[Ema]

Hi All

I thought we could put everyone’s good ideas for sustainable gardening into one place. Try to keep it positive and leave the debating for another thread!

Mine are:
Peat free compost
No polystyrene trays, grow from seed myself
Reuse yoghurt pots for labels
Biodegradable string not plastic twine
Hessian weed suppressant not plastic

Really interested to hear what you are up to

[Wellington]

My project this year was going to be a plastic free allotment. It's not quite working out how I planned, for various reasons, but here's some of my methods

Soil blocks and paper pots to start plants off.  I like bamboo pots, and silicone module trays, but they are expensive.
Wooden beds with metal archways and chicken wire instead of nets
cardboard and woodchip mulch to suppress weeds (I'm trying to do without landscape fabric where I can)
Biological control for pests where possible (slugs and caterpillars, rather than plastic barriers and nets)
chicken wire or jute nets for climbers
I'm using plastic compost bins, water butts, buckets and cans at the moment, because I have them, but I will replace with metal or wood as they wear out.

I can't think of anything but fleece for carrot root fly though. 

[goose]

whilst i reuse all my plastic pots, i do remember great success with those paper pots...are people still making them?

[WeavingGryphon]

Fruit punnets make great seed trays.
Buying over plants like narcissus and planting them in the garden to use the pots. Plant pots are sold out so we don't have much choice there.

[Longshanks]

Last year, I built a greenhouse out of used plastic drinks bottles, which I reasoned would save them ending up in a jungle in Asia. It's taken a battering from all the storms and looks like I'll need to do some maintenance next week. Good fun though.

[rowlandwells]

still using peat composts until  i find a suitable peat free alternative
still use plastic pots and module trays because i have plenty and when there broken they get  recycled
still have plenty of twine from previous years but when its gone I will look at buying biodegradable
still use plastic weed suppressant and wood chip or bark
still use some chemical fertilisers and some organic fertilisers
still use chemical sprays but use mostly organic now
still use slug pellets
still use jiffy 7pellets

I've got to be honest I'm not planning on being  plastic free because i have plenty of plastic stock that are reusable and they still have plenty of use of cause everything gets recycled that needs recycling i don't profess to be an organic gardener and maybe I'm stuck in my ways but there my ways

[Wellington]

whilst i reuse all my plastic pots, i do remember great success with those paper pots...are people still making them?

We are. The difficult bit is finding newspaper. Since my gran died I know literally no one who has them. I’m experimenting with other paper now, because I find they work so well.

[Yorkie]

It's an old thread but the technique doesn't change 

Richy's paper pots

[Ema]

Hi all thanks for sharing your tips, please update the thread if you start doing anything that you think is relevant, I’d love to hear about it.

still using peat composts until  i find a suitable peat free alternative

still use jiffy 7pellets

Rowland it does sound like your a little stuck in your ways, I’ve had great germination rates with the Westland New Horizon peat free compost this year and also the jiffy coir pellets.

[Christine]

If you can get the New Horizon that is. Garden centre had it for one year, it was good stuff but the delivery was too hit and miss for them to continue stocking it.

But I'm one for reusing anything that can be reused on the plot. At the moment there's not a lot of choice of anything mind.

[Gleavo]

Wilkinsons and B&Q do New Horizon. To be honest, I can't see peat being legal in compost for much longer (hopefully).

My default with any-single use plastic these days is 'how can I reuse/upcycle at the plot?' Loads of things can be used for pots and those stupid plastic trays that mushrooms etc come in (why can't people put in a brown paper bag - beyond me!) make great saucers for under the pots. Also - I swear by these for watering seedlings.
https://www.harrodhorticultural.com/mini-bottle-top-sprinklers-4-pack-pid7743.html (hint: they are only £1.05 for 5 on Amazon... )

[rowlandwells]

i think your absolutely rite Ema I am stuck in my ways you cant teach an old dog new tricks  its not that I disagree with what your saying  and your probably one one the new generation that will become plastic free in time and that's not a bad thing Ema i get very frustrated when i see people throwing plastic bottles out of cars and dumping plastic waste and other rubbish on our roadsides for someone to clear up

if any thing we always recycle everything we can and recycle all non food waste only using the food waste bin and we pay for our garden recycle bin for anything we can't use  anyway good luck gardening RW

[Tenhens]

It's an old thread but the technique doesn't change 

Richy's paper pots

I was given a wooden Paper Potter last December , part of the technique of using it is not to wrap the paper too tightly .  Stopped buying a newspaper several years ago , sourcing  ' free ' local press is an option or knowing someone who still buys.

[hasbeans]

I'm using plastic compost bins, water butts, buckets and cans at the moment, because I have them, but I will replace with metal or wood as they wear out.

Plastic isn't such a bad material (depending on the plastic) for the uses you list.  The energy needed to create metal equivalents probably does more harm to the environment.  UV from sunlight is the biggest killer of plastic (clumsyness is the second biggest for me!), try to ensure that water butts and cans are kept out of direct sunlight as much as possible and they should last a very long time as the material used has some uv protection.  Cheap pots will break much quicker because they don't.  I doubt I'd grow much without 10l disposable flower buckets and they should last 5 years plus with care.

still use plastic pots and module trays because i have plenty and when there broken they get  recycled

Most pots and trays can't be recycled and putting them in domestic recycling just contaminates the whole batch resulting in it ending in landfill.

[hasbeans]

look after stuff and fix it where possible rather than replace it
keep stuff out of sunlight/weather when not in use
replace slug pellets with a pond and frogs.  Snails I tend to pick up and drop kick onto the road in front of the house!
save seeds and buy fresh seed from suppliers with minimal, unprettied packaging.
save sticks, branches and raspberry canes to use as support instead of bamboo where appropriate (or grow your own bamboo?)  I've also found that tent poles I've kept from discarded tents at festivals make good supports.)
collect nettles to make plant food and grow comfrey for the same reason