
The concept of a recycled garden might not immediately resonate with many people. After all, you’re growing things in dirt, which doesn’t go anywhere. You’re eating what you grow and the idea of recycling the “leftovers” tends upset neighbors, not to mention your local department of public health. But a garden lends itself to all sort of recycling strategies. Among these are containers, supports and fasteners.
Recycled Cans
Even if you have a garden plot or raised beds, there are lots of things for which you need containers. You may, as I do, like to start your seedlings in used cans. These are the sort that contain corn, beans, peas or fruit salad and hold about 15 ounces. I like them for warm season plants that need an early start. They are all the same size, which makes them easy to organize. Twenty-five of them fit on a standard plastic nursery flat (which is also recycled). If you use the ones that don’t have pull-top lids, it’s also a snap to transplant your seedlings with minimal root disturbance. Just tap the sides and bottom, slide the plant out and gently place it in the round hole you dug with a bulb planter. Larger cans, such as the #10, hold close to a gallon of soil. Use them to grow leaf lettuce, spinach, mini greens, chives, small annual flowers and annual herbs like basil. I find these cans will usually last 5 years or more if you don’t leave them outside during the rainy season. At that point, send them to the recycling plant. And, of course, you can use them for storage, especially if they have plastic lids.

Recycled Bathtubs
Use an old bathtub as a planting container. You can often get them free from demolition and construction companies or people who are remodeling their own bathrooms. A standard bathtub holds around 80 gallons and the drainage hole is already bored. It’s a good idea to place it on a slight slope, just to make sure water doesn’t pool in the bottom. Make it look fancier by using leftover wood or strips from broken pallets to build a box frame that covers the unsightly sides and back. In my experience, a standard bath tub will hold six peppers, three cucumbers, three tomatoes, three summer squash, or two vines each of winter squash, melons or pumpkins.
Other Recycled Items

Since we’re ranchers, we have easy access to things less common in urban areas. For example, use metal fence posts and hog wire to make trellises. I have some I’ve been using for 30 years. Pill bottles make good seed containers, as do the small brown glass bottles you often find on the supplement shelves of health stores. If you prefer paper seed packs, organize them in old Ziplock bags, with a couple of the desiccant packs you’ll get with the aforesaid medications or supplements. Old pantyhose make great plant ties and slings for melons or squash grown on a trellis. I’m sure you can think of plenty of other ways to create your recycled garden.