Go Green - Recycle What You Have

It seems that everywhere you look you can see evidence of people "going green." This isn't really a new concept. For years people have tried to reuse or recycle when possible and this is something I've been trying to do as well.

Years ago I began taking action on how I was to follow through with what I taught my students concerning saving our planet and recycling. One of my students took me up on my challenge and made me promise not to blacktop my driveway. So instead we used a quarry mix and it worked out great. Since then I've looked for ways to use items I already have in my yard to recycle them into other useful items.

When we moved I had to start thinking of new ways to use what I already had in my yard. Someone gave us this old grill (pictured here). I think we used it only once before the sides and bottom started to give way. We were about to throw it away when I had a vision of what it could be with some imagination. We ended up re-recycling it in several ways.

Have you thought about what's in your own yard that you could recycle for another purpose? To give you some ideas, here are a few of the things I have done in the past few years.

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Do you have problems getting up from a kneeling position? A garden kneeler may be just what you were looking for.

Using this kneeler and seat can help prevent your knees from getting sore.,Guard against back pain by reducing strain and injury to your lower back and knees. Besides the physical aspect it also helps to protect your clothes from dirt and grass stains.

It is really two products in one. You can use it to kneel on the cushion or turn it over and use it as a seat. It's perfect for any place, not just in the garden and it folds flat for easy storage.

Do you recognize this?

If you look closely you can see the legs on that old grill. As you can see I turned it into a flower box.

To line the grill I used an old plastic bin that was cracked along the bottom. It was about 6 inches deep so it worked perfectly. I filled it with potting mix and 6 plants. Two colleus plants were used in the back, because they grow taller and would cover the lid. In the middle I used 2 pink begonias and cascading down each side I used what I call white bridal veil. That's all it needed, and I placed it in a slightly shaded area.

It didn't take long to fill out and was a great conversation piece.

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

Tires are ususally something that we recycle right away, but this time we had a few to "spare."

We decided to keep these 2 tires to grow early spring crops, because they retain heat and help keep the soil warm on cooler evenings.

On the left bib lettuce is growing, and in the right tire radishes (which needs thinning). In February and March we had some very warm days, but April brought cooler weather. These tires worked out well as insulators.

When these crops are finished, we can plant flowers in them or beans to preserve the soil.

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

They are heavy duty, clean and portable.

I don't have the acreage that I used to, so these days I do a lot of container planting. When I was in the market for containers and 5 gallon pails for my luffa plants, I noticed how much the price had gone up from previous years. There were a few things on sale, but not the sizes I needed.

One day I noticed these cat litter pails being stacked up for the recycle truck. They were the perfect size and easy to carry. But were they clean I thought? Cat litter pails empty clean and just need to be rinsed out a bit. They can be stored upside down and stack on top of one another. The lids can be saved and pop off easily or you can simply recycle them.

I debated as to whether or not I was going to paint them (with old leftover paint of course), but decided not to at this time. Well, mainly it was because I needed them in a hurry.

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

Last year when I entered the county fair I noticed that the tomato entries were very small and skimpy. For that reason, this year we decided to start some plants earlier by putting them in these buckets that were usually recycled.

We drilled holes in the bottom and placed a few empty plastic 24 ounce water bottles on the bottom for drainage. Then filled them 2/3rds of the way with potting mix. One trick to growing strong stalks is to place them a little bit deeper in the soil.

By using these buckets we could move them around. In the daytime we placed them in the sun and brought them under cover at night.

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

Grow Your Own Luffa Sponge

You can grow your own luffa sponge. It's easier than you think, and I'll show you how. Use repurposed materials to get you started.

Read on... In 2010 I met a lovely lady named Gail. She has all kinds of uniqu...

This is a product that I can say really worked for me. I would use it to scoot myself when planting flowers. It had plenty of room to carry extra hand tools, twine, scissors and gloves.

When I didn't need it in the garden it helped me around the house while working in areas that I had to get up and down a lot. It was a real knee and back saver.

A favorite gardening tool I use is scooter like the Suncast Outdoor Rolling Garden Scooter.. If you are in the market for one make sure that it is durable plastic and can easily be moved over grass or dirt.

The model I use has a portable seat that keeps all gardening supplies in on convenient place. It also has a foam cushion for sitting, which is really nice and it can be removed for use as a kneeling pad if I want.

There is a small removable bin inside to carry gardening supplies and a place to hold 2 drinks on the top. I've also used many other scooters (carts) so I've included another selection that is highly recommended as well.

Not the most elegant vase you'll ever see, but none-the-less, effective.

While waiting to plant the trees I got for free at the home and garden show, I placed them in these containers with a few inches of water in them.

These pails served me well until I was ready to plant the trees.

One thing about these bright yellow buckets, they're easy to spot! A neighbor of mine has taken a liking to the idea and she is using her free buckets to store seeds, fertilizer and as she puts it, "a bunch of other stuff" as well. Basically, she uses them for just about anything.

If you can get past the fact that it's a kitty litter container, you'll do alright. Remember, it isn't "used" kitty litter. That should help make you feel better about using them.

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

If you love gardening and need to repot your plants, this handy cart is a blessing. What I like about it is that you can take the "grill" out of the top and interchange it with the bin. That way you can put the potting soil right in the bin and scoop it out as you need it.

When you have to repot a plant, all you need to do is turn your plant upside down, tap it and let all the dirt fall into the bin. This potting table saved me time and was easy to clean. I could easily move it around the yard or wherever I needed it.

A Fowl Problem

This old planter/decoy duck had seen better days. I was debating what to do with him so I placed him in this "work in progress" area of my yard.

Doesn't he look lonely? The lemon balm and hosta would soon over take him, and I wasn't sure what I would put in the big planter yet. What to do?

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

For the most part I have perennials in my yard, because I like things blooming all year round. However, there a a few annuals that I really like and plant every year such as Impatiens, Vinca Vine, Luffa, Spike plants and a few others I rotate from year to year.

After I had planted all my annuals, I had one or two purple Impatiens plants left. Just the ticket for this little guy don't you think?

It filled out beautifully and I can move him anywhere

I want. Now he feels right at home with the other "newbies" to the garden.

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

Isn't this a neat thing? I love this sink. When repotting plants or doing basically any gardening my hands still get dirty even if I wear gloves.

Having a sink to do general clean-up is a time saver. It's easy to use and doesn't take long to install. Keep the dirt outside and wash up boots, paint brushes, tools, garden vegetable or, dirty hands.

Anyone who works outside will benefit from having an outdoor sink and you won't be making a mess inside. That's worth it alone!

Having trouble keeping animals out of your garden? This handy motion activated sprinkler device is a "watch dog" for your garden.

It detects when an animal has entered into the area and sprays a burst of water to scare the unwanted creature out of your yard. It won't harm the animal, but will keep them from returning. A much safer way to protect your hard work than with chemicals, electrical devices or traps.

One of the biggest problems we have in our yard isn't larger animals, but small ones like cats, squirrels, skunks and critters like that. We never put out any pest control chemicals and a regular sprinkler didn't work mainly because they avoid the area when they see it.

This motion activated sprinkler works on its own, night and day so basically the yard is protected 24/7. A simple spray shoots up to about 70 feet and has a range of settings up to full circle if needed.

Another issue is that we have to pay for our water, so running the sprinkler for hours is really costly. This only goes off when something steps in front of the sensor detector, so you don't use nearly as much water.

The downside is that it does need batteries, but it still outweighs the monthly water bill so it's worth it.

I've got an idea.

This wagon served me well in the past, but now it's old wheels have lost their spin. In order for you to get it to work you have to drag it; not the best use of a "wagon" do you think?

So for an entire season it was out by the trash can area waiting for the spring city clean-up to take it away. One week before the clean up I needed a container in a hurry. I had some short season crops that needed to be planted right away and had nothing to put them in at the time. The garden wasn't ready because of all the rain, so I had to do something before I lost the plants.

Hey, wait a minute. What's that plastic thing by the fence? The old gardener's wagon... go get it. I think it will work.

Sure enough, after drilling a few holes in the corners it was ready to go. Two cubic feet of potting mix filled the middle of the wagon and was large enough for the broccoli.

You can see there were places all around the wagon for my tools and things. One side even had a lid, but was removed. This will serve nicely for annuals in the spring and early summer. It just goes to show you that almost anything can be recycled if you have a good imagination.

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

As you can see my planter's wagon is the old version of this. It served me well and I'm in need of a new one. It has a seat that doubles as a handle.

The seat is wide and comfortable. Inside the storage area there are removable trays. Plenty of room to keep your small garden tools and supplies at hand.

It's easy to clean, just wash it off, and it's rustproof. I can say from experience that I have used mine for so many things for years.

Growing up in the Garden State I learned to appreciate how farmers would water and work their fields. I didn't need the large sprinklers they had, but I liked the system they used.

Having this type of sprinkler throughout my yard not only saved me time, but it saved water. I would put these on a timer so I know exactly how long I watered and how often.

Most farmers suggested watering an hour or what would be equivalent to one inch of rain.

I have had this old crab pot that was my mother-in-laws for, well I really don't care to admit how long, but it's been a while.

For years I planted yellow flowering stone crop in it and always filled it out to overflowing. However, in this new place where I live, stone crop doesn't do as well. I planted some in it and it looked stingy and never flowered.

So I've decided to try some new Dianthus plants and see how it does. Have to try something right? After all, it's family.

(Photos are courtsey of favored1)

Grow Your Own Luffa Sponge
Grow your own luffa sponge? It's easier than you think, and I'll show you how. Read on... In 2010 I met a lovely lady named Gail. She has all kinds of uniqu...

Fay Favored 1
That's me! Glad you dropped by for a visit. Browse through some of my articles and see which ones suit you. Check them out and then drop me a line about your recycling projects.