Hello!
Hope you are doing ok.
In recent times, we are all becoming a lot more environmentally friendly and want to make things last for as long as possible.
Whilst scrolling through social media, I stumbled across a post (in fact there were several – I’ll link some at the end of this post) that came up with some ingenious ways to make your rubbish into treasure for the natural world.
So here you have the instructions to make a planter out of your old juice cartons. Great to keep kids entertained or if you have small spaces e.g. a balcony or window sill.
What You’ll Need.
- Juice Carton
- Knife
- Paint/other decoration
- Paint brushes
- Peat free compost
- Plants
Step One.
Rinse out whatever carton you have, making sure that there is no residue left.
With a blade or scissors (take care) cut out the front facing surface, leaving about half a centimetre around the edge.
Recycle the cut out.
Step Two.
Decorate the carton however you like!
You could paint it, add dried flowers etc or you can leave it plain.
Whatever you prefer – the choice is yours!
I chose to paint with some pastel paints I had left over from other crafty endeavours and decided to paint stripes to make it bright, cheerful and summery!
Step Three.
Using a knife/screwdriver or pen (basically something pointy!) pierce the bottom of the carton with several holes for drainage.
Step Four.
This step I guess is also optional, but I decided to paint the planter with a layer of sealing paint, just to make it as waterproof as possible so it doesn’t turn to mush.
Step Five.
Add peat free compost and your plants of choice.
I added two small Cosmos plants that were going spare.
Remember to water the plants in and just wait for them to flourish!
I do hope you found this useful. I really would recommend it – I found it quite relaxing to do and of course it’s a great way to teach kids about recycling, gardening and biology.
Also it’s fab if you only have small areas in which to grow things.
Please tag me in any pictures of ones you have made (@miss_charlotte_d). I would love to see them!
Here are some great websites and accounts that inspired me to do this (the original place where I found the idea, I have shamefully forgotten and cannot find!) Let me add that this idea is not my original idea and I would like to thank the amazing person/people/company that came up with it.
- Button and Squirt – Click Here.
- Woodland Trust – Click Here.
- Jordans Cereals – Click Here.
- The Wildlife Trusts – Click Here.
fox-glove-and-bee.com 