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Today we've got some suggestions for making use of things that may be sitting around unused in your garden or perhaps in a skip somewhere. I've got great satisfaction from making something useful and fun at almost no expense.
Today we've got some suggestions for making use of things that may be sitting around unused in your garden or perhaps in a skip somewhere. I've got great satisfaction from making something useful and fun at almost no expense.
We are lucky in Cambridgeshire to have kerbside green waste collection readily available but if you have the space nothing beats making your own!
We are lucky in Cambridgeshire to have kerbside green waste collection readily available but if you have the space nothing beats making your own!
There are all sorts of options on every scale - why not share your ideas with us?
There are all sorts of options on every scale - why not share your ideas with us?
During lockdown number 1 when the green waste collections were suspended I realised that we needed a compost “heap” in our newly occupied garden.
During lockdown number 1 when the green waste collections were suspended I realised that we needed a compost “heap” in our newly occupied garden.
Somehow we had an extra blue wheelie bin which seemed to be looking for a purpose!
Somehow we had an extra blue wheelie bin which seemed to be looking for a purpose!
Wheelie Compost Bin
Wheelie Compost Bin
With the help of:
A jigsaw with plastic cutting blade
A drill with a range of sizes of wood bits
A couple of plastic hinges left over from a boat repair project some years ago
A small brass sliding bolt that was sitting around in the garage
A few small screws to attach the above
Some strips of plastic rescued from a skip
Some rubble and gravel
A plastic water butt tap - specially purchased for the project
we had a functioning mobile compost heap!
we had a functioning mobile compost heap!
I basically followed these instructions but used a smaller bin.
I basically followed these instructions but used a smaller bin.
The important thing is to make sure that your flap will be big enough to get a spade or fork in to extract your compost.
The important thing is to make sure that your flap will be big enough to get a spade or fork in to extract your compost.
I think I should have made the ventilation holes a bit bigger and put in less woody waste in the early stages, but it’s worked well and I had some lovely liquid feed for the tomatoes out of the tap through the summer!
I think I should have made the ventilation holes a bit bigger and put in less woody waste in the early stages, but it’s worked well and I had some lovely liquid feed for the tomatoes out of the tap through the summer!
FREE SOIL CONDITIONER
FREE SOIL CONDITIONER
Whether or not you make your own compost did you know that if you are in Cambridgeshire you can collect some of the soil conditioner produced from the green waste collections – and it’s free at the Waterbeach, Alconbury and March Amey sites!
Whether or not you make your own compost did you know that if you are in Cambridgeshire you can collect some of the soil conditioner produced from the green waste collections – and it’s free at the Waterbeach, Alconbury and March Amey sites!
Simply go along with a spade and a bag and you can help yourself. My container grown tomatoes and peppers thrived on it!
Simply go along with a spade and a bag and you can help yourself. My container grown tomatoes and peppers thrived on it!
If you cannot make it to any of these sites to load your own soil conditioner, then it can be purchased for £2.50 a bag at the Household Recycling Centres (apart from Milton).
If you cannot make it to any of these sites to load your own soil conditioner, then it can be purchased for £2.50 a bag at the Household Recycling Centres (apart from Milton).
Check here for details of opening times. https://wasteservices.amey.co.uk/where-we-work/cambridgeshire/waterbeach-waste-management-park/composting/
Check here for details of opening times. https://wasteservices.amey.co.uk/where-we-work/cambridgeshire/waterbeach-waste-management-park/composting/
PLAYING WITH PALLETS
PLAYING WITH PALLETS
If you are feeling more creative pallets are perfect for repurposing in the garden - and plenty of people will thank you for taking them away. You can afford to be choosy! Brand new ones seem to be harder to dismantle but you don’t want really old rotten ones! They come in a surprising variety of shapes and sizes!
If you are feeling more creative pallets are perfect for repurposing in the garden - and plenty of people will thank you for taking them away. You can afford to be choosy! Brand new ones seem to be harder to dismantle but you don’t want really old rotten ones! They come in a surprising variety of shapes and sizes!
Brightening a dark corner
Brightening a dark corner
These are a couple of ideas for a garden with limited growing space and dark corners in need of brightening up!
These are a couple of ideas for a garden with limited growing space and dark corners in need of brightening up!
Hanging herb garden
Hanging herb garden
There are plenty of ideas on the web - all you need is a saw, claw hammer, a crowbar if possible(!), plenty of nails, a brush and a pot of paint!
There are plenty of ideas on the web - all you need is a saw, claw hammer, a crowbar if possible(!), plenty of nails, a brush and a pot of paint!
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