How to Re-Use Magazines in Planters

Flower and vegetable gardens produce bright, beautiful foliage and blooms, with fruit, vegetable and flower harvests during the season. They also require careful planning and maintenance for success. The plants cannot grow or produce without the right soil mixture and need consistent weeding to eliminate competition. Instead of trying to fight the weeds as they appear, keep weeds from growing in the gardens and planters in the first place. Use old magazines, newspapers and cardboard as soil barriers to keep the garden green and organic.

Garden fork/rake
Magazines
Topsoil
Organic compost
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the planters before any new plantings to keep the process simple. Pull up any weeds or old foliage and throw out exposed rocks and litter. Rake the planters to provide a flat, even surface.
- 2
  Lay pages from old magazines over the soil to cover it. Stack the magazine pages five to six layers thick to provide better coverage. The paper blocks sunshine and keeps weeds from growing up into the garden.
- 3
  Build a new soil foundation on top of the magazines for planting. Lay 5 to 6 inches of organic compost and topsoil on the site for a moist, nutritious foundation, and add 10-10-10 or 5-10-10 fertilizer for starting vegetable or flower nutrition.

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