If you are as stingy frugal as me then this project is perfect for you. Turn your empty tin cans into beautiful recycled herb plant pots. The materials used can be found around the house which makes it completely free and it only takes a few minutes.
Did you know: If all cans in the UK were recycled, we would need 14 million fewer dustbin.
If that is not a good enough reason alone here are 3 more reasons to do this project:
- It will save you money. Plant pots are double the price if they have the word basil/parsley/thyme on the front and yet we constantly throw away empty tins of beans that would make perfect recycled herb plant pots.
- Your food will taste better. Home grown herbs will make your meals taste so delicious that you will never go back to using dried herbs again. You will also start to learn which herbs go with which meals. For example, basil enhances tomato dishes, rosemary tastes great with roast potatoes and sage makes sausages taste divine.
- A greener way to accessorise your kitchen. Nothing brightens a kitchen up like lots of greenery and even better when those plants make the whole room smell aromatic.
Materials:
- Tin can
- Twine/string/garden wire
- Cardboard and scissors
- Pen
- Soil
- Seeds
- Water
Recycled herb plant pots
How to recycle left over tin cans into herb plant pots
- To begin with, you need an empty tin can so either treat yourself to some beans on toast or grab one out of the recycling bin.
- Next, give the tin can a good scrub with hot and soapy water. Make sure that the label is off and there is no glue left on the tin. Dry the tin with a tea towel or paper towel and put to one side.
- This is the part where you can get creative. I already had some cardboard cut out in the shape I wanted so I wrote the name of the herb and put a decorative leafy border on it.
- Now secure the cardboard label to the tin can with the twine. I thought it looked pretty to put the bow at the front but it is up to you.
- Fill the can with soil, plant your seeds and water.
- Place your herbs somewhere with lots of natural sunlight. I placed mine on the window sill and they look great.
- Watch your herbs grow.
Contact me, if you gave the tin cans a go, on twitter.
If you would like to be greener in the kitchen then check out Nick’s post. It is packed with tips on how to reduce plastic and live a greener life.
Also for ideas for Eco-Friendly Products head over to custom earth promos for some inspiration.
Nice post! I will def take your advice because I love all types of herbs, and i spend so much money on them. I would love to plant my own.
http://www.kingbraswell.com
Thank you for your kind words and I’m glad I inspired you. 🙂
I have always wanted to start an herb garden and this would be perfect for my small apartment. I also love a good upcycling project so I love that this is all for free!
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for sharing this article. I need to recycle some more. I am a lot better than I was years ago but there’s always room to improv.
No problem, thanks for reading and I’m glad you took something away from it.
What a great idea, I have never thought of doing this before. I love fresh herbs and love to have some handy for when I am cooking.
Hi Samantha, thank you and yes it is always handy to have access to fresh herbs.
What about drainage? I know nothing of this subject but whenever I go to the garden centre it always seems to be the topic of discussion.
Great question! If you are keeping the herbs inside then you don’t need drainage as long as you don’t over-water. It would be a different story if you wanted to put the herbs outside. If that was the case just drill a hole in the bottom otherwise the poor herbs would drown in rainwater (especially in the UK).
I love this! It’s definitely something I am going to do when I move into my new flat in the summer!
Thanks Beka, I’m glad I inspired you.
This is such a nice and creative way to recycle those numerous tins and add fresh home-grown herbs to your dishes. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you and no problem 🙂