Composting Materials
- Soy beans are one of the big crops here in Arkansas and many of the newspapers are printed in Soy ink. I compost the whole newspaper, funnies and all, maybe it will keep the worms entertained while they munch away! A nearby market shells peas for a small fee and they are happy for me to pick up the refuse which I mulch into the garden in the Fall. A question: Would pulverized "sheetrock" be OK worked into the garden beds? From Marie: While Gypsum is fine, if you don't mind a slight increase in pH. But sheetrock usually has other chemical in it that don't belong in a garden.
- —Guest packratbob
Raised Beds
- I use garden refuse and waste paper to make raised beds for leaf vegetables. Dig out a 2X4 foot width and 2 feet depth pit and dump the refuse , compact lightly and cover with the excavated soil.The bed will raise from the surrounding level by 1-1.5 feet Sow bush beans or any leafy vegetables on the patch. The process can be made a continuous operation on monthly basis depending on the amount of recyclable material available.
- —ARWadoo
Toilet Paper Rolls in Garden
- I use these as seed starters. I cut them in thirds, fill with soil and plant the whole thing when seeds have sprouted and are ready to plant.
- —Guest Barbara Garrabrant
Composting paper products
- I try to recycle my used, compost-friendly paper towels. They break down very quickly and the earthworms seem to like them. I also recycle the empty cardboard rollers from the paper towels and toilet paper, as well as newspapers and any other "white" paper that we would otherwise throw away.
- —Guest hawaiirocks
Using Egg Shells
- Make sure to microwave egg shells to prevent disease from raw egg residual. Low heat for 40 seconds is fine.
- —marthaslong
Breaking Down Egg Shells
- Egg shells cooked in microwave can be crumbled and added to compost. Protein! [and calcium]
- —Guest martha
Clean Up the Road
- I live in an area where they use salt and road grit to treat the roads where ice and snow are a hazard. The road grit is very small tiny stones. In the spring I shovel up the remaining road grit and use in my natural walkway, instead of pea gravel..it works great! And removes the grit from the road where I live. I clean up the road, making it less likely to slip when riding a bike or motorcycle, works great .
- —deeb3178
T-posts in the garden
- I use fence T-posts for my tomato plants. I space them every 8'. I use chicken house twine between the posts to form a fence line for the tomatoes grow on. I take used pieces of cloth and make stripes to tie the tomatoes. At the end of the year, pull up the posts and roll up the twine. The twine will last many years.
- —Guest Jim Sposato
Using Old Blinds as Plant Markers
- Cut window blind slats and use as markers to identify plants.
- —Guest Gran21
Recycled Mini Greenhouse
- I use clear plastic egg cartons to start seedlings indoors. it keep them separated and with a clear lid it allows sun but also retains moisture so that seeds can germinate
- —Guest Noelle Henderson
Kitty Litter Bucket Self Watering Pot
- I used 3 empty kitty litter buckets and old shoe laces to make 1 self watering pot. Cut a couple inches below the flange on 1 of the buckets all the way around. It will still stack and secure in place in the lower bucket. The top bucket gets a drain hole or 2 plus 4 holes to run shoelaces through. Soak the shoelaces or other wicking 1st. I also initially watered the soil. The water absorbs up the shoelaces into the soil as needed. Cut a hole into the side of the bottom bucket to avoid overflow. You can cut a hole big enough for a water hose but with such a small pot I will lift the top bucket to fill resevoir. If you use a bigger hole you may need to use something like steel wool to block slugs.
- —VeggieGrower
Pot Trays
- I use the tin pans that pie crusts come in under my indoor pots, to catch excess when I water them
- —Guest missdebbie61
Recycle Kitchen Scraps
- I keep an empty ice cream tub with lid in my sink to catch coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, egg shells, fresh fruit/vegetable peelings, etc. When it is full, my husband takes it to the garden plot we set aside for mulching. You'd be suprised how fast the tub fills up! And because we have a septic, I don't need to use my garbage disposal.
- —Guest Linda Hoggard
Free Compost Material
- I almost-daily go to a Sr. Center, where we all get along famously. At lunchtime we often get cantaloupe or honeydew for dessert. I bring an extra plastic bag from home so I can collect all the melon rinds for my compost pile. When we have hard boiled eggs I also collect them, put them in my microwave for half a minute, crush them, and add them to my compost pile. Great stuff. Why waste it?
- —Guest Joan Gano
Growing Outdoor Plants Inside
- I have been very successful bringing in several plants to grow in my home through the cold winters in Minnesota. One is an ivy that did loss all of the leaves and has re-grown and I look forward to it growing outside this summer. I have "wintered" another one for the 3rd winter and it is blooming now. I look forward to spring coming and setting the plant outside.
- —Guest Ginny Pleban
