Repurposed chopsticks and Popsicle sticks serve as labels identifying lettuce seeds. Photo by Colleen Smith
I save wooden chopsticks and the wooden sticks from frozen juice or yogurt bars and repurpose them in my garden.
Chopsticks are perfect for poking holes in the soil to make way for transplanted seedings. Sometimes, I attach three chopsticks together with twine or pipecleaners to make a tiny triangular trellis to support plants just getting started. I also use the chopsticks with flat ends as seed markers.
Of course, Popsicle sticks work better--they're much easier to write on--but I tend to wind up with more chopstick than Popsicle sticks, so I use an ultra fine Sharpie and steady my hand best I can to print the labels.
I prefer these makeshift organic wood markers to the plastic ones And at the end of the season, I toss the sticks into one of my compost bins where they can decompose.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Rejoice.
Comments
do u know how long it takes fo popsicle sticks to decompose
Hi, Vic,
It's a valid question, yet almost like asking "How often do I need to water my plants." So much depends on the conditions. For example, when I use Popsicle sticks for plant markers, I notice they start to rot before the growing season is over because they're in wet soil. I keep several compost bins going and do not pay too much attention until they start getting close to "finished." If you are concerned about them lasting too long, break the sticks up into more pieces to hasten their composting.
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