Unique cardboard recycling in the garden

Cardboard box (public domain photo)

My partner and I were at the recyclers about a week ago to drop off a used water heater. He's a plumber, so this is a frequent occurrence. Still, I couldn't help but turn my thoughts to cardboard. The cardboard pile (and I use the term loosely, as it's not a pile but a heaping 12 foot tall, 100 foot wide, mass) really grabbed my attention. You see, we were dropping off the box to the new water heater while recycling the old one.

Random recycling thoughts

Now, I know that recycling the cardboard is a good thing. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if I could have made better use of it in the garden. There are, of course, many ways to do this. The one I'm most familiar with is keeping down weeds. This is recycling too, of course as the box breaks down to provide compost once it has outlived its usefulness as a weed blocker.

Normal garden cardboard recycling

In the gradual garden, we do a lot of good enough greening. We try to make our recycling methods there as simple as possible. Those water heater boxes, when cut in fourths the long way, are the absolute perfect size for blocking weeds in garden paths around raised beds or between rows. However, that's not what I was thinking to use them for this time.

A new recycling idea

It occurred to me that if they were cut in half, the long way, those pieces would be the perfect size to top a raised bed. You see, some of our raised beds are older and getting a bit weedy. I'm thinking that cutting holes in a couple of cardboard boxes for plants or seeds might be a good enough option for weed control right within the beds themselves, next year.

Cardboard box planters?

I was also thinking that since the boxes are quite strong, they might make good temporary, small raised beds all on their own. We could cut the bottom out, cut horizontal pieces the right height, fill them with soil and go to it. Of course, they would have to be replaced each year. However, we have a good, continual supply from the plumbing business. Plus, it would certainly save us a lot of money on lumber, not to mention labor when we go to expand the garden.

What do you think of these two ideas?

Do you have a favorite recycling tip for cardboard boxes? If so, please feel free to contribute in the comment section.