Boaz, Auckland.

A dead electric kettle/jug is good for watering plants and giving them liquid fertiliser. The kettles with a gauge that tell you how much water is in them are particularly useful if you’re mixing liquid fertilisers. Also, if you know how much water a particular plant needs you can mark the water gauge with a permanent marker pen (eg Sharpie) and/or write a list on the kettle (eg “Venus fly trap 500ml weekly”): this avoids overflows. A kettle with a small leak is fine if you’re using it outdoors. The kettles that have a detachable cord usually use a common type that will fit other appliances, so they’re worth keeping (especially if you have a habit of melting kettle cords!).