As spring arrives and gardeners prepare to plant new blooms, experts are urging households to repurpose cardboard boxes rather than recycling them. The common packaging material, often discarded after online deliveries, can be transformed into biodegradable plant pots that help seedlings thrive.
Jeff and Lauren, known for sharing household tips on TikTok, demonstrated a simple method: cut cardboard into strips, soak them in water, then wrap the damp strips around a tin can to shape them. After drying, the moulded cardboard can be filled with soil and seeds. Once seedlings sprout, the entire pot can be planted directly into the ground, where the cardboard will decompose naturally.
The technique is ideal for seed-grown vegetables, herbs, and fragile plug plants that need nurturing indoors before transplanting. Experts advise using plain, unwaxed cardboard and removing all tape, as tape does not biodegrade. Brown packaging cardboard, common in delivery boxes, works best.
Beyond plant pots, cardboard serves multiple garden purposes: it blocks sunlight to suppress weeds, enriches soil as it breaks down, and is a valuable carbon-rich ingredient for compost heaps. It is a cornerstone of no-dig gardening, allowing new beds to be created without turning over soil.
With many households receiving cardboard boxes daily from retailers like Amazon, this repurposing offers a free, eco-friendly resource for spring gardening. For those looking to add colour to their gardens, bulb planting is also recommended, with offers available from Thompson and Morgan and Gardening Express.
