Recycled Items for Gardening Purposes

[heirloomgal]

They use cell phones.

Funny you mention that @ducks. Years ago our extended family all went on a trip together to Amish country, where they have big markets. The whole area was settled by Amish years ago and they run a thriving agricultural/food etc. complex of buildings. Life there is very set up for transportation with horses & wagons. When we arrived at the first building I saw a wooden barn set up like Little House on the Prairie next to it. It was the horse and carriage 'parking lot'. An Amish man and his son were riding out of it, sitting on hard wooden seats, no cushions. Clothing from another era. I sort of watched him go by us as we walked and I noticed just before his horse pulled them past us that he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and started dialing! The thousands of acres that they had planted in that area were gorgeous, and the rows were as perfect as it gets, and on the end of the horse and buggy driveway 'lanes' leading to the homes on the properties there would be little ladies in black dresses and bonnets selling flowers from the backs of wagons. I wondered how they got the rows so perfect for such long distances? I found out later they plant them using GPS machinery!

 

[ducks4you]

What is NOT funny is that they buy Standardbred horses off the track, already trained to drive, then destroy their legs driving them on asphalt roads until they are beyond lame.
They also will not spay or neuter their dogs and there is a lot of inbreeding.
Not exactly animal abuse...still...

 

[SPedigrees]

What is NOT funny is that they buy Standardbred horses off the track, already trained to drive, then destroy their legs driving them on asphalt roads until they are beyond lame.
They also will not spay or neuter their dogs and there is a lot of inbreeding.
Not exactly animal abuse...still...

They are not known for humane treatment of animals. They work their horses to death, almost as they work themselves to death, and many became puppymills supplying the pet store retail market in past decades. There is a lot of variation from one sect to the next as to what modern innovations they allow. They are peaceful and it is against their religion/belief system to participate in any military activities, and their organically grown produce provides an option to health conscious people in an area of the country otherwise dominated by Big Ag. Their buildings and furniture are built to meticulous standards of workmanship not found anywhere else today. There are positives and negatives to their way of life.

 

[SPedigrees]

the gravel areas are crushed rinsed limestone that is placed over either thick black plastic or old carpeting that was repurposed for the job. if they had dirt or debris washed into them or on top of them they'd sprout weeds and yes i do have spots i have to weed but on the whole it's not as bad as mowing. there are spots in the front that i hardly have to do any weeding at all because the area is bounded by the driveway, the house or other gardens that have a defined edge which i keep weeded.

any holes through the base get ants coming through and the moles sometimes run underneath. yet in the end long term stability isn't something that nature really does.

I used similar methods with a little patio in one of my gardens, laying down roofing (tar) paper and then the patio bricks on top. As dirt and debris filled in the spaces weeds have taken root but are easier to weed because their root systems are limited by the roofing material. You're right about no stability in nature, and I've come to accept that garden decorations are temporary.

 

[Branching Out]

Now that the days are getting shorter and damper it is more difficult to dry out the last of the beans, peppers, and flower seeds-- so I dug out some coated wire racks and placed them in a warm spot near the window. Some of these racks were gleaned from recycling boxes, and others were purchased at thrift stores.

 

[ducks4you]

I am about to bring in a bunch of redbud seed pods. I will put them in a used aluminum baking pan (disposable, but recycled, aGAIN,) and give them the winter in the basement to dry out.
ANYTHING inside Will dry out as long as it's not sitting in water.

 

[flowerbug]

I am about to bring in a bunch of redbud seed pods. I will put them in a used aluminum baking pan (disposable, but recycled, aGAIN,) and give them the winter in the basement to dry out.
ANYTHING inside Will dry out as long as it's not sitting in water.

with our forced air furnace running semi-regularly now things will get plenty dry enough inside - i'm already noticing my sinuses getting dried out more (which isn't a great thing, but it does remind me to drink more water).

 

[SPedigrees]

Now that the days are getting shorter and damper it is more difficult to dry out the last of the beans, peppers, and flower seeds-- so I dug out some coated wire racks and placed them in a warm spot near the window. Some of these racks were gleaned from recycling boxes, and others were purchased at thrift stores.

Those drying racks look like they would be very useful, and I should try to find some. I wash all produce (whether home grown or bought) in a vinegar bath, then rinse, and set on a dish towel on the countertop or kitchen table. One of these racks placed on top of that dish towel would be a great aid in drying more thoroughly and quickly.

 

[Dahlia]

Those drying racks look like they would be very useful, and I should try to find some. I wash all produce (whether home grown or bought) in a vinegar bath, then rinse, and set on a dish towel on the countertop or kitchen table. One of these racks placed on top of that dish towel would be a great aid in drying more thoroughly and quickly.

The vinegar bath sounds smart. When I forage veggies I always give them a vodka / water rinse. I wonder how effective vinegar would be compared to vodka as far as cleaning produce? It would certainly cost less!

 

[SPedigrees]

I wonder how effective vinegar would be compared to vodka as far as cleaning produce? It would certainly cost less!

Probably both would have an antibacterial effect, but I'm not relegating my brandy or tequila to the lowly rank of cleaning products to do a comparison test! lol I know that the vinegar treatment keeps strawberries from molding the fridge without having to sugar them. (After being rinsed and dried there is no vinegar taste left.)