So, you are
thinking of starting a garden but not sure where you will find the money to put
into it. Contrary to opinion, starting and
maintaining a garden can be an extremely frugal venture, especially if you think about repurposing. I have been gardening for over twenty years.
Over the space of time, I have come to realize that there are many unique ways
to incorporate recycled items into my garden. Not only is my garden creative but also remarkably, low budget, just the way
I like it to be.
Why Repurpose?
The main reason to repurpose is to save money, but there are other truly noble reasons to undertake such an effort. Americans are terribly wasteful; we throw away more items on a daily basis than some countries throw away in a year. Our landfills are overflowing and soon we are going to run out of space for our trash. The repurposed garden rescues items from their landfill fate and gives them a second life, a new purpose. Often times I find that recycled items are sturdier and last longer than their retail counterparts. Take my twig trellises, they have lasted twice as long as the flimsy metal trellises that have now rusted and broken, or my glass bottle edging, it has stood the test of time unlike any edging I have even purchased. For those who think that price and quality are synonymous, think again.
Repurposed Garden Projects
Paper Roll Seed Starters: I don’t know about you, but toilet paper and paper towel roll holders seem to pile up at my house. With four girls, we can seriously go through the toilet paper and I hate throwing those great little cardboard rolls away. I cut the rolls into smaller sections, place them in a shallow tray and fill them with high quality compost. This makes a perfect place to start seeds. When it comes time to plant, I just set the entire roll, plant and all, into the ground. The paper roll will eventually decompose.
Garden Apron: I am always leaving my clippers, scissors and garden notebook all over the garden. One day it occurred to me that what I really needed was a garden apron where I could stuff the things I needed and haul them around. I had an old pair of jeans that I no longer used just sitting around. I cut the front off of the jeans, leaving the waistband. To make the apron lie flat I simply cut the back rise along the seam and overlapped the excess fabric. I stitched it up next to the flat felled seam with a zipper foot. To make the top rise lie flat I cut a triangular shape under the middle belt buckle and fashioned an inside pocket. I added some extra fabric to make the waistband long enough to tie. You can add applique flower or fabric paint some designs to dress it up.
Plant Hanger: I was searching for a unique way to display some of my plants from a lovely iron hook I had on my porch. I had three old ceramic decorative pitchers hanging around that I had picked up at a yard sale for next to nothing. I drilled holes in the bottom of the pitchers for drainage. To hang the pitchers, I used heavy jute and just attached them in a line using the handles to tie the jute. I made the first and last pitcher hang one way and the middle pitcher hand the other way. Once I was done stringing the pitchers together, I planted some drought resistant succulents for a creative flower display.
These are just a few ideas of some of the great ways to incorporate recycled items into your garden. The sky is the limit with what you can do, you just have to think outside of the box.
About the Author
Susan Patterson – Is a homeschool mother, Master Gardener and freelance writer who is passionate about the environment and sustainability. She writes on a number of environmental and health topics such as the importance of historical aerials.
Why Repurpose?
The main reason to repurpose is to save money, but there are other truly noble reasons to undertake such an effort. Americans are terribly wasteful; we throw away more items on a daily basis than some countries throw away in a year. Our landfills are overflowing and soon we are going to run out of space for our trash. The repurposed garden rescues items from their landfill fate and gives them a second life, a new purpose. Often times I find that recycled items are sturdier and last longer than their retail counterparts. Take my twig trellises, they have lasted twice as long as the flimsy metal trellises that have now rusted and broken, or my glass bottle edging, it has stood the test of time unlike any edging I have even purchased. For those who think that price and quality are synonymous, think again.
Repurposed Garden Projects
Paper Roll Seed Starters: I don’t know about you, but toilet paper and paper towel roll holders seem to pile up at my house. With four girls, we can seriously go through the toilet paper and I hate throwing those great little cardboard rolls away. I cut the rolls into smaller sections, place them in a shallow tray and fill them with high quality compost. This makes a perfect place to start seeds. When it comes time to plant, I just set the entire roll, plant and all, into the ground. The paper roll will eventually decompose.
Garden Apron: I am always leaving my clippers, scissors and garden notebook all over the garden. One day it occurred to me that what I really needed was a garden apron where I could stuff the things I needed and haul them around. I had an old pair of jeans that I no longer used just sitting around. I cut the front off of the jeans, leaving the waistband. To make the apron lie flat I simply cut the back rise along the seam and overlapped the excess fabric. I stitched it up next to the flat felled seam with a zipper foot. To make the top rise lie flat I cut a triangular shape under the middle belt buckle and fashioned an inside pocket. I added some extra fabric to make the waistband long enough to tie. You can add applique flower or fabric paint some designs to dress it up.
Plant Hanger: I was searching for a unique way to display some of my plants from a lovely iron hook I had on my porch. I had three old ceramic decorative pitchers hanging around that I had picked up at a yard sale for next to nothing. I drilled holes in the bottom of the pitchers for drainage. To hang the pitchers, I used heavy jute and just attached them in a line using the handles to tie the jute. I made the first and last pitcher hang one way and the middle pitcher hand the other way. Once I was done stringing the pitchers together, I planted some drought resistant succulents for a creative flower display.
These are just a few ideas of some of the great ways to incorporate recycled items into your garden. The sky is the limit with what you can do, you just have to think outside of the box.
About the Author
Susan Patterson – Is a homeschool mother, Master Gardener and freelance writer who is passionate about the environment and sustainability. She writes on a number of environmental and health topics such as the importance of historical aerials.
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