6 Ways to Turn Household Trash into Garden Treasures

Cardboard:

Plain cardboard, flattened and with the tape removed, blocks light.

Any grass or weeds underneath will begin to break down, or if placed over bare earth, it will prevent weeds from sprouting. This technique will make the area easier to work with in the future when it is time prepare the soil for gardening.

Cardboard placed around plants and in your garden pathways, topped with a layer of mulch, will significantly reduce the amount of weeding required.

The cardboard will eventually break down over time and become part of your soil, just like it does when added to a compost pile as brown material.

Image: Cardboard placed between green beans for weed control. Image credit: Denise Levitskiy

CDs or DVDs:

Old CDs or DVDs can be strung together and hung in and near your garden. They reflect sunlight and the resulting glints deter birds from raiding your produce.

Image: CDs hanging from a pea trellis. Image credit: Denise Levitskiy

Coffee Grounds:

Instead of throwing away or composting your coffee grounds after you’ve brewed a pot, consider adding them directly to your garden as a fertilizer and to discourage pests.

Used coffee grounds can be mixed into the soil as you prepare to plant, to provide a slow release of nitrogen if your soil is lacking that element.

They can be sprinkled around the base of your plants to deter some unwanted garden visitors, like slugs and snails. Used grounds are ready to go, there is no preparation required prior to use.

If you are not a coffee drinker, coffee shops are often willing to share their used grounds. When adding coffee grounds to your garden, do so intermittently, as used grounds do have some remaining acidity and caffeine that could negatively affect plants if they receive it in abundance.

Image: Bin with free coffee grounds, at the Regency Mall Starbucks. Image credit: Denise Levitskiy

Egg Shells:

Egg shells can be broken down to add calcium to soil. Egg shells should first be placed in the microwave or baked in the oven to kill any bacteria.

They can then be crushed, by hand (wear gloves, they can be sharp), with a mortar and pestle, or in a food processor or coffee grinder if you prefer a finer texture.

Like used coffee grounds, the egg shells can be mixed directly into the soil or sprinkled around plants. For those of you who are lucky enough to have backyard chickens, crushed egg shells can also be fed to your hens to add extra calcium to their diet.

Image: Jar of crushed egg shells. Image credit: Denise Levitskiy

Fabric or Clothing:

Old clothing and fabric scraps can be cut into strips and used as colorful ties and trellises in your garden. Instead of throwing away that old t-shirt, cut or tear it into strips and give it a new life securing your plants to stakes.

Old stockings and tights are useful as well, to store onions after harvesting.

Image: Huckleberry plant attached to a stake with fabric scraps. Image credit: Denise Levitskiy

Popsicle Sticks:

Save the sticks from all of the popsicles and summer treats your kids (or you) consume in the hot, humid Richmond summers. They can easily be written on or even decorated to become labels for your seeds and plants.

Use markers, pens, paints – get creative.