Hello to everyone. I've been reading these wonderful forums all winter and now I have my first allotment. It's a complete jungle but an exciting one, with lots of brambles and small fruit trees. I'm sure I will have many many questions but my first one is -
I'd like to recycle as much as possible to use on my allotment, I've been reading about the toilet roll inserts and will collect my plastic bottles from now on but are there other things I should be collecting and why?
When I've found my way around the site I'll post a picture of my allotment.
Thanks and bye for now.
Any plastic trays/cups/pots, all good for starting seeds in.
Old cd's (supposed to be good bird scarers, haven't tried it though) If you have any old videos pull out the tape tie lengths either end to canes so the wind flaps it around (also for scaring birds).
Old tights for tying plants to supports or for storing onions in.
You'll find you throw nothing out anymore. ;D
Newspaper for mulching instead of cardboard or black plastic, or putting down on paths and covering with chippings ;D old cardboard boxes flattened, ditto!
Plastic pop bottles, useful for making mini cloches, or keeping liquid feed ready made in the greenhouse next to the tomatoes/peppers etc, everything that you normally throw away may have a use ...
Empty Beer cans for putting ontop of canes stopping you pokeing ya eye out.
The_Snail
A student came on here once asking us what recycled objects we used on our allotments. I kept my answers, here are relevant bits of the questionnaire:
8. What objects do you reuse and/or transform (please list)? And what are they used for?
Old paving slabs - for paths. Old pallets for wood to make shed, compost bins. Old blackboard frames for hardwood to make struts for structures, and to cut for "decking" paths. Old oil drums for burning things in. Old glass kitchen cabinet doors for cloches. Old bricks for paths and barbeque and holding down tarpaulins. Old woollen jumpers cut into pieces for lining bottoms of pots and to put on compost heap. Old woollen and cotton carpets for weed suppressant. Bubble wrap discarded from packaging to insulate plants against cold. Old tights for tying plants. Pieces of plastic cut from fabric conditioner bottles for plant labels. Old scaffold poles for bean poles. Old conduit pipe for holding down weed suppressant membrane. Old net curtains for protecting plants against frost. Old wire fencing for making a fruit cage. Horse manure. Household green waste. Leaves.
9. Where do you get these objects from?
From household rubbish at home, from skips in the street, from neighbours, from rubbish found in street and dumped by fly-tippers in hedgerows, by asking people who appear to be renovating their gardens for old paving slabs and bricks, by asking council workmen for old paving slabs when they are renewing pavements. Local stables and farms.
Those little bottles of probiotic drinks are useful too for putting on top of canes too to protect your eyes.
I just got a big pile of wood shreddings which I will use to make paths. They came from a tree surgeon who was doing a job down our road and were headed for the dump. I've also chopped up the christmas tree and pear tree prunings to use on paths. I don't have a shredder, so I used an axe.
Thank you all for the suggestions, I'm already kicking myself for throwing away some net curtains.
I'm so excited and can't wait until tomorrow to get started on the plot, I just hope it doesn't snow.