Gardener shares genius method to make use of item that usually winds up in trash: 'This is awesome'

Many gardeners accumulate collections of plastic nursery pots after buying new plants and moving them into ceramic or terra cotta planters. 

Instead of tossing those plastic pots into the trash, one TikToker shared how to repurpose them to grow tomato plants. 

The scoop

In her TikTok tutorial, Marie Burke (@goodvibzmarie) demonstrates how to stack two nursery pots on top of each other for tomato planting. 

@goodvibzmarie Saw this hack from another tik tower! Use up those nursey containers instead of throwing them away!!! #upcycle #gardenexperiment #garden #growingtomatoes #tomatoes #vegetablegarden ♬ original sound - Marie Burke

Marie cut a hole in the top pot, thoroughly watered the bottom pot filled with soil, and added more soil to the top pot to fill it. She then added a piece of tubing that extended from the top of the stacked pots to the bottom to ensure sufficient watering. 

With the tubing in place, Marie watered the top pot's soil and added a tall tomato plant. She recommended adding a stake to stabilize the tomato plant and removing the lower limbs along the stem. 

"It's going to give the plant a much healthier root system and a lot more space to grow," Marie said. 

How it's helping

Marie's tomato plant growing hack is helpful because it supports the plant's growth better than using a single pot. By setting your plants up for success with ideal growing conditions, you can start growing your own food and living a more self-sufficient lifestyle. 

Through trial and error, gardeners often discover clever hacks that help them save money by reusing items they already have. Many single-use plastic items that would otherwise be thrown away and contribute to overflowing landfill waste can be repurposed in the garden. 

Reusing plastic containers is an excellent way to reduce your plastic consumption and manage your household waste responsibly and sustainably. This is especially important with nursery planters because when you buy plants from garden centers, there are often no options available besides plastic containers. 

When you're done using plastic planters, look into your local recycling options. This way, they won't contribute to planet-overheating pollution while slowly decomposing in a landfill and breaking down into harmful microplastics. 

How often will you be gardening this summer? Every day 🥗 At least once a week 🥕 At least once a month 🌱 I don't garden 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

What everyone's saying

Marie's followers appreciated her tips for reusing old nursery pots to grow tomatoes, and they shared their feedback in the comment section. 

"This is awesome!" one user wrote. "Hope it grows well." 

"Love this idea," someone else said. 

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