Kitchen colanders, old wellies and woolly jumpers can help create beautiful hanging baskets, says gardening expert Chris Collins.
From milk cartons to baked beans tins, colanders to old pullovers, green fingered growers at Garden Organic are encouraging gardeners to get creative with their hanging baskets to help protect the planet and their purses.
With more of us taking up gardening during the pandemic, the horticultural charity is expecting a big uplift in the popularity of hanging baskets ahead of the summer. But if you don't already have a regular basket to reuse, before visiting the garden centre check what you might have lying around at home that could be transformed into a sustainable container.
Former Blue Peter gardener and Garden Organic's head of horticulture Chris Collins says: "I live in a flat with a balcony, so container growing and hanging baskets are an important part of my organic growing life.
"You don't need to spend a lot of money; you can make your own highly-original 'basket', which can be a delight throughout the year. Many can be made from your household rubbish - much better for the environment and an excellent talking point as we spend time with friends and family outside again."
Four common household items to upcycle into hanging baskets
1. Colander
An old colander, with its ready-made drainage holes, is ideal. "Just make sure you line it with a layer of grit or matting (such as recycled jute, sisal or coir), moss or even an old woollen jumper - this must be 100% wool as synthetic fibres can break down into the soil - to prevent the compost blocking the holes or falling out," Collins advises. "They will have a tendency to dry out quicker than other baskets, but are a perfect home for plants that don't mind dry conditions, like succulents or thyme."
2. Old wellington boots
Old wellies make quirky additions to the patio and if you haven't much ground space, you can simply hang them up on a post or wall and then fill them with compost and pretty trailing plants.
3. Tin cans
These can be painted in bright colours or in subtle tones, depending on the effect you want, with drill holes in the base for drainage and the sides so you can suspend them with string from posts. Some people make feature walls and posts of different coloured cans, cascading with bright flowers.
"Bold new baskets can be filled with repeat flowerers like pelargoniums, petunia and begonia which will keep blooming through the summer," says Collins.
4. Single-use plastics
"Hanging baskets aren't just for decoration. They're also great for growing herbs and veggies," says Collins. "My strawberries did well last year in their milk bottle tower and I've got tomatoes growing in DIY containers, too.
"Coriander, basil and parsley leaves will make delicious additions to your dinner. Chives and thyme will also give delightful flowers which pollinators will love as much as you.
"Tumbling tomatoes and chilli peppers will all flower and fruit so long as they are in a sheltered, sunny position. By growing your own in this way, you're helping to reduce your food miles and cut down on single-use plastic packaging."
How to achieve hanging basket success
Get the right soil mix: "All plants grown in containers need plenty of nutrients, especially flowering ones. Get your potting mix right by using peat free potting compost or making your own," says Collins.
"A combination of soil with homemade compost and grit to give good drainage will make an ideal growing mix. Top up with a liquid feed every couple of weeks. Make your own from comfrey or nettle leaves steeped in water or buy a certified organic fertiliser."
Deadhead often: "Keep deadheading regularly. This prevents the plant from setting seed, and encourages further blooms."
Site your basket sensibly: "Choose your hanging place wisely. You need plenty of sun and shelter from wind."
Further information and tips on growing organically can be found at gardenorganic.org.uk.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here