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After a move, it’s common to have empty cardboard boxes that need to be disposed of. It’s good to recycle cardboard rather than sending it to landfills – or even better, find a good use for it at home!
Along with its indoor uses, cardboard has several uses outdoors, especially for anyone with an interest in gardening. Below we cover 11 useful ways to reuse cardboard in the garden.
1. Composting
Cardboard can be torn up and added to compost. However, be sure to compost only uncoated cardboard.
Healthy compost isn’t too wet or too dry. To maintain a good balance, aim for a ratio of 50:50 green and brown compostable material.
2. Mulch
Cardboard can used as mulch to reduce evaporation and erosion from wind and rain. The larger the pieces of cardboard you use, the better. This is so that the cardboard doesn’t break down too fast.
For aesthetic appeal, you can cover sheets of cardboard with bark, compost or even just soil.
3. Weed and grass suppression
You can place sheets of cardboard in garden beds to suppress weed growth. The cardboard, which you can cover with new topsoil, will also act as mulch. By blocking out sunlight and providing a physical barrier, it will kill off unwanted weeds and grass.
4. Filling for raised beds
Image by Srl (own work), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia.
When creating a raised bed, it’s unnecessary and expensive to fill the whole bed with soil and compost.
Use materials like cardboard, straw or wood chips to fill the bottom quarter or so of the bed.
Ideally, follow with a layer of organic material. For example, use compostable waste from the kitchen. This will add nutrients to the soil and encourage good root growth in your plants.
Fill the top half with soil and compost for planting.
It’s possible to build a raised garden bed using just repurposed cardboard boxes. In this YouTube video, two gardeners in the UK offer a demonstration.
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5. Weed sheet
Instead of using a weed sheet, a cardboard box can be used for collecting and disposing of garden waste, such as weeds, grass cuttings and pruned leaves or branches.
6. Fruit and veg harvesting
A medium box with a low edge is a great alternative to a basket when harvesting fruits and vegetables in the garden.
7. Shed storage
Use cardboard boxes for storing seed packets, fertiliser bottles and other loose items in the potting shed or garage.
8. Seedling planters
Both toilet roll inners and egg trays make excellent seedling starters.
The seedlings can be planted directly into the soil with the cardboard planter still in place to prevent disturbing the fragile roots.
9. Bug hotels
Some bugs are essential for a healthy garden ecosystem and they love to breed in cracks and crevices.
Loosely roll cardboard sheets into logs and tie or glue them into a pyramid or block. Place the “bug hotel” in the garden to encourage a healthy insect population.
10. Knee pads
If you spend a lot of time kneeling in the garden while planting or weeding, your knees will take a beating.
A few layers of corrugated cardboard glued or tied together can make an effective (and free) knee pad for gardeners.
11. Pots and planters
A sturdy box makes a good pot or planter. If you punch or cut multiple holes in the box, you can prevent the plant from becoming root bound using air pruning.
When the box starts to break down, the whole box and plant can be replanted directly into the ground.
What to avoid when reusing cardboard in the garden
Not all cardboard is suitable for use in the garden. Those with plastic lamination, for example, won’t break down when composted. Wax coating also prevents cardboard from breaking down as fast as it otherwise does.
If in doubt, don’t use cardboard with glossy printing where it will come in contact with plants and soil. Instead, use boxes with this type of printing for storage, for waste collection or as knee pads.
Also, be sure to remove any tape and staples from cardboard boxes.
What we offer at Ecobox
Ecobox moving kits for rent
If you have a home or office move coming up, consider renting one of our Ecobox moving kits as an alternative to using cardboard.
Each kit consists of enough sturdy, plastic moving boxes for a move of a particular size, along with security seals, labels and a marker pen.
Every Ecobox is sanitised and reused hundreds of times, before it’s finally recycled.
We can deliver an Ecobox moving kit to your home on a date of your choosing and then collect the boxes from a different address, after you’ve moved.
Cardboard moving boxes for sale
We offer single-wall and double-wall cardboard moving boxes in a wide range of sizes.
We also offer convenient wardrobe boxes, for moving clothing with minimal creasing, and TV boxes, for protecting flat-screen TVs.
After a move, you may decide to try one of our ways to reuse cardboard in the garden or elsewhere around the home. Alternatively, if you buy cardboard boxes at the same time as renting an Ecobox moving kit, we can collect the cardboard when fetching the Ecoboxes. We’ll then ensure that the cardboard is properly recycled.
Order your moving boxes online or visit an Ecobox outlet near you for all your moving supplies. For more information, visit our FAQ or contact us on 010 595 5555.
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