Creative ways to use household items in your garden

At CoirProducts, we want to start implementing #SustainableThursday. Each Thursday we will share a way in which we can all become more sustainable in our ways from living. We have always encouraged environmentally sustainable gardening, and there are so many more things that we can do, that by working together, we can make our lives more sustainable.

If you are thinking of getting rid of household items that you no longer need, why not try upcycling them instead! Upcycling is a method of reusing an item so it has a greater purpose, rather than simply being thrown away. Here are some creative ways you can repurpose and reuse your old everyday household items in your gardens.

Discarded bathtubs and sinks

For those with more spacious gardens, discarded bathtubs and sinks can make excellent plant containers, or can even be turned into a pond. While bathtubs and sinks may not be traditional containers for your plants, they are definitely an eye-catcher and can perhaps make your garden a bit more unique. Fill the old bathroom furniture with your favorite potting mix, and plant in your flowers and crops. On the other hand, while it does take some more work, your old bathtub can be used for a pond. You can choose to have it on the ground or in the ground. Make sure to block the drain, and add some pond liner. Add stones, pebbles, and your favourite water plants, and even some freshwater fish if you like! Having a pond bathtub will also help to reduce slugs in your garden as ponds usually attract frogs and toads.

Old Wooden Chairs

If you’ve got some old wooden chairs stored away which aren’t the best for seating anymore, they can simply be turned into another space for your shallow-rooted plants. Remove the seating part of the chair and replace with landscaping fabric stapled in firmly. Fill the fabric with a potting mix suited for the plants, and sow in your chosen plants. If you want some added colour, you can paint the chair beforehand to brighten it up!

Glass windows

Have you got plants which are at risk during the colder, wetter months of the year? Build your own cold frames to protect your tender plants from late autumn through to spring. If you have any no-longer-in-use double-glazed windows, you can make a DIY cold frame. The transparent glass still allows the sunlight to reach the plants during winter and continue their growth, while also protecting them from the cold and frost.

Empty Cans

Empty tin cans are the perfect old item to make your own insect houses! The cans can be filled with hollow reeds and stems, all cut to the same size, to make a home for all sorts of bugs, including bees which help our gardens flourish. They can be placed on their side into gaps in walls and fences, just make sure they are placed at a slight downward angle, so they don’t get flooded with rain water.

Toilet Paper Rolls

Cardboard toilet paper rolls can be upcycled to turn them into seed starter pots. Cut 1 – 1 1/2-inches around one end of the roll. Fold the cut sections toward the center part of the roll, as this will close one end of the roll. Place your homemade seed pots into a tray and fill them with your chosen potting mix, then sow in your seeds. Once the seedlings start to appear and roots are beginning to grow, you can transfer the seed pots into your garden. Simply tear off the cardboard and you have new additions to your garden.

Egg Cartons

Not only do empty egg cartons also make great seed starter pots, but they can also be made into bird feeders. For sowing seeds, place holes at the back of an egg carton which will help to drain the water well. Fill the carton with a potting mix and sow your seeds. Once the seedlings appear, cut each part carefully and plant in pots. To make bird feeders out of the cartons, simply make a hole at each end of the carton, with the empty egg crates facing upwards. Pull through some hardy string or rope and hang off a tree. Fill them with any bird food you like and watch as wildlife visits your garden.

The possibilities of using household items doesn’t end there. There are so many old things that you can use as planters, including baskets, drawers, boxes, bowls, dishes, and even old gutters that aren’t in use anymore. On top of that, there are plenty of other DIY projects you can do by using worn-out items from your home: old pipes can be turned into a water feature, and glass bottles can be used for decorative garden borders. Transform your outdoor space into an authentic home garden by starting to upcycle your old household items today!