Recycled Items for Gardening Purposes

[Phaedra]

The normal containers are effective domes to keep moisture and warmth. When ventilation is needed, just lift it a bit so the air can get through. This can provide double protection for seedlings in the greenhouse.

We have weekly fresh milk delivery from the neighboring town. Now, these milk bottles are showing me their various capabilities. Besides #1 as germination domes, now I assembled them for the #2 purpose - a cold frame.

I don't expect them to act like fancier commercial products, as I won't transplant seedlings that can't survive the spring weather. However, I do hope this structure protects my seedlings from strong winds, frost (well, why not? the bottles can be taken as a two-layer protection?), and the most killing factor in the spring - graupel or even hail.

Once the pea-sized hailstones almost destroy several beds of seedlings - all the efforts can be erased in five minutes. Thankfully, I always have spare seedlings, and there was fleece on the rest of the beds. I believe this new structure can stand even the ping-pong-sized hailstones - I wish it won't happen, anyway.

 

[Branching Out]

Clever cold frame idea Phaedra! It will be interesting to see if it works. Nice looking soil that you have there too.

I am saving empty dish washing soap bottles in the hope that they could be used to make cold frames for tomatoes similar to Walls-O-Water. The limiting factor is that I am not sure how to make them stay upright once I fill them with water. I need some kind of a ring to sit them in, so they stay put without tipping over. I will be really happy if I can make it work, because the Walls-O-Water that I have used in the past always seem to leak and need replacing-- and they're expensive as well.

 

[Branching Out]

A friend received a huge roll of burlap, and is planning on throwing it away as he cannot use it. If I can come up with an application for it I will take it off his hands, but I am reluctant to store it otherwise. I am wondering if anyone has ever used burlap as mulch before? There is a large strip of lawn that I am converting to vegetable garden, where I have placed cardboard to kill the grass. Could burlap maybe play a roll in smothering the grass too?

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Larger trees for transplanting, have burlap wrapped around them. But I don't really know...

 

[Branching Out]

Last fall I began trying to rejuvenate a steep slope that has eroded quite badly over the years, and from what I am reading burlap may be useful for keeping soil and mulch in place. Last autumn A lot of the dry mulch that I used just wanted to just slide downhill. There are also some suggestions that it can function as shade cloth during heat waves. I may have to hold on to the burlap so that I can try a few of these applications to see if they work.

 

[Phaedra]

I don't like these food packages, and we know the 'recycling programs' have revealed their dark sides most of the time.

I tried to combine different packaging materials and build some practical things, such as the wind-protection elements for the small outdoor hut where our hens can hang up when the weather is bad.

Two packages with some bags in between

Being taken as trash or as useful components is quite different.

Well, a bit amusing but as long as it works, why not?

 

[ducks4you]

A friend received a huge roll of burlap, and is planning on throwing it away as he cannot use it. If I can come up with an application for it I will take it off his hands, but I am reluctant to store it otherwise. I am wondering if anyone has ever used burlap as mulch before? There is a large strip of lawn that I am converting to vegetable garden, where I have placed cardboard to kill the grass. Could burlap maybe play a roll in smothering the grass too?

Burlap is a fabric.
burlap is a "coarse cloth made of jute or hemp."
Store it inside where it can stay dry and it will last until you need it.

Put Burlap to Work in the Flower or VegetableGarden

Burlap cloth is a cheap and environmentally friendly product with many uses in the landscape. Using burlap in the garden can protect plants from pests and weather.

www.thespruce.com

Consider that trees are often wrapped in burlap when delivered. I think you can suppress some weeds, but perhaps you should cover it with compost and soil before planting.

 

[ducks4you]

Unrolled two 6 ft pieces of used 2 ft wide chicken wire pieces to cover the 3' x 6' bed I planted on Wednesday. Rainstorm today, so perfect timing.
Looks like trash BUT it is only to keep the birds away, until the spinach, black radishes, lettuce and carrots get big enough.

 

[Branching Out]

A friend received a huge roll of burlap, and cannot use it.

Picked up the massive bolt of free burlap today. It was so heavy that it took two of us to carry the bulky load to the car where it sagged and slumped, filling the entire trunk. We are now covered in jute fibres. Lol. I am trying to find a home for some of it as it would take me forever to use all of this.

 

[Branching Out]

Saw a clever idea in a neighbour's yard today. They used one of the red plastic trellises that is sold with cucumber plants to support a one gallon pot; the black pot insulates and protects the plant below.