Top 5 Repurposed Household Items! (+1)

Hey, so, after the progress in the garden from yesterday, we are dealing with business elsewhere in our lives today. (Business that I have been avoiding that really needs to get done). So, I plan to line the new bed, but otherwise nothing outside. So, in lieu of my garden stumblings, here is the promised entry about household items repurposed for the garden!


5.Pantyhose
There are so many uses in the garden for pantyhose. Everything from tying plants to stakes (the pantyhose doesn't damage them and flexes with nature) to supporting fruiting plants grown on a trellis like a hammock. It can be wrapped around little melons and such to prevent them form being eaten by slugs, and it will grow with the melon without constricting it. They harbor enough static electricity that they can actually re-energize your plants. They can be wrapped around the head of a sunflower to keep its seeds from scattering. They can be used to store onions and garlic after harvesting. Really the possibilities are endless!

4. Toilet Paper Tubes
Toilet paper tubes, when cut can prevent seedlings and new trees from cutworm and borers. They can be used to house new seedlings indoors. You can cover them with tape (sticky side out) and put them around the base of your plants, to catch small insects. It could also be fun to let your child decorate the tubes to add additional color to your garden, which attracts beneficial insects. All of these are in addition to the indoor uses you could find for these wonderful cast-offs. From corraling power cords to keeping hairties and bobby pins in one place. Their uses in the garden are only limited by your imagination.

3. Plastic Soda Bottles
This garden tool may not have many uses, but the use it does have is so important it still outranks our multitaskers. I have switched to drinking soda out of plastic bottles, partly because it is cheaper, but when empty they are invaluable in the home garden. I have even taken to collecting empty juice bottles from my son's school to use them at home. When empty, remove the label, and cut in half (or for a taller cloche, cut just the bottom off). Then use the halves (or top) to cover new seedlings while hardening off, or to protect them during an unexpected frost. leave the cap off, as it will allow for the plants to get air as well as preventing any mold or yuck that may start to fester without circulation. And when placing over your plant, push the bottle into the soil about 3/4" or so. I find that if I don't push the edge down into the soil though, the slightest wind will blow them off. Just a note.
2. Paper Egg Cartons
Once again, this is not a super-multitasker, but it has been vital in my gardening experience. I use these trays for indoor seed starting. They seem to hold up well to being wet, and the roots of the new plants slide through them like butter. You can plant them directly in the ground come spring, and they decompose better than most peat pots I've used. Also, my mom works in the computer industry and is always getting computer parts in the mail. I have taken to stealing the molded paper trays they use to hold the parts in the box for the same purpose. In fact, my onions are planted in 3 of them right now. If you choose not to start your own seeds, these can also be layered in a compost bin to add "brown" carbonaceous material, and the shape will keep air pockets that are necessary for effective decomposition. My problem is, though, that we don't eat enough eggs to have all the cartons I would use. I actually looked into some retailers of the paper egg cartons online, and for 150 of them it's about $35. And I will probably end up doing it.

1. Newspaper
This is number one for a couple reasons. Newspaper is the most effective weed-suppressing, biodegradable landscape fabric. It is the cheapest, and it breaks down the quickest, providing your soil with fresh organic material. I use shredded newspaper for mulch. I lay sheets of newspaper inside all my raised beds, to get rid of the mess the people who built our house call "grass". there are easy instructions online for creating seed pots out of sheets of newspaper. Newspaper can be substituted for floating row covers in the event of a frost. They also provide carbonaceous material in a compost bin (if your compost is on the "green" side (smells bad, kinda slimy). Newspaper is also the main ingredient in household worm bins. You will hear me over and over again, touting newspaper for it's versatility and how easy it makes gardening.

Now your freebie!! The best garden-loving repurposed item is... (drum roll)
**Food!**

Keep all of your fruits, veggies, and organic wastes where they need to be, nourishing your soil!! (No fats, grains, or animal products)Composting brings the circle of life into clear view in that we create the cycle of feeding the living by the products of the decomposed. I swear my neighbors think I am crazy when I ask for their banana peels, grass clippings and coffee grounds, but it is well worth it. It is super-easy, and you will be rewarded with fresh, nutrient rich soil that did not harm the planet!