ST201904

Yo u w illneed:

Usedplasticbottles,between two

andfour litres

Cherrytomato plantseedlings

Maskingtape

Hole punch

Knife

Strongtwine

Soil

1 Cleanyour plastic bottles,

removing any labels. Carefully cut

away thebottom ofthe bottle.

2 Seal over the jaggededge with

maskingtape; then, usingthe hole

punch, make four holes in the tape,

oneoneach sideofthebottle.

3 With themouthofthebottle

facing down, insertyour tomato

seedling and carefullywork the

plant into the mouth. Then spread

theroot ballout insidethebottle.

4 Fill the bottle three-quarters full

with compost.

5 Thread your twine through the

holes andtie securelytogether.

6 Hang somewhere sunnyand

water really regularly.

UPCYCLED HANGING TOMATO PLANTERS

MAG OF THE MONTH

• Bloom•
  Despite only being
  onto its second issue,
  Bloom’s fresh take on
  gardening and the
  natural world has
  already given it strong
  roots. Launched by
  three passionate
  women, the quarterly
  magazine celebrates
  the delights of each

season, whether in

country or city and

includes practical

projects pitched at

every level of gardener

and garden, from

window box upwards.

All presented in a way

that’s as fresh as its

subject matter.

£8, picsandink.com

INDIE

LET’S CELEBRATE! At 21 you may

receive the key to the door as you

might after 21 years of marriage

(the traditional gift is brass). Less

cheeringly, 21% of us don’t wash

our hands after going to the loo.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society

suggests washing for the time it

takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.

Now there’s a gift to yourself.

GARDEN HA

CKS

When dining out, whether picking up a coffee

and breakfast to go, or grabbing a takeaway,

consider bringing some of the following to

reduce your plastic waste:

1 A reusable bottle or cup for drinks.

2 A set of reusable utensils from your home – if

metal ones are too cumbersome, consider

purchasing a light bamboo set. Remind whoever

is packing your food that you don’t need a

plastic set.

3 A reusable stainless-steel straw for your drink.

Ask the waiter for no straw and show him yours

to reinforce the request. In the US alone,

500 million straws are used every day, notorious

as a harmful source of plastic pollution and

typically not recycled.

4 A reusable napkin to substitute for one-time

use paper napkins. Bleached paper is an

energy- and water-intensive process so look to

reduce usage where possible. Remind whoever

is packing your food that you won’t need a stack.

5 Stainless-steel containers are great for packing

up leftovers, rather than a one-time-use

container – see if the restaurant will let you use

your own for a doggy bag.

ECO TWEAKS

DINING OUT

You’ll want to get the hang of this space-saving and wallet-friendly idea

* Answer: A bottle of ale

Adapted from Sustainable Home by

Christine Liu (White Lion Publishing)

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