We are all familiar with the importance of recycling, but the concept of upcycling is less well known. Rather than turning waste into something else, upcycling repurposes items you would otherwise throw away, giving them a new lease of life in a different way. There’s nowhere this works better than in the garden, where opportunities for upcycling are endless! Upcycling is great for the environment, reducing landfill waste and saving you money. Here are some of our favourite upcycling ideas for the garden.
Plastic bottles make ideal cloches to protect your shoots from pests and birds, acting like individual greenhouses if you have a vegetable patch with young plants. You can also place them as cuffs around the bottom of plants to deter slugs. We love using them as sprinklers - pierce the bottle with plenty of holes, secure it in the ground, and attach your hose pipe.
With some creative flair, there’s no limit to what you can turn into old wooden pallets. Very popular amongst gardeners, you can often pick up pallets for free from companies or tradespeople who need to get rid of them. They make great raised beds and planters and can be used as herb gardens or even strawberry pots. You can even turn pallets into tables and fences if you’ve good DIY skills. Take a look at our guide on building an outdoor sofa with pallets for an easy project to get you started.
Old or chipped teaware can make a great DIY bird feeder for your garden. This works particularly well with cups and saucers, where you can glue the cup to the saucer base. Turn the teacup on its side and hang from a hook, or keep it upright and glue the saucer to a tall pole. They add a sense of country charm to your garden, and your birds will thank you!
Old tyres are large and bulky and often sit at the end of the garden getting damp and mouldy. We think old tyres are one of the most fun things to upcycle! Wrap the tyre in heavy-duty twine and cover one side with a wooden panel for a casual garden seat - perfect if you have more than one tyre lying around. If you’re lucky enough to have a sturdy tree in your garden, then old tyres make the perfect swing - great for big and little kids!
Want to get creative by throwing yourself into upcycling? Read through our general tips on upcycling and look through our decorating collection to pick up all you need to sand down, fix up, repaint and more!
