Using kitchen sponges in the garden might sound unconventional, but these humble household items can serve as versatile tools for gardeners. From retaining moisture to nurturing seedlings, sponges can significantly enhance your gardening experience. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to use kitchen sponges effectively in your garden.
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Moisture Retention
One of the primary benefits of using kitchen sponges in the garden is their ability to retain moisture. This can be particularly helpful in plant pots and hanging baskets, which are prone to drying out quickly.
By placing a kitchen sponge at the bottom of your plant pots before adding soil, you can help retain moisture and prevent the soil from drying out too quickly, especially in hot weather. The sponge acts as a reservoir, slowly releasing water to the plant roots as needed.
Similarly, hanging baskets are notorious for drying out quickly due to their exposure to wind and sun. To combat this, you can line the bottom of the basket with a kitchen sponge. This will help retain water and keep your plants hydrated for longer periods, ensuring they thrive even in challenging conditions.
Seed Starting
Kitchen sponges can also be an excellent medium for starting seeds. To use sponges for seed starting, begin by choosing a clean, new kitchen sponge and cutting it into small pieces if necessary.
Moisten the sponge with water, ensuring it’s thoroughly soaked but not dripping. Then, place your seeds on the sponge, pressing them gently into the surface.
To create a humid environment, cover the sponge with a clear plastic bag or plastic wrap and place it in a warm, sunny spot. Once the seedlings have sprouted and are strong enough, you can transplant them into soil pots or directly into your garden.
Weed Barrier
If weeds are a problem in your garden, kitchen sponges can serve as an effective barrier. In flower beds, you can lay kitchen sponges flat on the soil surface, leaving enough space around your plants.
Cover the sponges with mulch to block light from reaching weed seeds, preventing them from germinating. For trees and shrubs, cut sponges into strips and place them around the base, covering with soil or mulch.
This helps suppress weed growth while retaining soil moisture, giving your plants a better chance to thrive.
DIY Compost Aerator
Kitchen sponges can also be used to improve aeration in your compost bin, ensuring better decomposition and healthier compost.
By cutting sponges into small pieces and mixing them into your compost pile, you can create air pockets that allow for better airflow and faster decomposition.
The sponges also help retain moisture, keeping the compost moist but not soggy, which is essential for effective composting.
Plant Support
For delicate plants or seedlings that need support, kitchen sponges can be an innovative solution. By cutting a sponge into thin strips, you can gently tie seedlings to support stakes without damaging the delicate stems.
For climbing plants, use larger pieces of sponge to support them by cutting the sponge to size and tying it around the plant and the support structure. The sponge will cushion the plant, preventing damage and promoting healthy growth.
Prevent Soil Erosion
For gardeners dealing with soil erosion on slopes or raised beds, kitchen sponges can provide a simple solution. On slopes, bury kitchen sponges at intervals to absorb water and release it slowly, helping to prevent soil erosion caused by heavy rainfall.
In raised beds, placing sponges at the bottom before adding soil will help retain water and prevent soil from washing away during watering or rain, keeping your garden beds intact and productive.
Kitchen sponges are an unexpected yet incredibly useful addition to any gardener’s toolkit. Their ability to retain moisture, support seedlings, prevent weeds, and even aerate compost makes them a versatile and cost-effective solution for various gardening challenges.
So, next time you’re in the kitchen, consider saving a few sponges for your garden—you might be surprised at the difference they can make!
Happy gardening!
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Koh partners with Community Gardens Australia
What do dish sponges and garden beds have in common? Typically, not much. However, Australia’s leading eco-certified cleaning brand, Koh, has found a way to bring new life to both.
Koh has partnered with Community Gardens Australia to repurpose its biodegradable Dish Sponges into garden beds, encouraging Australians to explore their green thumbs and get creative in their gardens.
Earlier this year, Koh faced a dilemma with its excess Dish Sponge stock. These sponges, made from wood pulp and free of the chemical treatments usually found in traditional sponges, were nearing the end of their shelf life due to their compostable nature. Committed to reducing waste, Koh sought innovative solutions to prevent these sponges from ending up in landfills.
Innovative Partnership with Community Gardens Australia
Koh teamed up with Regenerative Designer and Horticulturalist Benoit Luc to find a sustainable use for the sponges. They discovered that these sponges could serve as moisture-rich “water banks” in wicking beds at the Randwick site of Community Gardens Australia.
The sponges retain water and nourish plants through capillary action, and a clear panel in the garden allows visitors to see the sponges in action as they naturally decompose into the soil.
This collaboration was designed to be scalable, allowing Australians to use the sponges in anything from a small pot to a large garden bed. Koh and Benoit hope to inspire individuals and businesses alike to reconsider their consumption habits and explore sustainable practices.
Inspiring Sustainable Practices
Charli Walters, CEO of Koh, expressed excitement about the initiative:
“We’re honoured to be working with Community Gardens Australia to bring our Sponge Garden concept to life. The sponges live up to our brand’s simple, safe, and sustainable promise.
Because of this, we were able to work with Benoit and Community Gardens on the wicking garden designs, where our sponges could be given a second life – from cleaning up food to growing food.”
A partnership between a cleaning brand and Community Gardens Australia might seem unusual, but both share a commitment to reducing waste and engaging the community through sustainable initiatives.
Community Engagement and Education
Naomi Lacey, President of Community Gardens Australia, shared her enthusiasm for the project:
“Community Gardens Australia are thrilled to partner with Koh to bring their Sponge Garden initiative to life. Our role is to connect community gardeners across Australia, fostering social development and sustainable urban land use while promoting better health, community building, climate action, waste reduction, and education.”
She added, “The Sponge Garden project with Koh provides an exciting opportunity to educate community gardeners and the public about conscious consumption, recycling, and regenerative horticulture using methods such as the wicking bed design.”
The completed Koh Sponge Garden at Randwick Community Gardens
A Model for Circular Economy Strategies
The Sponge Garden project demonstrates how businesses and customers can effectively showcase circular economy strategies. By diverting excess stock from landfills to create vibrant gardens, this creative partnership addresses a common business challenge while benefiting the environment.
Through initiatives like these, Koh and Community Gardens Australia are not only reducing waste but also fostering a culture of sustainability and innovation.
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