Old t-shirts. Besides being great dusters, they are useful in the garden. Cut the fabric into thin strips, approx 1 cm wide, for plant ties. The elasticity of the fabric ensures that no plant will be harmed and the ties can be washed and reused.
When I get my blood pressure taken I ask for the rubber tourniquet that they throw away . It’s great for tying up roses and other things in the garden .
I hadn’t thought of that @bcpathome, thanks for the idea!
I also use old stockings for tying in plants, and wooden spoons for putting compost into small pots
One plastic parking grid tile as a portable stepping stone for when I need to prune/tidy up front of border roses and other plants, as my squidgy lawn dies if I stand on it for longer than 10 seconds
Empty bottle of L’Oreal 8 Second Wonder Water for holding alcohol to sterilise small gardening tools or camellia oil for cleaning them
Old 1-litre kitchen jug (handle has broken off) — has multiple purposes such as: 1) measuring volumes for dilution when I’m applying nematodes; 2) scooping up sunflower hearts from large sack and decanting neatly into bird feeder; 3) holding small houseplant pots when I’m watering them so I can catch the used water, transfer to and collect it in a 6L watering can and pour it on outdoor plants
External phone cable clips for bricks to hold up young Chinese Virginia creeper stems in spots too small and awkward to put a wire trellis in. Need to check and remove the clips once the stems have stuck themselves to the wall before they get too thick
Large bag of bamboo skewers left over from a BBQ in 2017, for killing slugs (I get maybe 30 slugs in a year, and one skewer can do for multiple slugs)
Battered rectangular plastic washing up bowl, for holding small amounts of compost when potting plants, catching small plants I’m taking out of pots and as a tray for when I’m dividing them, or to hold deadheaded flowers or old leaves that I pick up from the lawn etc.
I kept the veg drawers from my old fridge which I use as cloches to keep the winter rain off some alpine plants. They are also useful later in the year for dunking any plants I suspect might have vine weevils.
Bee x
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
In my trug of bits, there’s a pointy stick which is useful for all manner of dibbing and stabbing.
Big lolly sticks are good for labels and also for making reinforcements for the poly greenhouse poles when they rust/bend etc.
Shout out to the bread knife for slicing through clumps of plants to divide.
Skewers for young plant supports.
Trifle/dessert plastic tubs (clear and domed) make great mini cloches. Also plastic mushroom containers are great for salad crops. (not a tool but whilst we here…)
@athelas, does that L'Oreal stuff actually work as claimed for hair? If it does I might be tempted to try it. Then I'll have the bottle for gardening purposes afterwards!
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I also use old stockings for tying in plants, and wooden spoons for putting compost into small pots
One plastic parking grid tile as a portable stepping stone for when I need to prune/tidy up front of border roses and other plants, as my squidgy lawn dies if I stand on it for longer than 10 seconds
Empty bottle of L’Oreal 8 Second Wonder Water for holding alcohol to sterilise small gardening tools or camellia oil for cleaning them
Old 1-litre kitchen jug (handle has broken off) — has multiple purposes such as: 1) measuring volumes for dilution when I’m applying nematodes; 2) scooping up sunflower hearts from large sack and decanting neatly into bird feeder; 3) holding small houseplant pots when I’m watering them so I can catch the used water, transfer to and collect it in a 6L watering can and pour it on outdoor plants
External phone cable clips for bricks to hold up young Chinese Virginia creeper stems in spots too small and awkward to put a wire trellis in. Need to check and remove the clips once the stems have stuck themselves to the wall before they get too thick
Large bag of bamboo skewers left over from a BBQ in 2017, for killing slugs (I get maybe 30 slugs in a year, and one skewer can do for multiple slugs)
Battered rectangular plastic washing up bowl, for holding small amounts of compost when potting plants, catching small plants I’m taking out of pots and as a tray for when I’m dividing them, or to hold deadheaded flowers or old leaves that I pick up from the lawn etc.
I kept the veg drawers from my old fridge which I use as cloches to keep the winter rain off some alpine plants. They are also useful later in the year for dunking any plants I suspect might have vine weevils.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
In my trug of bits, there’s a pointy stick which is useful for all manner of dibbing and stabbing.
Big lolly sticks are good for labels and also for making reinforcements for the poly greenhouse poles when they rust/bend etc.
Shout out to the bread knife for slicing through clumps of plants to divide.