Gardener shares money-saving trick that utilizes household trash: 'I love this'

It's pretty common for gardeners to value sustainability, but not all of them are equally crafty. One gardener shared their clever — and aesthetically pleasing — method of reusing waste to get their annual seedlings started.

The eco-conscious Redditor shared their creation with r/Anticonsumption in a post titled "Garbage Greenhouse." 

The post includes a few images of egg cartons with a seedling planted in soil in each of the cells. Covering the cartons are what appear to be plastic tops for food trays.

"Happy start of gardening season!" OP wrote. "For years, I've saved and reused these pieces of plastic packaging to make trays (bottoms) and heat/moisture catchment (tops) that keep the egg carton seed starts nice and cozy."

This simple trick is not only a great way to reuse items that would otherwise wind up in a landfill but also to create a rich planting environment to start seedlings. Rather than planting several in a single pot, there's a network of individual cells. Each seedling can be easily observed, and it can get the attention it deserves. 

This method can also save money on gardening products and wasted seeds. Other gardeners have gotten similarly creative with toilet paper tubes, but the egg carton approach may be even more efficient. 

Gardening itself offers many of these benefits. Growing your own food can cut back on surging grocery costs, reduce waste and pollution, and improve both air and water quality. As this Reddit post shows, it's also a space for you to get creative and crafty.

Commenters appreciated the eco-friendly ingenuity on display in the OP's post.

"I love this!!! The egg cartons!!! I will try it in my home," one said.

"I love discovering new ideas for things that would otherwise become more waste," another said. "Thank you for sharing this."

Which of these benefits is your biggest motivation in gardening? Getting outside more 🌱 Growing healthy food 🥕 Making my yard beautiful 🏡 I don't garden 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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