~Eco Monday~

 Garden season is in full swing for me! I have been neglecting My Recycling Gardener blog lately. Its been about a month since I have posted anything. I have been busy posting garden updates and food pictures on my other blog. I thought what better way then to come back with an Eco Monday project.

Using left over wood, Old Wire  and a little bit of paint,  my Grandma has made some adorable garden signs for me to place throughout my garden.

She used some wood with some white wash paint and gave the wood a distressed look. Which I love!

This welcome sign is at the enterance of my garden. I hung it on a shepheards hook. Placed between my Tomato's and Corn. I took this picture at night because I was so excitied I had to hang at least one.

I love the way they look. Almost Antique.

Its such an easy project. All you need is some wood, wire, paint and a little imagination.

Do you make homemade signs for your garden?

If so, what do you make yours from?

Happy Recycling!!!

~ Eco Monday~

 Growing Vegtables, Flowers and Herbs can be fun! Especially when you find things around the house to grow them in! A fun way to incorporate a Reuse and Recycle what you have at home. Here are a few things im using in my recycling garden.

This year I have used 4 tires to grow some tomatos on the outside of my garden. This way I have a little more room inside my garden for other veggies. Just fill the tires with organic soil and plant away! Its not pretty but it works.

You can also use baskets as planters. I added a plastic bag inside with rocks on the bottom to help with drainage. The plastic helps to keep your basket from rotting and falling apart. Im growing peppers and nasturtiums in this basket.

This is a candle holder that I used to use in the house. I dropped it and the bottom broke out. I barried it in the dirt about a half inch and am growing some Oregano in it. Adds a little color to my eggplant and shallots garden bed.

Everyone has collections of tea pots! Im using this old teapot as a planter for my spicy basil. I will sit this on our patio table. We eat out there alot in the summer. This way we can easily pinch off fresh herbs and toss em on our food.

This is a much bigger container! It was the top of a bar from a tavern that did some remodeling. Hubby brought it home for me to use as a planter.

 Tomatos and scallions are growing in this one.

What things do you use in your garden?

Happy Recycling!!!

~Eco Monday~

~MULCH~

This Eco Monday I thought I would tell you about a couple of things I use as mulch!

When gardening its always nice to use mulch on your plants and veggies! Mulch helps to retain the water on extreamly hot days. Mulch will help to keep the water from evaporating to fast.

This weekend we did a large project using old wooden fences. You can see what I did with the fences on my other blog! Jenn's Gardening Spot / Cooking Garden With all the cutting of the wood, we ended up with a bucket of sawdust.

I used the sawdust around my pepper plants. I had enough to mulch about 23 plants.

 Sawdust added to your soil will improve the texture of heavy soils.

Here is a row of peppers that have recieved the sawdust as mulch.

Another thing I use as mulch are nut shells. Im using almond shells as mulch for my Black Krim Tomato's.

It adds texture to the area. Making it pleasing to my eye!

Im also hoping by using the shells as mulch will help control the crab grass that loves my garden. As the person who has to pull that crabgrass, I will try anything to keep it at bay.

What are some things you use as Mulch?

Happy Mulching!!!

Recycled Trellis's for my Garden

Today I started the building of my Trellis's for my garden Veggies!

I am using an old futon structure as my Cucumber Trellis (black trellis)

I also used 3 wooden stakes that I made from old wooden pallets! I tied some wire fencing to the stakes to make a trellis for my Long Beans!

With limited space in my backyard, I try to trellis as much as I can!

Happy Recycling!

~Eco Monday~

My Eco Monday post is all about Free Seeds! As most of us know April 22 is Earth Day! Today as I was shopping at my local Home Depot, I stumbled upun a Free Seeds sign. I know I know, you are thinking I have way too many! I believe you can never have too many seeds!

Here is the sign that sucked me in! Buy 1 packet of seeds and get one free of equal or lesser value.

My lil one loves to get the veggie tale seeds. Since she wasnt with me, I got what I wanted!

Here is some of the seeds I checked out. They didnt have a lot left! I spent about an hour deciding what I wanted!

Here is what I ended up getting!

Artichokes

Pablanos

Bunching Onions

Asparagus long beans (which I never heard of)

Happy Earth Day my friends!

Recycling Cardboard Containers

Lately, I have been looking for containers to transplant my seedlings in. This year I used the mini greenhouses with the little hard puck that expand when you add water! I had great success using them. My delima was what to transplant those seed starts into once they were ready to go to the next size. Honestly, it's just not warm enough to put alot of things in the ground yet!

This is where my awesome hubby steps in. A hospital he worked in a few years back, changed the containers they used for differnt specimens. My hubby knew I would find some use for them and brought them home. I gave some away and kept some for myself. I finally found a use for them!

The containers are white with a purple and blue design. Each container has a lid. I use the lid to catch water overflow.

I used alot of them to transplant tomatos. This way my tomatos can fill out a little bit more and get more of a root system before I add them to my raised beds outside.

I also started multiple Herbs using these containers. As you can see, I recycle popsicle sticks too as markers in my containers. This way I remeber what I am growing!

More Herbs! I love Herbs for cooking!

These are the lids I am using, to collect water under other containers of seeds I am growing!

I have also been collecting those ugly scalloped bricks from dump piles, to make sections in my garden. This helps me keep some things seperate. Its not very pretty, but it works for me! This is my lil one preparing the Pak Choi area!

More of those lovely bricks! As you see in the background, I have dresser drawers , raised beds i made from old dressers and old tent poles. I planted some Nasturtiums around the tent poles. Soon they should be climbing up the poles and making pretty arches over the garden.

Here is part of a dresser drawer that I am growing some Peas in!

I made a small raised bed out of a pile of old white fencing someone threw away. I decided to grow some radishes in this section of the once white picket fence.

Another way of me doing my part to keep usable things out of the landfills. You never know what treasures you may find!

Happy Garden Recycling!

~Eco Monday~

My latest garden idea has turned out well!

I have been searching out large tree branches and small ones as as well.

Why you ask? To make a Garden Fence of course.

 I wanted a more natural fence. A fence that looked like it was always there.

The new tree branch fence will serve dual purposes.

Purpose number one, keep the dog out!  Purpose number two to grow multiple beans, Nasturtiums, and Morning Glorys. A natural trellis!

Here are a few pictures of ways to re-use branches/tree limbs in your yard!

This is the enterance! Im hoping to grow Nastritums and Morning Glorys as a trells entry way!

I also plan on painting that wall of the shed and painting some Sunflowers to add a little pop. There will also be a small table and chairs, so I can watch my garden grow!

Here is one of the sides of the fence!

Here is another angle.

Another side! Tomatos will mostly grow in the area with Nasturtiums!

A basic view of the summer garden! As time goes by, I will be adding more sticks to fill in areas a little more.

This is just what I have so far. I will also be building some trellis for Cucumbers as well!

Happy Recycling!

~Eco Monday~

Hello Recycling Friends!

It has been a while since I have posted! I have not forgotten about Recycling I promise!

I have been super busy kicking off the early garden season! I have been busy getting Onions and Garlic in the ground along with some Root Veggies and some lettuce!

As I start seedlings indoors under grow lights, I am always looking for containers to use for that purpose!

Here are a few containers I have saved here and there! Also I have a couple of ideas to show you to make a mini green house for seedlings!

Here are a few containers I saved! One of these plastic containers contained muffins. I have started Tomatos in that container! The muffin slots are big enough to get the Tomato Plants going untill I transplant to a bigger container!

I also started some seedlings in eggshells! Make sure you rinse out the eggshells. I planted Garlic Chives in those. Once I transplant the chives in the garden, the egg shell can go with them. I will crush the eggshell around the plant and just pop it into the ground!

I also use Mayonaise jars as mini greenhouses to get seeds to germinate! I wrap the seeds in a damp paper towel. I then stick the paper towel in the jar and close the lid. I place the jar under a heat lamp with my other seedlings until it germinates and then transplant into a larger container with seed start!

I also use the lettuce containers as mini green houses! They have a pretty sturdy bottom and come with a lid! I have started Lettuce seeds in this container. When my heat lamp isnt on I put the lid on to retain moisture!

I also use other plastic containers such as these.

They have grooves in the bottom to collect any extra water! I am growing Broccoli and Hansel Eggplant seed starts in this one!

Happy Recycling!!!

When Tents go bad.....

 Hi friends! Its a new year! I havent posted too much in the way of Recycling lately! But I have some great things I am working on! Today as my family and I are cleaning our backyard, I stumbled upon something that needed recycling!

During the summer my lil one set up a little one man tent. The rain and the elements destroyed most of it! I was able to save pieces from the tent for future use!

Here you see the tent poles and the tarp! The tarp is from the bottom of the tent. It was still in really good shape! My husband helped me cut off the remainder of the mesh and plastic from the tent.

Heres are B.B.Q. as you can see its getting rained on! But now we have made a cover out of the Recycled materials from our old tent!

We decided to use the tarp as a new cover for our B.B.Q./Smoker! This way it wont rust if we have to leave it out in the rain! Other uses could be cover for animals in the winter that stay outside! We use differnt tarps to cover our Rabbit cages and parts of our Chicken coop so they have extra shelter and warmth.

The tent poles will be a great use to make a mini green house for winter gardening or to start seedlings in the spring!. All I have to do now is get a hold of some clear plastic to complete the project. You could also cut the poles down and make garden stakes. Garden stakes are great for supporting your veggie plants!

I plan on reinforcing the tent poles with wood bases so the wind wont blow them out of the ground!

As soon as I find some clear thick plastic, I will complets my Mini Green house. I will post pics when I finish!

Happy Recycling!!!