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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Earth Day - Recycled Milk Jug

Spring has sprung! So has earth day and in tribute to recycling I am posting a tutorial on how to reuse a 1 gallon plastic milk jug!
Well where I live spring means that we still have many, many feet of snow! Leaving the ground frozen and plant life to a minimal. But this didn't stop me from growing apple trees indoors. After a few weeks of seedlings becoming full blown plants I had to replant my enthusiastically growing plants. Unfortunately the snow is burying all my means of bigger pot's for my plants. Being a creative thinking person I instantly went to the recycle bag. There I found a milk jug, perfect! With a few cuts I altered the jug into a wonderful recycled planter! Not only is it easy to make but it also is perfect for carrying and moving, because it has a handle! From now on I'll be using milk jugs as planters!



All you will need is a dish towel, a permanent marker, sharp scissors, a craft knife (optional; a X-ACTO Knife would work also), some water and of course a 1 gallon milk jug.


First off you should rinse out the milk jug with hot water. I suggest using a recently emptied jug so it is easier to wash out. If the jug has been slightly crushed you can just blow it out. After rinsing it out, dry the exterior off as best as you can.

Then I like to draw a line along the top ridge like so;


In the next step you will be cutting out the top outlined portion. Peirce the spot above the handle with your knife of choice.


You can then cut (with your super-de-duper sharp scissors) along the line.


After you cut the top off from the almost done planter it should look something like this.


Now, all planters must have an adequate drainage system in order to grow beautiful plants. Flip your cut jug over and sharpie out a line on the bottom of the jug. With the jugs I have, they have an odd plastic area that almost sticks out. I cut along this area. Having a X-ACTO or craft knife at this stage is EXTREMELY helpful!


It should look like this when finished!

Now you are all done! Your planter is ready to be planted in and grow amazing plants! With a few simple cuts this makes a great way to plant your plants and recycle at the same time! Happy Earth Day and hope you all enjoy spring!

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