Recycle packaging in the garden

Recycle egg boxes into sowing trays.

Eggs have long won the hearts of gardeners due to their usefulness. Indeed, egg shells and alveolate cardboard trays have their place in our gardening practices!

An egg box can thus be used:

• for warm sowing of large seeds
• to sprout potato tubercles (one per compartment).

The alveoles can be used as supports for your pots or can be directly filled with potting soil to welcome the seeds to germinate.

Sowing in a recycled egg box.

Note: the alveolate tray is ideal for sprouting potatoes at the end of winter, as it drastically reduces the risk of rot.

Recycle yoghurt pots into pots.

The plastic yoghurt pot can easily replace the pots for transplanting sold in garden centres.

However, they must be prepared before they can accommodate your sowings:

• wash the pots and dry them
• pierce their base for drainage.

The same goes for the plastic trays of all your favourite dairy desserts, which will make ideal terrines for your most delicate sowings.

Another tip is to cut the sides of your yoghurt pots into regular strips to create marking labels.

Recycle fruit trays into sowing trays.

Transparent plastic fruit trays generally have the advantage of offering an interesting depth and are already perforated at the bottom.

Transparent plastic fruit trays to recycle in the garden after use.

Transform them into seed trays once emptied of their contents, simply by filling them with potting soil. If the tray has a protective lid, that’s even better!

Recycle polystyrene boxes into sowing trays.

Feel free to collect empty polystyrene boxes from your fishmonger or at markets, as they make excellent trays perfect for your sowing of deep seeds.

However, it’s best to wash them before reusing, as they may otherwise have an unpleasant smell.

Recycle water bottles into a watering system.

Plastic water bottles can be recycled in many ways in the garden.

They can be used as a gravity watering system:

• cut the bottom off the bottle;
• push the neck deep into the soil at the base of your plants;
• fill with water (to be replenished regularly).

Recycled water bottle used as a gravity watering system (©Sakura – Flickr)

Plastic water bottles can also be used as mini-greenhouses for your cuttings:

• cut the bottle in half;
• pierce the bottom;
• fill it with substrate;
• plant your cuttings;
• close it with the second half of the bottle.

A 5-litre plastic bottle can also serve as a watering can. To do this, simply pierce the cap with several holes large enough to allow water to flow freely and fill the bottle before use.

Meanwhile, the plastic oil container can be easily recycled into a seed tray. Be sure to clean it thoroughly before cutting it to create your tray.

Recycle tin cans into plant pots.

Tin cans can easily be repurposed and customised for new uses as gardening containers and decorative elements. Creole gardens have been using them for this purpose for a long time.

• Completely remove the operculum from the can
• Drill several holes in the bottom
• Remove (or not) the labels and/or paint the outer walls of the can.
• Fill the customised can with potting soil and plant your young plants in it.

Recycled tomato cans as flower pots

Tip: Are you a tea lover? Metal tea tins offer vibrant colours and are ideal when recycled into pots for your plants, without the need for painting.

Recycle jute bags as protection.

Jute bags regularly moistened are perfect protections for your summer sowings, particularly those of Viola tricolor or pansies.

Use them also to protect your plants against the cold in winter.

Recycle used envelopes into seed packets.

Envelopes are perfect containers for storing your seeds until they are ready to be sown.

Seeds in an envelope (©Rachel Tayse – Flickr)

Seeds that should then be placed in a dark, dry space. So use used metal boxes, such as cake tins, to store your seed envelopes.

Tip: to keep weevils away, add a leaf of common sage inside the box.

Recycle toilet paper rolls into small pots.

Rather than sending your used toilet paper rolls to the bin, you can recycle them into small pots for your sowing.

Toilet paper rolls to recycle into pots.

To do this, fold the bottom part of the rolls and secure them with a dot of glue to close them. All you need to do is fill them with seed compost.

Once your seedlings are transplanted into the garden, these cardboard pots can go to the compost if they do not contain coloured ink.