[...] all cardboard rolls, tubes or egg boxes make great biodegradable pots that can be filled with compost for seed sowing.
We're all looking for ways to recycle more, save money and grow our own edible crops, so it's great finding a way to combine all three at the same time!
OK, there's nothing new about re-using cartons and packaging that would otherwise find its way into the recycling bin (hopefully your local authority does collect and recycle a good range of materials), but I'm sure there are still a few gardeners out there who could benefit from doing more.
For instance, all cardboard rolls, tubes or egg boxes make great biodegradable pots that can be filled with compost for seed sowing. The secret to using is to keep the cardboard moist, otherwise it acts as a wick removing moisture from the compost within. Dry cardboard also prevents seedling roots penetrating. By encouraging roots to grow through you can plant out the entire thing, so roots grow out into surrounding soil and the card eventually disintegrates as it decomposes.
Careful planting out is important, ensuring the rim of any cardboard container sits below soil level. If it sits proud it easily dries out and restricts access for roots.
Old card toilet roll tubes are my favourite. They're the perfect size for sowing peas, beans, sweetcorn and many other large crops. Being that little bit deeper than small flower pots they hold more compost and have a deeper root run.
Large households may well accumulate more cardboard or egg boxes than they can use for raising plants, so I compost all this instead. Just tear the card up into small pieces, moisten with water and mix in with kitchen waste before adding to the compost heap. Its surprising just how quickly this all rots down, producing valuable compost to dig into the soil.
And if you need any additional incentive to compost a little more, have you seen just how much a small bag of soil conditioning compost or manure costs at the garden centre this spring?
See more comments...
