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Milk Jugs in the Garden

By critterologist
March 5, 2012

An empty milk jug with its top (but not its handle) cut off makes a great scoop for sunflower seeds, vermiculite, etc.

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Mar 4, 2012 11:28 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Kristi
east Texas pineywoods (Zone 8a)
Herbs Region: Texas Vegetable Grower Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Level 2
I do something similar only I cut the bottom off at an angle leaving the opposite side from the handle a bit pointed.

Then I can use it as a scoop or if needed, I can remove the cap and use it as a funnel.

Milk jugs... almost as handy as a pocket on a shirt!
Believe in yourself even when no one else will. ~ Sasquatch
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Mar 4, 2012 11:38 PM CST
Name: Critter (Jill)
Frederick, MD (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Critters Allowed Butterflies Hummingbirder Cat Lover
Bee Lover Region: Mid-Atlantic Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Tropicals Hibiscus
:-)

I did almost cut off the bottom rather than the top, but with my bird feeder it's easier to fill it by pouring than by funneling.

I did recently see a bird seed scoop/funnel in a fancy catalog.. functionally the same as a milk jug with its bottom cut off, but I think they wanted $30 for the "pretty" version LOL.
We're all learners, doers, teachers.
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Mar 5, 2012 12:13 AM CST
Name: Rick Corey
Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a)
Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f
Frugal Gardener Garden Procrastinator I helped beta test the first seed swap Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Region: Pacific Northwest
Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Master Level Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database.
I never buy a gallon of milk, but laundry detergent jugs work well for me as scoops. Heavy gauge plastic, too.


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Mar 5, 2012 12:53 AM CST
Name: Critter (Jill)
Frederick, MD (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Critters Allowed Butterflies Hummingbirder Cat Lover
Bee Lover Region: Mid-Atlantic Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Tropicals Hibiscus
Cool! They'd be sturdy enough to scoop moist potting mix, maybe even sand or pea gravel.
We're all learners, doers, teachers.
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Mar 5, 2012 10:51 AM CST
Name: Jean
Hot Springs Vlg, AR, DeLand, F
Daylilies Region: Florida Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Master Level
Great tip, Jill. I use the gallon milk jugs for scooping soil into large pots and the quarts for smaller pots. I agree, Pod, many uses for those jugs and I've used those "funnels" too. Our street even uses the milk jugs for luminaries at Christmas.
Any day you wake up on the sunny side of the grass is a good day.

"The moving hand writes and having writ moves on. Neither all thy piety nor all thy wit can lure it back to cancel half a line nor all thy tears wash out a word of it." The Rubiyat by Omar Khayyam
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Mar 5, 2012 1:26 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Kristi
east Texas pineywoods (Zone 8a)
Herbs Region: Texas Vegetable Grower Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Level 2
I'd love to see the luminaries. I would bet that is beautiful.

I also use the jugs as seed starters via wintersowing.

~~


I was afraid I wouldn't be very eloquent at dark thirty last night when I posted and surely wasn't going out in the dark to take photos but I did this morning.

Hope pictures will be better than a thousand words.

Not that I'm trying to sell anyone on this. lol It just works well for me.

First photo shows the side profile of the jug.

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This photo shows how easy it pours...

Thumb of 2012-03-05/pod/4b2425

Now, where the funnel end comes in handy is if you have a feeder with a small filler neck.






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Believe in yourself even when no one else will. ~ Sasquatch
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Mar 5, 2012 3:14 PM CST
Name: Critter (Jill)
Frederick, MD (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Critters Allowed Butterflies Hummingbirder Cat Lover
Bee Lover Region: Mid-Atlantic Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Tropicals Hibiscus
Pod, I think you need to submit one of those photos with your tip: "Cut the bottom off a milk jug, and it's a good funnel for bird seed as well as a scoop."

Smiling
We're all learners, doers, teachers.
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Mar 5, 2012 3:24 PM CST
Name: Mary
My little patch of paradise (Zone 7b)
Gardening dilettante, that's me!
Plays in the sandbox Native Plants and Wildflowers Butterflies Dog Lover Daylilies The WITWIT Badge
Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Bluebonnets Birds Region: Georgia Composter Garden Ideas: Master Level
critterologist said:Pod, I think you need to submit one of those photos with your tip: "Cut the bottom off a milk jug, and it's a good funnel for bird seed as well as a scoop."

Smiling


I agree
Northwest Georgia Daylily Society
I'm going to retire and live off of my savings. Not sure what I'll do that second week.
My yard marches to the beat of a bohemian drummer...
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