Are you a budding gardener with some CD cases lying around your house? Before she left us, our Digital Archives Trainee got very creative with a fun project to turn CD cases into a DIY greenhouse!
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At Dorset History Centre, I have been working to preserve all the CD-Rs in the DHC collection by ingesting their data into our cloud storage system, Preservica, and repackaging the discs into plastic free cases suitable for archival storage. This project has been really successful, and our CD-R collection is in the best conditions possible to ensure their preservation. However, we now have a rather large pile of plastic CD cases with nowhere to go. Instead of going straight to the recycling centre, I decided to get creative, and research ways to reuse the plastic cases at home. Reusing is better than recycling as it saves the energy that comes with having to dismantle and re-manufacture products and also significantly reduces waste and pollution.
I discovered some posts online of people reusing plastic items in their home to make their own propagation station for sowing seeds. As it’s Spring time, I felt like this was the perfect project for the season as many of us are getting our green fingers ready to sow seeds.
A propagator is like an incubator for your seeds, a mini greenhouse made of plastic and allows the gardener to raise strong young plants ready to plant for when the weather warms up. They also protect young plants at their earliest and most vulnerable stage of development from pests. The main aim of the propagator is to keep young seedlings moist. Many gardeners buy expensive propagators, but we can make our own from CD cases! This project is a great way to avoid buying new and bringing yet more plastic into our lives, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by building your own mini greenhouse!
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Step 1: Collect 3 CD cases
Step 2: Remove sleeves, stickers and CD holders
Step 3: Open two cases and tape them together to create a cube (with an open top and bottom)
Step 4: Break the third case in two
Step 5: Tape one half to one side of the cube, to act as a hinge
Step 6: Place your Greenhouse in a sunny spot (not pictured: any sun!)
Step 7: Sow your seeds and place your pot in the CD greenhouse
Step 8: Open the hinge to water and ventilate
Step 10: Now all that’s left to do now, is sit back and watch your seeds grow!
If you would like to have a go at making your own CD Greenhouse, we have some CD cases spare at Dorset History Centre. Feel free to get in touch in you would like some CD cases to make your own greenhouse, please email us at archives@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.
That’s brilliant!
Are there any historical records or local legends that suggest someone successfully committed murder in Beaminster and managed to evade justice, leaving behind lingering spirits seeking closure?
Hi – if you’d like to send us an email (archives@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk) we can take a look into this for you and provide some advice as to how you might proceed with your research.