in the freezer. If the dogs haven’t finished their water bowl, the old water goes to the garden.
Remember, some water can contain contaminants. Be mindful.
Bonus Item- Pots
I am a pot-aholic. My shed is full of containers of all shapes and sizes. They always come in handy as you never know what project is around the corner. If you do find you have too many, you can take them back to major nurseries or hardware stores who often have recycling programs (always call and check in advance).
But if you do find yourself running short, think differently before purchasing. Pots can be any vessel, depending on what you’re using it for and your aesthetic. Drainage holes can be drilled or cut into most containers.
- Smaller Pots: Yoghurt pots, tin cans, plastic cups and disposable drink bottles cut in half can work perfectly well. I’ve also had success with multivitamin bottles, protein powder containers and even takeaway cups.
- Mid-Sized Pots: Broken watering cans, milk crates, biscuit tins, outgrown gum boots, beach buckets, PVC piping, warped tupperware and old eskies.
- Large Pot Options: Rusted wheelbarrows, plastic bins, barrels and even washing machine drums and old bath tubs can be used for bigger plants.
Perhaps even an old rim and tire could be used for a pot?
Article & Photographs by Jennifer Brown
