This post is inspired by a YouTube video all about upcycled garden hacks I made a couple of years ago and was surprised to see be fairly popular! I wanted to expand on it and flesh out some of the ideas a bit more. Also, note to self to make more YouTube videos but honestly, it’s just hard to find time to do everything with a toddler to take care of, ya know?
I always joke that gardening turns you into a hoarder. Not a bad one, more of a light hoarder, but when you think about how useful certain everyday items can be in the garden it becomes nearly impossible to throw them out or recycle them. My husband teases me because I hold on to practically every glass jar that comes into the house but it’s not my fault that they’re so useful! Today I’m going to share my favorite upcycled garden hacks that you can use to keep things out of the landfill and instead put them to use for you — after all, recycling is a tricky business:
“Glass, metal, and paper are pretty straightforward, but when it comes to plastic, things get tricky. The truth is that what you can recycle depends on where you live and what materials your city’s facilities can handle. There are many different types of plastic, and they cannot all be recycled together. So unless you’re diligent about sorting all your plastics, then “recycling” that yogurt container may be doing more harm than simply throwing it away.”
“When Recycling Is Bad for the Environment” – Discover magazine
The full article is a fascinating look into just how difficult recycling can actually be. And while recycling is certainly better than sending things to the landfill, it still requires energy. I think the first move is to be judicious about what materials you bring into the home in the first place, but I realize that this alone is a luxury. Plastic is almost unavoidable these days, and the onus is on the consumer to handle it instead of further upstream with the manufacturers. That really grinds my gears, but I digress.
One great way to stick it to The Man is to hang on to certain items and get years and years of use out of them!
My 10 Favorite Upcycled Garden Hacks
- Use those clear plastic clamshells that berries come in to cover up tender seedlings and protect them from hungry birds and egg-laying moths.
- Save those glass jars from sauces, salsas, etc for saving seeds and rooting cuttings to propagate more plants.
- You know those giant mesh product bags that you can buy bulk onions or oranges in? Cut along the seam and lay it out in the garden to cover up lettuces. It’s like free mini agfabric!
- If you forget a reusable coffee cup and are stuck with a plastic cups from a coffeeshop, poke holes in the bottom and use them to start seeds.
- Use bulk leafy green clamshells from grocery store to protect seedlings, or as a mini greenhouse for starting seeds. Or keep them on hand for quick little harvest baskets.
- Little yogurt tubs are great for harvesting and storing seed heads. The wide top allows airflow and then you can store them in jars for longer term storage.
- Save those berry crates tro cover up seedlings. Or return them to the farmers market!
- You know the piles of cardboard we all unfortunately have from online ordering? Save it and compost it! Rip the tape off, soak it in water, then peel the layers away and add it to the compost pile for your brown (aka carbon) material. If you moved or have TONS of it, you can use it to clear a vegetable garden full of weeds.
- Use old bedsheets as frost cover early or late in the season.
- Save broken terra cotta pots to use as makeshift garden markers — write on them with sharpie and tuck them in planters.
If you have any other upcycled garden hacks please let me know! I always love hearing new suggestions for ways to keep things out of the landfill and give them a new lease on life.
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