Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Frugal Living => Topic started by: juliec on December 14, 2010, 10:18
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Well Im a bit excited, not sure if this will work well or not, but yesterday I drove past a carpet shop and outside waiting for the bin men were very long cardboard tubes from the insides of the carpet rolls. I stopped and asked if I could have a few and they are now in the garage waiting for spring.
A few ideas are to cut them into 6 inch lengths and maybe start my beans off in them.
has any one else used thest.
i also thought if I cut them in half length ways I could sew seeds in them much the same as some do in plastic gutters.
What do you experts think.
Thanks for your input
Jools
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I use the cardboard middles from finished rolls of masking tape. (We use loads and loads at work) One old middle stacked on another then taped together gives me cardboard pot of 3" dia and 4" deep I seal most of the bottom off with more masking tape. These I use for beans and sweetcorn seedlings. When their ready for transplanting I plant the lot tube, seedling, compost and by the season end it's all rotted away. A lot will depend I reckon on the thickness of the tube wall, mine are quite thin about 1/16" but it only has to last a few short weeks before transplanting.
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Pic with tennis ball for comparison. Full roll, empty roll, two stuck together
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I think the tube from inside carpet will be too heavy duty for runner beans etc. The tubes will not easily split and allow the roots to spread out.
If you cut the tubes in half lengthways they will flatten out when dampened also plant roots will not easily slide out for transplanting.
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Those look great stentman. great use of something that would be thrown away. and bet they are great for your beans.
I think my carpet rolls will look much the same cut up.
Save us a few bob on pots then!
jools
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With carpet rolls you wouldn't need to split the sides, you'd need only to push them through the bottom straight into the soil/grow bag/pot at planting time. You're not moving the individual cut rolls about so no worry as long as they're in some sort of draining tray
I'd use carpet rolls cut taller, perhaps 6" or more for longer rooted plants or seedlings that will stay in the rolls for longer.
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you could use them to blanch leeks and celery
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I think there worth a try.Mr S has loads of similar tubes at work from vinyl for bedrooms I'll get him to bring me one & give it a go .Thank you
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How about putting then in the middle space of a grow bag in between two tomato or cucumber plants and filling with water, would that not ensure your plants get enough water.
Im going to try this one.
Jools
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How about putting then in the middle space of a grow bag in between two tomato or cucumber plants and filling with water, would that not ensure your plants get enough water.
Im going to try this one.
Jools
Im trying this with a plastic tube from the inside of carpets though not a card board one
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We are not allowed carpet on our plots due to the chemicals. You might not want to use for all just in case.