So, it is now spring and time for gardening. What greener thing can one do?

You have been recycling many discarded items. However, you have noticed that some things do not or cannot be recycled. What now? Or maybe instead of the recycle bin you can recycle some things yourself directly.

Let’s see if we can Re-USE some of those items and recycle others ourselves.

You have to get that garden started. But the weather is so unpredictable. Buying seedlings this year is looking like it is out of the budget. Well, don’t give up on that garden yet. Seeds are less expensive than seedlings. However, you have to get them started now if you haven’t already done so.

So why not try getting them started in egg cartons. If you get the paper pulp egg cartons than you are way ahead of the curve. You can recycle them yourself by using them as little seed-pots.

• Buy your seeds and potting soil
• Read the directions on the back of the seed package
• Start the seed in the egg cartons
• Remember to water them regularly
• Now when you are ready for the outdoors you can just cut them apart and put them straight into the ground.
• The paper pulp carton will now decompose in your garden.

Now if you wind up getting the Styrofoam egg cartons, don’t worry there is a use for these as well. However, you will have the extra step of getting the seedling out of the carton and putting it into the ground. Styrofoam is not recyclable. But there is an after life for it also. If you are going to try Container Gardening, proper drainage of the soil is crucial. The cut up Styrofoam egg carton can be placed in the bottom of the container you will use for your plants instead of rocks/pebbles. This will allow for drainage as well as help make the container lighter and easier to move if needed.

Other non-recycled or limited recycled containers can be used for starting seeds: yogurt cups, cottage cheese, sour cream and even milk jugs. Check the bottom of these containers for their recycle number 1s and 2s are usually readily recycled. 3, 4, 5 etc. you have to check with you recycling contractor. Besides maybe they can serve one more purpose before going to the recycler or the landfill.

Maybe you have already bought your seedlings in the plastic pots or you have leftovers from previous years. These generally are not recyclable. And nurseries and garden stores don’t want them either. Now there is a bit of reason why the nurseries and gardeners don’t want them; they can have biologicals that can contaminate the soil and/or plant that may start to grow in them in the future.  However, there is a very easy way to take care of this: BLEACH. These containers can be cleaned nicely with warm water and some bleach.

• Rinse off any former dirt from your plastic container
• Soak your containers in warm water and 1/4 cup of bleach per gallon of water for 10 minutes.
• Rinse completely
• Let dry COMPLETELY (bleach will evaporate)
• HINT: do not place soil into container until it is completely dry.
• Container is ready to be used to plant seeds

THAT UPSIDE DOWN TOMATO PLANT
                          
Many of us have seen this contraption that allows people to grow tomato plants hanging upside down. Others also suggest growing peppers this way. This is an especially great idea for those people who may be short on space, live in an apartment, have poor soil conditions and in urban areas. Not to mention those who have bad knees and backs.  Here is a low cost way to reproduce this contraption RE-USING buckets. Oh you could go out and buy a hanging planter, tweak it and have the same effect. But we’re on a budget.

• First where are you going to hang your planter? It must be prepared ahead of time to accept your bucket-planter. It will be heavy so make sure the site is secure. It could be your porch roofing, your clothesline posts,
• Find a 5-quart bucket with a handle. You know the ones that ice cream comes in. Anything smaller will not provide enough nourishment for the plants.
• Wash bucket as mentioned above with bleach and let dry completely
• Turn bucket upside down and cut a 2 – 3 inch hole in the middle of the bucket floor, turn it over
• Place a coffee filter or 2 layers of newspaper over the hole on the inside of the bucket. This will hold the soil in.
• Fill with potting soil of your choice until about an inch from the top. This also depends on the type of plant you will be using. HINT: smaller tomato varieties are probably wiser. Ex. ‘Beefsteak’ tomatoes need more soil and nutrients to grow because of their size.
• Put lid onto the bucket and turn it over again
• Cut a whole into the paper/filter large enough to be able to place the seedling’s roots into the soil.
• Place the seedling’s roots through the hole and into the soil.
• Pack the soil around the roots.
• HERE COMES THE TRICKY PART: Carefully turn the bucket around to the upright position without setting it down. Let the soil shift into place. You may want to support the seedling with your hand through this process.
• Hang your planter in the place you had prepared.  
• Water your plant from the top, always. HINT: you will probably be watering your plant every other day 

That’s it. Not hard at all

Some more hints to this process:

To stave off evaporation you can plant other plants on the topside of your planter. Some people have planted flowers. I would suggest herbs. They are not as heavy and do very well in containers. They also do not absorb as much nutrient and water as other plants may.

If wind or storms really get rough, you may consider taking the planter down and hanging it indoors until rough weather is over. In the worse case scenario, you can lay it on the side though the shifting of soil could disrupt the roots. So be careful.

Wire handled buckets are preferred. However, you will have to check how well the handle is attached you may need to take pliers and tighten the wire at the connection.

After the season, recycle the bucket. The sun would have broken down the bonds in the plastic. It will not hold up another season.

If you are not sure of the aesthetics of hanging bucket planters you could always decorate you bucket in some way. Acrylic paint, contact paper scraps, old cloth from worn out clothes, see what else is in your recycle bin.  Be Creative.

If you would like here is a video of a similar planter to help you out.

RE-use and Recycling for your garden upkeep:

The temperature in your area is only on the rise now. Your seedlings have sprouted and are ready for the garden. What more Re-Use can be done?

Here is a nifty trick I picked up from a master “earth-mother” gardener: Cereal Boxes to keep weeds away from your plants!!!

Right after your plants go into the ground,

• Flatten out/pull apart a cereal box into ONE layer.
• Lay done the cereal box around the plant base.
• On top of the cereal box layer some grass clippings.

The grass clippings hold down the box. The box decomposes by the end of the summer. No worries about the inks on the box, those are now soy inks. Weeds can’t grow up through the box. This method heats the soil and roots for better growth. It levels out water so we are not drowning our plants. And it keeps weeds away from the area making weeding much easier. “Earth-mother” says she only weeds two times a season. This is great simple composting without the smell.

Oh I bet there are many ideas out there for the Re-Use of materials for the garden. This just represents a few. Really your imagination is the only limit to the Re-Use of objects. There is an after-life for many objects before they go to the recycler.

Budget Artists and its readers would love to read your ideas!! So please share!!! Comment or start a blog when you become a member: We’re here to help each other out. SO what is your little nifty tid-bit of information? We’d love to hear from you.

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