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Plastic permeates every aspect of our lives, including the garden. But as the world wakes up to its addiction, just how easy it is to ditch plastic while growing and storing more of our own food?
From sowing seeds to protecting crops to low-tech ways of keeping harvests fresher for longer, we’ve got ideas that will help you to make more sustainable choices.
In this short video we’ll explore some simple ways to make and use garden-friendly alternatives to plastic.
In this video we refer to two others on our channel:
How to make biodegradable plant pots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP5Fa6A5lFM
Make the best seed starting and potting mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzTNTUcDr0Y
If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers:
http://www.GrowVeg.com
http://gardenplanner.almanac.com
http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com
and many more…
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If you’ve noticed any pests or beneficial insects in your garden lately please report them to us at http://BigBugHunt.com
Excellent video. Growing your own plant foods will help reduce non recyclable plastic and single use plastic from supermarket and other retailers.
Great video and thank you for sharing
Great video, btw I have a metal galvanised compost bin which is working very well – nice alternative to plastic
I don’t cut plastic out, right now. But the pots that my plants have come in became scoops for my wood chips and potting soil. I reuse plastic bags that the soil comes in by laying them out over grass, to kill a patch of it for future use with other plants. Unattractive but very efficient as long as it’s not clear.
Some good pointers. I'm struggling with this stuff on a slightly larger, commercial scale. While I've managed to stay away from plastic in my tools and fencing, the irrigation and row covers are the big hold outs with very few alternatives. And as far as I know (I have asked a few manufacturers) there are currently NO row covers made from natural fibers available anywhere; no one makes them. (Cotton sheets can be used in the small home garden, but larger commercial growers who have the largest impact on the environment have little to zero options for relinquishing polymers in irrigation and row cover)
The big box store in my town asks that you bring the flower trays back to them after planting your flowers and they recycle them!
I always store straight branches of fruit trees or elderberry trees . I later use them to bind tomatoes or other plants which need support. Thicker branches or straight stems are used as a border between flower/ veg beds and lawn or paths. Stones which appear in the soul are also used as a border. Tiles from an old staircase are used as a decorative edging either upright ( keeps the soil in) or flat for the lawnmower to go over it.
Addition: I use smaller branches which fork out in different places you support flowers or raspberries. Their stems can lay nicely in the forks. Stick a few around the plants criss-crossing each other and you don't need to buy any ugly plastic rings. When the flowers are cut down in autumn or early spring the branches can go to the compost heap too. No fiddling with any strings.
Great video! Thanks for the information! What is the brand of the recycled plastic compost bin? It looks more rodent-repellant than the one I have. Every night is another battle in the war with opossums and raccoons. Thanks!!
I still use plastic but its all the stuff that others are throwing away such as yogart pots, pot noodle pots etc. let's not get to a stage that makes us throw away are old pots so we look good with new on trend pots.
Working at a greenhouse, we washed last years pots in a dilution of hydrogen peroxide and dish soap and reused as many as we could.
Great video. The handle on my old plastic watering can just broke. I really like the look of the metal ones, kind of “Olde Tymey” and decorative in the garden. I don’t have to put it away. So I can fill it and leave it out for a day to off-gas the chlorine. The plastic I still use is recycled. I don’t get more, or try not to, but reuse what i have. My microgreens I grow in paper towels on old salsa and cole slaw containers. They sit in a sunny window in a beautiful cobalt glass baking dish. My only hydroponic plant is watercress, I grow it Kratke style in coffee cans. For freezer and refrigerator storage, I use Pyrex, expensive up front but lasts for years and can go from freezer to microwave or oven.
I would like to say this is great, but I use tons of plastic that I have repurposed. I still take plenty to the recycling center when we go. Unfortunately, I live in rural Ohio where the recycling center is 40 miles away, and I only go when I need to pick something up from the hardware store in town. I almost always have a truckload though because me and my neighbor both save our plastics to recycle or reuse.
The Ray Mears of gardening. Thanks for a very good video!
I love steven merchant!
I use woolen yarn instead of twine in the garden
Brilliant video, and a very worth-while topic as well. Thank you 🙂 I've personally been trying to cut out plastic; the toilet roll tubes and newspaper pots work very well and I'll be continuing the use those going forwards. Any plastic trays that I do have I look after very well, with a mind to make them last as long as possible rather than being 'throw away'. And in the occasional circumstance we buy produce that comes with an unavoidable plastic tray (unfortunately not many store options near to where I live), I always save the plastic trays for garden use as well, such as using them as pots.
Thx a lot for your optimistic contribution of sustainable organic home-growing!
I love your composted made from recycled plastic.
Can you please provide brand and maker? (and if available in Australia)
I must confess my plastic addiction and probably risk stoning if i tell you i am moving towards plastic and not away from it… Most wooden alternatives are treated with far more harmfull chemicals and sealents. Also plastic is blamed for leahing harmful chemicals into the soil which is not entirely looked at in context. If the plastic really did leach so badly into the soil why do they never break down… Wevhave a plastic problem on the planet and we as gardeners are one of the few trades than can upcycle plastic as seeders, growing pots, containers etc. I rather upcycle wisely and use plastic where its better than other products. My 2 cents…
Wow loved this video thank you very informative! ☘️
Thanks!
Hi I cut empty cerial boxes and there inside plastic wrapping to size they hold 4 toilet rolls nicely,G.
That's a brilliant video thank you – lots of ideas to help on the way to a plastic free year of gardening!
Brilliant. Only video I have come across like this. Can't believe this is the only one when this is such an important subject. Good work. Thank you.
is it possible to put together an irrigation system without plastic?
I use tongue depressors, which look like an over-sized popsicle stick and are also available in craft stores, for my labels. They make labels both easier to write and to read. They last for one season, and just get turned under or added to the compost heap, no fuss, no muss.
What do we do about netting?
Not only is it plastic, but it is also a death trap to so many birds and other wildlife, just for the sake of losing some of our crops.
Is it viable to grow without netting?
I loved all of the storage ideas. It was super helpful! It's great having grown all this food, but if you don't know how to store it what is the use?
There is a company in the U.S. that makes pots out of cow manure I think they’re called Poopots. They are good for the plants and are compostable!