Talkback: Recycling in the garden

Gardeners' World Web User

I have just thrown an accumulated pile of empty toilet roll tubes into the recycling. This post reminded me I was planning to grow lots of sweet corn this year so I'll go and take them back out. (The loo rolls.) Then I'll find the sweet corn seeds. (Do we call them 'seeds'?)

Right!

Esther Montgomery

Gardeners' World Web User

I do hope the rotting fish at airporta is recycled as fertiliser. Banana skins under rose bushes, toilet roll tubes for sweet peas, thinned out bamboo for bean sticks - I'm a past master at recycling. This spring I am having a new hall runner and the old one(83years old) is being recycled up-side down as a compostable path in the veg. plot as it is all natural fibre.

Gardeners' World Web User

I am growing runner beans and sweet peas in toilet roll tubes at present and are growing nicely but they have gone very white and furry on the outside. Can anyone shed light on this and will it affect my seedlings?

Gardeners' World Web User

Good news that the recycled volcanic ash about to descend on our gardens will be beneficial for them, but personally, having seen how carbon black deposits killed even trees in Avonmouth, I am sure it will depend on the amount. Let's hope it will fall gently like "the quality of mercy"!

Gardeners' World Web User

im useing cardboard rolls to grow sweet peas and pumpkins ther do great in they

Gardeners' World Web User

I use the seethrough plastic containers eg, grapes tomatoes and various confectionary container.They make super propergators and so far my seeds are growing very well

Gardeners' World Web User

I too am using loo roll tubes for seedlings - I'm growing sweetpeas, sweetcorn and peas! Absolute brilliant idea. I didn't think of egg cartons though so that's next on my list! I love all this recycling.

Gardeners' World Web User

I bought loads of energy saving lightbulbs last year and i saved the little boxes and now im using them for sowing my seeds.. sweet peas and sweetcorn.

Gardeners' World Web User

I read this blog and though what a good idea. I already had loads of seeds on the way but could not resist planting more in the egg carton and toilet rolls. brilliant.

Gardeners' World Web User

Cut large plastic bottles in half and use both ends as mini cloches to cover planted out seedlings or seeds planted in pots of a slightly smaller diameter. The top end, minus screw cap, can also be sunk into the greenhouse soil next to your tomato/pepper plants. Water directly into this to get the water down to the root run.

Gardeners' World Web User

I too have suffered a total potato crop loss three years ago it was just over a hundred kilos that rotted in my garage due to blight. I read up on a cure but wanting to stay organic I found that the only recomended spray for organic gardening is Bordaux mixture, and it really works, I spray the first week in July and then the start of the fourth week and so far I have been clear on subsequent crops.