As prices continue to creep up this year, many gardeners are seeking ways to tighten their tool belts and reduce expenses on supplies. Instead of heading straight to the garden center, a little creativity with recycling can uncover perfectly good gear hiding in plain sight around your home, garage, shed, or recycling bin.
Repurposing Household Items for Gardening
From food containers to lamp shades, everyday items can be transformed into valuable gardening tools. For instance, plastic yogurt containers with holes poked in their bottoms make excellent seed-starting pots. Similarly, plastic clamshell lettuce and berry containers can serve the same purpose, offering a cost-effective alternative to store-bought options.
Supporting Plants with Unusual Finds
Peonies, while beautiful in spring, often require support to prevent them from lying down on the lawn. Rather than spending $10 to over $100 on plant supports, consider using large lampshade frames. Remove the fabric and place one upside down over each plant as new growth emerges, burying the base or using landscape pins for stability. As the plants grow, their leaves will conceal the frames from view.
For climbing plants, an old patio umbrella frame can replace an obelisk trellis costing $50 to $100. Simply cut the legs down to size if necessary and sink them into the ground for a sturdy support system.
DIY Fertilizers from Kitchen and Fish Scraps
Fish emulsion is a fantastic organic fertilizer, but you can make your own by soaking fish scales, bones, and entrails in a sealed 5-gallon bucket of water for at least a month. Strain the liquid and use it to water plants, providing nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Alternatively, bury a whole fish or fish scraps at least 10-12 inches deep under planting beds for a similar nutrient boost.
If you're not an angler, local fishmongers may offer scraps or heads at low cost. Additionally, used fish-tank water, rich in nitrogen, can benefit plants when applied to the soil.
Utilizing Cooking Water and Eggshells
After boiling vegetables, cool the water and apply it to plants, as long as no salt was added. This water contains vitamins and minerals that give plants a healthy boost. Water from boiled eggs is rich in calcium, which tomato and pepper plants particularly love.
Eggshells can also replace garden lime, as both contain calcium carbonate. Microwave empty shells for two minutes to dehydrate them, then grind them in a high-powered blender, coffee grinder, or food processor. Incorporate the resulting powder into the soil around plants. Similarly, banana peels, when dehydrated in an air fryer and pulverized, provide plant-boosting potassium.
Zero-Effort Lawn Fertilizer
Making free lawn fertilizer requires minimal effort. Whether using a push mower or a powered mulching mower, simply remove the bag and let grass clippings remain on the lawn. As they break down, they release nitrogen into the soil, naturally enriching it without any extra cost.
By embracing these creative recycling ideas, gardeners can save money while promoting sustainability. Jessica Damiano, who writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter, offers such tips regularly for those looking to enhance their gardening practices on a budget.
