Plastic Free Gardening Tips
Pretty much all gardeners love the environment- how couldn’t we, when we are outside in our gardens all the time?
But the Garden Industry has a dirty little secret: there can be so much plastic waste produced when gardening.
Here’s some of our favorite tips & tricks for reducing plastic waste in your garden for #PlasticFreeJuly and year-round:
Some of our favorite swaps: metal watering can, starting seeds yourself, compostable pots, plant labels you can use year after year
1. Order Soil & Compost in Bulk
Some things, like compost, you’ll want to always have on-hand in your garden. Consider ordering it or picking it up in bulk (we use Price Farms Organics) and stashing extra away in a garage or basement. You’ll save dozens of plastic soil bags from going into the landfill and oftentimes you’ll save money, too.
2. Consider investing in higher quality, permanent supplies
Plastic sneaks into our garden in different ways: seedling starter containers, cheap trowels and hand rakes, little plastic plant labels. Even raised beds can be created with thicker plastic.
Consider investing in high-quality gardening tools and materials that will last longer and will reduce plastic usage in your garden: swap out the disposable plant labels for more permanent ceramic or metal ones. Invest in a high-quality gardening knife and pitchfork (bonus if you get it from the thrift store- our favorite place to find used gently used gardening tools in Columbus is New Uses on Sawmill). There are so many swaps you can make that are both more sustainable and will make your garden more beautiful.
3. Grow the food you typically find in plastic
Leafy greens often come in plastic bags or plastic containers if you buy them at the grocery store
Take a look at your local grocery store: are there foods that are only available packaged in plastic? The biggest culprits are usually strawberries, salad greens, herbs, or others. Add those plants to your planting plan; by eating more salad greens from your garden, you’re reducing the plastic waste that would happen if you were buying them at the grocery store, and eating a more nutritious product, too.
4. Start your own seedlings
If you buy seedling at nurseries, you know that these baby plants often come packaged in plastic, which leads to tons of trash in the landfill. Some nurseries will accept those seedling containers back to reuse. You can also experiment with starting your own seeds for your garden with just a few simple pieces of equipment like soil block makers, grow lights, and seedling mats. If you’re not ready to start your own seeds yet, consider sourcing your plants from local growers who use compostable containers or will reuse the plastic.