The Veggie Patch | WASTE NOT ...

Waste Not, Want Not

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Or "Make the Most of What You've got" - a motto which you can apply to almost everything in the kitchen, the garden or field and perhaps life.

Before buying something new why not think if there's anything there already, you could use for the job.

I love finding uses for potential rubbish to divert or delay it going to the landfill site.

It is very important to try to avoid putting anything in the bin which decomposes as it will make greenhouse gasses in the landfill. That is the obvious things like banana skins and potato peelings to the less obvious like cardboard boxes, egg boxes and newspapers.

Before you put anything in the bin try to think if it could be used for anything else thereby saving it from going to landfill.

Containers are precious and plastic is indeed fantastic - light weight and durable.

Here's some ideas - most of mine are to put seeds or plants in but I bet you've got lots more - why not Contact Us with your suggestions.

Onion and satsuma bags - use again as bags, bundle a handful together to use as non scratch scourers or bunch some together as filter for getting water from the stream.

Plastic drinks bottles - cut the top off (use to seal plastic bags) put holes in the bottom and grow small plants or lots and lots of plastic bottles can be made into a greenhouse.

Apple bags - opened carefully they can be used again as bags

Oil cans - I cut off the top and make holes in the bottom for plants

Strong plastic bags - with atractive lables make funky plant pots

Water pipe - use lengths to support plastic sheeting or fleece as cloche plant protection or go further and make a polytunnel.

Toilet roll innards, plastic bags, egg boxes, microwave meal trays, plastic boxes from shop bought fruit, oil cans can all be fun and unusual plant pots for free.

REUSE - BAG PLANT POT Cut drainage holes in the bottom and grow plants in an old snack food bag.		REUSE - HORLICKS PLANT POT Cut drainage holes in the bottom and grow plants in an old Horlicks Pot.

REUSE - COFFEE BAG PLANT POT Cut drainage holes in the bottom and grow plants in a finished bag (delicious coffee from a lot of coffee.		REUSE -OIL CAN PLANT POT When all the oil's gone use a can opener to remove the top, wash it and drill big drainage holes.

CORK BOARD Cut each cork in half and use wood glue to fix to a frame		CORK PICTURE FRAME Cut corks in half and fix to picture frame

Flowerpot Man Make an old fashioned man as an unusual garden ornament		Labels for free White plastic shampoo etc containers make good plant lables - peel off lable, cut into strips and write with a fine permanent marker.

Baby Bath and Toilet Roll Innards The baby bath is great for soaking plant pots or for mixing potting compost, shown here as containment for an old plastic packing tray with 48 toilet roll innards - good for sowing peas, sweet peas and beans.		Polystyrene Boxes Polystyrene tubs are sturdy, lightweight and insulating. Cut holes in the base for good deep plant/seed trays. Make a worm farm (info to follow - remind me!) Polystyrene packing beads - some are made of starch and if they disolve when damp can be composted, the other kind is best reused to post fragile items or some clever insulating or dog bed bags.

Mustard Seeds - Salad leaves and Green Manure Mustard Seeds - Collected last year great for Salad leaves and Green Manure		Kitchen Scraps The best thing to do with any fruit or veg scraps is to compost them - nothing fancy necessary, doesn't need much room. Must have a 50:50 mix of fresh (peelings) and dry (junk mail & card)