Open today from 09:00 until 17:00

What To Do With Garden Waste

Have you ever wondered what to do with garden waste when you are clearing up or clearing out your garden? Throughout the year, there are times when you might have some garden waste to dispose of or recycle. If you're creating a new garden bed, a new seating area, removing old decking or patios or even just doing some weeding, there are always garden projects that may create waste. But it’s what you do with that waste that counts. 


 

 

Composting

The top of the list has to be composting. Producing your own compost is the best and cheapest way to replenish your garden. You could make some wooden compost bins from old pallets and compost a lot of your green and brown waste from your garden. Compost can consist of grass clippings, leaves, plants, annual weeds, cardboard, twigs and even your tea bags from your garden cup of tea. 

Reusing Wooden Items

Many used wooden garden items can be reused in various ways. Logs can be piled up in a corner which will help to attract wildlife to your garden and increase biodiversity, or be made into a path, edge garden borders or used in a fire pit. Old fence panels can be made into raised beds, compost bins, insect hotels and even shelves in your shed. 

 

 

Selling paving slabs

If you are removing an area such as an old patio and have a lot of paving slabs, why not sell them to someone else who will collect and reuse them? If you have no need for them, they can even be donated to a local community project. Otherwise, they can be used for new garden pathways or even broken up and used as crazy paving along with some shingles.

Waste disposal services

If you do have a lot of waste and no way to reuse it, check out your local waste disposal services. Some larger items may be collected from your home, sometimes at a cost, and this is by your local council. Other items can be taken to a local recycling centre. 

 

Making leaf mould

Along with compost, if you have a lot of leaves, why not rake them up and store them in bags to make your own leaf mould? Leaves are nature's way of replenishing the soil, and leaf mould can be used as a soil improver and to mulch around your garden plants. 

You might also be interested in:

No rabbit-proof plant list is invulnerable; what is rabbit-proof in one area may not be in another area. Rabbits are creatures of habit; once they’ve acquired a taste for a particular plant they will continue to eat it. Plants seem to be especially vulnerable when young so if protection is given at this critical stage they are less likely to be eaten when the protection is removed.

Read more...

For many gardeners in Scotland deer are a constant menace, especially in a cold, snowy winter when they are hungry enough to eat almost anything. Deer also tend to be inquisitive feeders and are often attracted to new plantings, so some protective netting is advisable until plants are established. While the following list is certainly not infallible, these plants are less likely to be eaten by deer.

Read more...
Event: Build Your Own Breakfast Bun

As part of the STV Children's Appeal, we are encouraging kids (and adults) to get involved in creating a breakfast dish! We will select one of these designs to serve as a breakfast special in our restaurant, with all profits going towards the STV Children's Appeal. Hand in your creation to a member of our team for a chance to be the featured breakfast! 

Big Scottish Breakfast helps tackle child hunger, as all the money you raise supports projects that provide free breakfast for children and young people at risk of hunger across Scotland. Every penny from your event will set children up for a better day by fostering an inclusive environment where breakfast is readily available for those who need it.

Read more...
Easy DIY: Making A Pinhole Projector

Excited for the eclipse on Wednesday, August 12th from 6 pm, but don't have glasses to view it? Worry not, gardeners! We know every gardener has a mountain of plastic pots from repotted plants. Did you know you could turn these into a pinhole projector to view the eclipse?! It only takes a few steps and uses things you'll likely have around the house.

Read more...