Allotments 4 All

Was not sure where to post this, but thought you may appreciate it!
We moved in to a new house recently and ordered some new italian leather sofas. Were very expensive, waited for 17 weeks for them to be imported from Italy etc..... when they finally arrived on Thursday, I was more excited about the packaging!

They were covered in thick white fleece with a double layer of thin cardboard underneath! When I got in from work I actually forgot to even look at the sofas for about an hour, until I had laid the fleece out to check how much I had and thought through some possible ideas of what I could do with it!  :D

I am new to this. But this made it clear to me. I am an addict! still a lot worst things to have an addiction to ...

It comes to something when everything you look at is thought of in terms of how useable it is don't it? ;D

Definitely! My OH is going to start calling me Barbara (Good Life) soon!

Have found a great excuse to buy the tubs of mini muffins in Tescos if any one needs an excuse to buy lots of cakes!! make great propogators - even have their own integral lid  ::)

I don't think that's sad at all. ;D

Nope, definitely not sad.

Had some furniture delivered to work a few months ago, big flat-packed type stuff. It all came wrapped in bubble-wrap and then in cardboard. I'm sure the delivery and assembly men thought me and my (gardening) colleague were mad when we asked if we could keep the packaging - my colleague had the bubble wrap for cloches etc, and I had the cardboard :)

Definately not sad - shame however thats it proof there is definately no hope for you..... ;D

Thanks for the tip on muffin tubs as well, daisy.   That should be in Top Tips!

Bisto yorkshire pudding containers - instant propagators too  :)

Look what I had given me today!  Two this size and another two even bigger!  My old man has put one in the wash house and filled it with my gardening stuff and we're going to take the other big one to the lotty.  This and the other one like it are going in the bottom of our wardrobes.  Don't folks just waste stuff?  They couldn't find an alternative use for them!  I find that hard to believe  :o

Oh well their loss  ;D

We had a new garden bench delivered the other week and my OH had to laugh as I was more interested in all the packing that came with it.  Fantastic gigantic piece of cardboard was included which is now lying flat on the wild part of my plot.  So you have another soul mate here.  ;D busy_lizzie

Nope, not sad at all!  All of the bubble wrap that insulates my greenhouse is saved from packaging.  You do find yourself looking at things differently that's for sure.  Our neighbours are soon to move, and they had 2 metal shepherd crook type stands which hung lanterns...well, they used the lanterns in their conservatory and didn't want these lovely stands, so knowing how much I like the garden, rather than bin them, they gave them to me.  They are now standing elegantly on my deck with lovely cone shaped hanging baskets on them with a lavender in each!   ;D

Thank you for sharing that info! It is proof that I am not alone in this world, my allotment is constructed almost totally from recycled material.

However, as to my sanity, I couldn't possibly comment!

Folks don't seem to have any imagination about what alternative uses for stuff.  I always take a long look at stuff and wonder what I could use it for.  My allotment shed is stuffed with water bottles and placcy milk containers at the mo with loads more in the wash house.  I can't bring myself to chuck them in the bin in case they end up in landfill.  I use them filled with water to weigh down my sheet mulch not to mention as measuring jugs and watering cans.  Need two pop bottles to make Phil's comfrey pipe

EJ   You'll have to post a photo of your baskets  :)

Thanks for the reassurance everyone that I have not lost my marbles (or at least, on my own anyway!  :D)!!! Glad I am not the only one who thinks like this. Good tips Wardy, I am coming round to this way of thinking now, am looking at what we throw away in a new light.

Still raining here, been 24 hours now! Am grateful for my garden, but was half way through clearing the bindweed off my new lottie, bet it is all back by now! cannot win!

Wardy,

don't forget if you took the bottoms off the milk bottles, you would then have heaps of mini cloches.

- good for anti-pigeon  & anti- cabbage white defence ;D

- also, empty 'actimel' pots make great cane covers so you don't poke your eyes out!

I use the Value Bitter cans that have been used to fill my slug traps.  Unlike more expensive beer cans, they appear to be alluminium so do not rust - and because they have a small opning they grip the top of the cain and do not blow off.

any ideas what I can do witha large fabric conditioner bottle (clean replies only  :o) as it has been hanging around until inspiration strikes.  What doesn't get lottied normally has a use at Cubs.

Cut up for plant labels which you write on with a permanent marker.  I follwed EJ's suggestion for making them from plastic milk cartons so I think you'd just as easily be able to cut them from the Lenor bottle.  It's one of those little jobs you can do when you're watching telly  :)

Not sad at all. I just got my lottie in April and I have lots of empty water and milk bottles to re-use. I scream  "DON't THROW THAT OUT" quite frequently to my mum be it yoghurt pots, or the trays you get chicken or meat in, also glass jars for when I have to make jam/chutney/pickle for any glut I may get.

I use those washing capsule containers for slug traps and for keeping my matches dry on the lotty.  I went to the bakers for some vanilla slices today and came away with some more large mayo containers with lids.  I use them as watering cans and for keeping compost in, oh and for my veg pickings. Try your local shops.  I got some big red plastic boxes with lids which had gravy granules in.  I use them for keeping peelings in for the compost bin.  I got a large number of the mayo buckets so I handed them out at the lotty and I think nearly everyone has one now.

Pot-noodle pots (with a hole bodged in the bottom) make excellent extra-deep pots for starting runner beans

Here you go Wardy.  ;D

(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Mrsava/baskets.jpg)

That's brill  ;D   Dead helegant  ;D  Wish I had a conservatory  :(   Them hooks are dead handy aren't they?  You could have em outside with night lights in little glass pots  :)  I'm inspired now as I know I have a basket that's got nothing in it at the mo ..............  ;D

I hate packaging with a vengeance. But then I love it when it can be recycled!

My shed is half full of packaging waiting to be used! I just cannot throw anything away!

Has anyone got a (re)use for those Tetrapack thingies that fruit juice and other stuff comes in...??

How about chop the top off (or chop in half) and use as a plant pot with holes in the bottom? I must give it a try myself, I'm always running out of plant pots and always have lots of juice!

Just one other question: why didn't I think of that...?

One of the best discoveries I've made...
pickled mussels and cockles by Parsons - not only are they delicious, they come in lovely little clear glass jars patterned with the aforesaid seafood.
These are just the right size for holding tea-lights and, dotted around the garden/patio on a summer's evening, they make a very pretty lighting feature.

Apart from that, there are several other uses: I've painted them with "stained-glass" paint, filled them with bath crystals/salts, lotions, or even just different coloured sands, and a friend made honey scented candles in them, all of which we sold to raise funds.
Oh, and they're also good for keeping screws, curtain hooks and other assorted bits and pieces in.

Last, but not least - coming back to the gardening theme - you can sew individual portions of cress in them!

I made xmas night lights from baby food jars with the Cubs.  We stenciled patterns in permanant over head projector pens, used them for a carol evening, then gave them to the parents as xmas gift.

I use glass jars for tea light holders - the Tesco Finest cranberry jelly is a good size.  I have used one today to empty my granular plant food into.  I hope to start pickling my own stuff soon so I need to get a stock on.  I already have hundreds  ;D

I buy little individual glass jars of jam & marm for my B & B and I find them very good for all sorts of things, one of which is for measuring as they hold 60 mls of liquid.  I also use them for storing my dried herbs.  I take salt and pepper etc to my lotty in them too