Find a garden use for old tyres, fridges, freezers and bottles in a minute
'Old flat-panel radiators make good, strong paths and reflect light onto crops.'
|
| Flat-panel radiators make a sturdy path
|
Plastic bottles
Plastic bottles with the bottoms cut off make mini cloches for smaller plants.
For stronger-growing plants, such as sweetcorn and brassicas, use cylinders with both top and bottom removed so plants can grow without restriction.
For bigger plants, place a ring of plastic bottles full of water around them. Push the bottles an inch or so into the soil, put a sheet of plastic or glass over the top and you have a large light space. The water warms during the day and keeps everything snug at night. When the plant grows bigger, and no longer needs as much protection, some of the water it requires is already there, pre-warmed and ready to pour.
Bicycles wheels
Old bicycle wheels cut open and with the spokes taken out can be bent to make excellent frames for tunnels.
An inner tube of a bicycle wheel makes an effective tree tie, without cutting into the tree, and it decays naturally after a few years. An old pair of tights also does a good job.
The cut-out spokes of bicycle wheels can be used as giant pins to secure sheets of plastic and mulch.
Flat-panel radiators
Old flat-panel radiators make good, strong paths and reflect light onto crops.
Small flat-panel radiators can become good garden steps – make them less slippery with sand stuck onto a coat of glue or car body underseal.
Fridges and freezers
Old refrigerators make rodent-proof seed stores and maintain a constant temperature.
Using bricks for feet, an old freezer body (minus lid) becomes a free water butt. Smarten it up with black bitumastic paint.
|
| Insulated car tyre planters
|
Car tyres
Old car tyres make effective planters. We now know that if you cut the sides out and reverse them, you get a neater, more usable space. If this is done neatly, you can stack them on top of each other to make huge, free planters.
An old car tyre also makes a great cloche topped with a sheet of glass or plastic; top with netting to protect seedlings from birds and other pests.
Recycled pallets
Use recycled pallets for greenhouse staging and slatted flooring.
Four pallets will make a good-sized compost bin.
Adapted by Sarah Brocklehurst.
denotes Subscriber-only content | Sunday 18 May 2008 | Help | Glossary 
