Don’t throw out your finished chocolate boxes

IF you were lucky enough to have been gifted some yummy chocolate for Valentine's Day, don't be so quick to throw out your empty packaging. One gardening pro has shared a handy tip for getting your plants ready for summer, and all you need is an old chocolate box. Simon regularly updates his whopping 763.7k followers on handy gardening hints and tips. He captioned his post: "Happy Valentines Day everyone. Here is a way to combine your love of chocolates with your love of growing flowers!".

Image Credit: The Sun [Man holding up a repurposed chocolate box as a seed tray.]

In the video, he turns an old chocolate box into a handy seed germinator, complete with a lid to create the perfect humid environment for seedlings to grow. Holding up a box of Ferrero Rochers, Simon starts by removing the sweet treats from the packaging. His clever DIY hack even gives you the excuse to eat your way through any leftovers.. before going to the shops to stock up on more, of course. Simon recycles the empty gold lining of the Ferrero Rocher box into a handy seed tray, which he punctures at the bottom to support water drainage.

Image Credit: The Sun [Box of 24 Ferrero Rocher chocolates.]

Then, the green-fingered pro fills the tray with peat and sows in some seeds. He tells viewers they can choose whichever seeds they fancy, flowers or vegetables. Gently placing his makeshift seed tray back into its original plastic box, Simon covers it back up with the lid, telling viewers: "You now have a seed propagator box.". The gardening expert carefully places his DIY propagator onto a warm windowsill, where he lets the germination commence.

Image Credit: The Sun [A repurposed Ferrero Rocher chocolate box used as a seed propagator.]

The structure of the box provides the perfect environment for seedlings to grow, as they love the warm microclimate inside. Viewers in the comments couldn't believe how simple yet effective his recycling trick was. One person wrote: "Genius idea especially because it has a lid.". Another said: "This makes so much sense! Why have I never thought of this?!". Somebody else chimed in: "Great way to reuse! And great excuse to have the chocolates.".

And another user said: "Oh for goodness sake, I recycled one of those just the other day. Now I’m going to have to buy another one.". While somebody else joked: "I thought we were going to grow Ferrero Rocher.". How to transform your garden on a cheap budget. How to preserve your favourite flowers at home - 5 easy tips explained. Which plants should I be wary about my dog being around?. When is the best time to prune roses?.