Family Rural Lifestyle 7 ways to use milk jugs in the garden By Successful Farming Staff Successful Farming Staff The content on Agriculture.com is by created by trained journalists who have become subject-matter experts in their fields. You may see some content using the byline "Successful Farming Staff." The content is primarily from information or a press release provided by other entities – such as the USDA, a university, or agricultural company. The press release has been vetted and reviewed by a staff editor. The content is edited and changed to reflect the voice and style of Successful Farming. Successful Farming's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 7, 2013 Trending Videos Close this video player 01 of 07 Too cloche for comfort Cut the bottom off your gallon milk jugs and use them as cloches in the garden! Place them over young tomato, pepper, and other plants, to protect them from frost on chilly spring nights. 02 of 07 Recycled seed starters Slice off the bottom inch or two of your milk jugs, and use them as a tray for starting seeds. Use the top sections as cloches, and you've gotten two great uses out of every milk jug! Poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage, add potting soil or seed starting mix, and plant seeds. 03 of 07 Upside-down vegetable planters Don't spend a bushel of cash on upside-down vegetable planters. You can make them from milk jugs! Get step-by-step directions with photos: 04 of 07 Here's the scoop! Slice milk jugs at an angle and you have an instant scoop, complete with handle. Just make sure you leave the lid on! This works perfectly for grass seed, fertilizer, potting soil, and even bird seed! For smaller jobs, use half-gallon jugs. 05 of 07 Quick mix For liquid fertilizer, plant food, herbicides, or other chemicals that need mixing with water, use a milk jug! Measure and add the first ingredient to an empty milk jug, set it on a level surface, and use a permanent marker to make a line at the top of the liquid. Write the ingredient name in the space it occupies in the jug. Add other ingredients as needed, one at a time, marking and labeling after each addition. Next time you make the mix, you won't have to measure. Just use the markings on the milk jug! To avoid mixing chemicals that shouldn't be mixed, reserve one milk jug for your plant food, another for herbicides, and so on, and label them clearly. 06 of 07 Easy waterer Punch a series of small holes in the top of a gallon or half-gallon milk jug, fill with water, and use in place of a watering can! The half-gallon size works great for children or anyone who can't manage a heavy full gallon. The water comes out slowly, so kids are less likely to drown plants. If you have to transport water to a garden or flower bed, use a solid lid to haul the gallons of water, and replace it with a hole-punched lid once you get there! 07 of 07 Dust your garden Punch holes in the bottom of an empty milk jug. Cut a hole in the top of the jug, removing the spout but leaving the handle. Put some fertilizer in the jug and walk slowly around the garden to evenly dust your plants. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit