Polytunnel gardening is a fantastic way to live in a healthier and more eco-friendly way. Sustainable living is all about making sure that we are a part of the solutions to the world's problems rather than contributing to them. Growing your own food is one fantastic way to make steps towards a more sustainable future. But there are plenty of other things that you can do to live better. One of those ways is to embrace old-world crafts. Here are a few cool crafts that polytunnel gardeners may really enjoy:
This Christmas, you could consider making your own gifts of decorations from the bounty of the natural world that gardeners will find all around them every day. You could use your imagination to create some wonderful decorations for your Christmas tree with sticks, evergreen leaves and berries, or perhaps you could consider baking gifts, or giving away home-made preserves made with some of the produce that you have grown in your polytunnel during the year.
Willow and other woods, grasses and other plants can be made into beautiful baskets. This is another craft that goes well with polytunnel gardening and you could even put new found basketry skills to good use, making storage containers for use in your polytunnel.
Paper making is a fascinating craft and one that may take a while to master. It could, however, be an extra bow to the cap of a polytunnel gardener, who may be able to grow plants for paper as well as enjoying the craft of paper making.
Polytunnel gardeners may also be able to grow plants that they can then turn into fibres, as well as the plants to dye those natural fibres. Both making fibres, string, or ropes, and making natural dyes, are fantastic ways to learn about other, non-edible uses for the plants in your polytunnel and/or elsewhere in your garden.
Plants you grow in your polytunnel could also be used in making many useful beauty products or scents. You could learn how to incorporate natural plant materials into soaps and perfumes, and may even learn how to distil your own essential oils, if you become committed enough to this new hobby.
When planning what to grow in your polytunnel, you may like to think about other uses for the plants you could grow, as well as the edible ones. Many amazing crafts begin with an appreciation for the wonders of the plant life around you.
