Talkback: Recycling in the garden - Talkback

19/04/2010 at 11:31

I have just thrown an accumulated pile of empty toilet roll tubes into the recycling. This post reminded me I was planning to grow lots of sweet corn this year so I'll go and take them back out. (The loo rolls.) Then I'll find the sweet corn seeds. (Do we call them 'seeds'?) Right! Esther Montgomery

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19/04/2010 at 12:08

I do hope the rotting fish at airporta is recycled as fertiliser. Banana skins under rose bushes, toilet roll tubes for sweet peas, thinned out bamboo for bean sticks - I'm a past master at recycling. This spring I am having a new hall runner and the old one(83years old) is being recycled up-side down as a compostable path in the veg. plot as it is all natural fibre.

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19/04/2010 at 21:09

I am growing runner beans and sweet peas in toilet roll tubes at present and are growing nicely but they have gone very white and furry on the outside. Can anyone shed light on this and will it affect my seedlings?

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21/04/2010 at 07:37

Good news that the recycled volcanic ash about to descend on our gardens will be beneficial for them, but personally, having seen how carbon black deposits killed even trees in Avonmouth, I am sure it will depend on the amount. Let's hope it will fall gently like "the quality of mercy"!

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21/04/2010 at 08:30

im useing cardboard rolls to grow sweet peas and pumpkins ther do great in they

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21/04/2010 at 11:56

I use the seethrough plastic containers eg, grapes tomatoes and various confectionary container.They make super propergators and so far my seeds are growing very well

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21/04/2010 at 19:02

I too am using loo roll tubes for seedlings - I'm growing sweetpeas, sweetcorn and peas! Absolute brilliant idea. I didn't think of egg cartons though so that's next on my list! I love all this recycling.

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21/04/2010 at 19:19

I bought loads of energy saving lightbulbs last year and i saved the little boxes and now im using them for sowing my seeds.. sweet peas and sweetcorn.

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22/04/2010 at 20:21

I read this blog and though what a good idea. I already had loads of seeds on the way but could not resist planting more in the egg carton and toilet rolls. brilliant.

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24/04/2010 at 17:09

Cut large plastic bottles in half and use both ends as mini cloches to cover planted out seedlings or seeds planted in pots of a slightly smaller diameter. The top end, minus screw cap, can also be sunk into the greenhouse soil next to your tomato/pepper plants. Water directly into this to get the water down to the root run.

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25/04/2010 at 14:27

I too have suffered a total potato crop loss three years ago it was just over a hundred kilos that rotted in my garage due to blight. I read up on a cure but wanting to stay organic I found that the only recomended spray for organic gardening is Bordaux mixture, and it really works, I spray the first week in July and then the start of the fourth week and so far I have been clear on subsequent crops.

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26/04/2010 at 17:31

I've found that the plastic boxes that the washing pods come in, make fantastic mini greenhouses and fit really nicely onto a window sill! I shall be saving my loo roll tubes to use in them as my "dig in" seeds arrived today!

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27/04/2010 at 19:50

Sorry this has nothing to do with the above subject..im new to gardening and i planted loads of flowers last week i watered them with a watered down plant food and now most the plants are dead. Is this because i put it on the flowers itself and will they grow back at all gutted cause i spent alot of money..It didnt affect my strawberries though thank god lol.

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28/04/2010 at 08:19

Plastic Yoghurt containers cut into vertical strips make excellent labels for pots.

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28/04/2010 at 21:16

not really about recycling so much as compost! I have followed all the instructions but when it came to using from one of my compost bins it looks okay but is lacking worms . have even tried introducing worms from my sister compost but they seem to have disappeared. what am I doing wrong ?

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29/04/2010 at 13:42

Hi Can you give me the name of the beautiful RED flower that was shown on Gardners World 24 April 2010. Toby was talking about the September 2009 meadow he plans to use some of the meadow flowers shown for anothe meadow this year. I would be grateful of the name and supplier. Thank you Carol bmc

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29/04/2010 at 20:29

Hi, I am new to the world of gardening I just thought that I would say that I love it! I recycle every thing from Toilet/Kitchen rolls to plastic bottles, larger ones hold any excess rain water, larger yogurt pots with lids make great propergators, I've even started single carrot and parsnip seeds in tubes in the greenhouse ready to plant out when its warmer! Athough my mum waas not to sure about replanting them out into my garden as she said they don't like to be transplanted? any views on this subject?

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29/04/2010 at 21:01

If you plant them with the cardboard tube still in place they wont know they've been trans planted. hope that helps.

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30/04/2010 at 10:04

i have planted spring onions in to a propagator and am now seeing shoots apeer when or what do i do next as i do not think that they are big enough to eat yet. do plant in to the garden soil or leave in propagator until fully formed please help!!!!!

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13/06/2010 at 16:31

hi i've aquired a number of double glazing panels and plan to make a greenhouse. only some of the panels are tinted, will that make a difference to the greenhouse performance or should i just get some clear panels.