Strawberry hanging baskets from your recycling bin

Step one: Upcycling a milk bottle.

• Wash out and remove the label from the milk bottle.
• This is a 4 pint bottle.
• I like the green top, very fitting for a garden project.

Step two: Prepare to cut

• Mark on the bottle the panel that needs to be cut out.
• It is one third from the bottom and nearly half from the front.
• I used a Sharpie, the pictures of the mini scissors are optional.

Step three: Careful cutting

• Carefully cut out the front panel of the bottle.
• Cut or poke some drainage holes on the bottom of the bottle.
• This is definitely a job for an adult and a decent pair of scissors.

Step Four: decoration

• Paint the outside of the bottle.
• I used acrylic paints.
• Swirly leaves and vines or fruit and flowers or strawberries and bees…..you choose.

Step five: Planting up

• Add compost to nearly fill the bottom of the bottle.

Step six: Planting

• Gently plant two or three strawberry plants into the bottle.
• Add some more compost to fill the bottom of the bottle.
• Firm down and water well.

Step seven: Use up those milk bottles and repeat

• I repeated the process with some more bottles.
• Change the colours and patterns.
• Have a competition to see which planter produces the first strawberry!

Step eight: Hang up the planters

• Thread the handle of the milk bottle onto a pole and hang up the planters.
• I have hung mine on the frame of a mini greenhouse.
• I plan to keep going until I run out of hanging space and then I’ll have to think of another milk bottle project.
• Have fun.

Author Sally Tillson Cultivate London Schools Officer