7 Ways to Reduce Plastic in Your Garden

As we enter into a new year, most people try to set themselves some New Year's Resolutions. The most popular resolutions include embracing a healthier lifestyle or spending less time on our phones, but in this new decade, there is a real interest in using less plastic in our everyday life. 

A garden is a place where you can grow your own food and produce, rather than purchase them from the supermarket in excessive plastic packaging. So, why not try and make your garden a place with as little plastic as possible. Our handy guide shows you seven improvements you can make to your plot to reduce the amount of plastic. 

Bye Bye Plastic, Hello Coco Fibre

Coir is a natural fibre extracted from the husk of a coconut and is the material at the heart of our Nutley’s Coco Fibre Biodegradable Plant Pots. Reinforced with a natural plant latex, these pots are flexible and a totally biodegradable alternative to plastics. Available in thin and thick density options, these pots are the only one of their kind on the current market and are trailblazers in their field. 

Simply, use the pots to plant your seeds or seedlings into and let them grow. When the time comes to repot them into something bigger, simply squeeze the pot to release the roots. Reuse again and again or place them in your plot or compost heap and let them biodegrade. 

Switch Plastic for Bamboo

With the demand for fewer plastics in the garden, brands like Haxnicks have taken note and made it their mission to produce essential garden products without the use of single-use plastics. Their new range of Bamboo biodegradable seed trays and pots are sturdy and will last five years or more with normal use and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. 

The range, which is stocked by Nutley’s Kitchen Gardens, is made from bamboo and rice and can simply be broken into pieces and added to the compost heap to speed up the composting process. They degrade naturally after six to twelve months!

The bamboo products currently include a 37cm seed tray, great for this time of year, as well as sage green or terracotta plant pots and saucers available in both a 13cm and 15cm diameter. They have proved a huge success and we have plans to expand this range in early 2020.

Pick Your Own But Ditch The Plastic

Heading to your garden or allotment ready to harvest all your delicious homegrown produce is the most rewarding part of owning a plot. But why haul around plastic tubs and punnets when plastic-free alternatives are available and can just be torn up and chucked on the compost heap when they have reached the end of their life. The Nutley’s Biodegradable Fruit Punnets available in 250g and 500g are some of our best-selling products and are excellent for your dried fruits or vegetables.

The range also includes items like fibre apple trays and new cardboard fruit punnets that were introduced last year.

Having The Twine Of Our Lives

Nutscene is a Scottish brand that has been producing twine and jute since 1922. Famous around the world, their twines are still made using the original machinery when the factory first opened.

Twine can be used for a trellis for your climbing plants, tie support or even used to bunch together flowers or herbs in the garden. The product is also biodegradable and natural. A great and handy product to have that is entirely plastic-free. Nutley’s are a proud stockist of Nutscene, and also have biodegradable jute netting available as a fantastic alternative to plastic nettings. 

Peat-Free Compost Without The Heavy Duty Plastic Bags

Keen to start your growing process at the start of the year but don’t want to purchase a huge bag of compost that comes in a huge plastic sack? Don’t panic. Nutley’s has a solution for you!

Just add water to our compressed coco fibre pellets and they will swell in seconds and produce heaps of peat-free compost. These quick, easy and convenient pellets are brilliant for filling pots and trays and when not in use can be stored in their brown paper bag in your shed or at home.

The bags are sold in 250g quantities but produce three-times as much compost as other similar products on the market.

Plant Labels That Make Your Mark

There are also excellent alternatives to plastic labels that are used in your plot for identifying what you have planted. Say goodbye to the single-use plastics that are used each year and then binned after the season is done. Try our Nutley’s Wooden Labels, which are available in two sizes and also in a coloured variety for a fun and funky splash of colour in your plot. These too can be reused year after year or snapped and broken down and will biodegrade once they have served their purpose rather than ending up in the landfill.

Sack Off The Plastic When Harvesting

What better way to harvest your potatoes than by placing them in a hessian sack. It is one of the most traditional and versatile materials and has been used for centuries for storing items like coffee beans, rice, and certain fruits and vegetables.

Here at Nutley’s we stock dozens of different kinds of hessian sacks, from small to large, traditional to drawstring. To see the full range, click here.