As the year winds down and holiday shopping looms, you may soon have lots of cardboard boxes to dispose of. To fight the winter blues, you can use your leftover cardboard to start prepping for spring.
The scoop
Joe's Garden (@joesgarden) is a gardener who shares tips for growing, harvesting, and cooking fruits and vegetables. He talks about everything from growing potatoes in a container to naturally keeping pests at bay. In one clip, he shows how to use cardboard to make eco-friendly planters that can be placed directly in the ground.
@joesgarden Today we are back and I am showing you a super quick and easy way to up-cycle those pesky cardboard boxes from online deliveries, and turn them into the most amazing little diy garden pots, which are ideal for starting seeds in. I think these days most of us are getting online deliveries from time to time, and often these come in little cardboard boxes. Now while you can recycle them, they are actually really useful around the garden. I will be making more videos on how to use cardboard around the garden, but this method has to be my favourite. It takes about 5 minutes to do and honestly couldn't be easier. Just soak your cardboard for about 10 minutes, then trim it into strips about 13 cm wide, and roll using a jar or tin. It's a good idea to remove any paper labels as these will stick to the wet cardboard. Let them dry, and once completely dry they will form extremely solid little planting pots. I think the strength of these pots may surprise you! Just be careful not to over water your seeds, as this can cause them to break apart. Plant them out whole, and not only will this help avoid disturbing the roots, it will help strengthen your soil as cardboard is a vital ingredient in compost 😊 I hope you are having a lovely week, and I love you all, Joe 😊🌱💚 #cardboard #gardening #gardentips #zerowaste #upcycling #ecotips #zerowaste ♬ Everybody Wants To Rule The World X Electric Love - darcy stokes
To create your cardboard planters, you will need to prep your packaging. Remove any tape, stickers, or labels, and soak your cardboard in water for about 10 minutes or until it's completely saturated. Once your cardboard is nice and wet, remove it from the water and cut it into strips.
Next, wrap your cardboard strips around a jar or a can, making sure to fold up the bottom and push down hard to create a seal. Secure your cardboard with a rubber band and leave it to dry. After it dries, you should have "perfect little friendly pots, which can be used to start seeds and planted out whole to avoid root disturbance."
How it's working
This tip is a great way to declutter your home. Cardboard boxes can accumulate quickly, but there are many ways to dispose of them. Most recycling programs take cardboard, but it's best to check with your municipality or waste management company about your recycling options.
Cardboard boxes are the most recycled packaging in the United States. "In 2022, the recycling rate for cardboard boxes was more than 93%," according to the American Forest and Paper Association. Recycling systems are often inefficient, and people can be apathetic, but it's exciting to learn that — at least when it comes to cardboard — recycling proves effective and efficient.
Making your own planter pots will also save you money by keeping you from buying specialized ones come spring. Creating a garden to grow your own food can save you hundreds of dollars a season on produce, with less than $100 needed to get started.
What people are saying
Garden hobbyists on TikTok were excited about this way of reusing their cardboard.
"This is a great idea honestly. Thanks for sharing," one person wrote.
Another commented: "What a great idea. I will definitely do this. I love that you can just plant them out without removing them from the container."
"My [boyfriend] uses our toilet paper rolls," someone else added.
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