Hurray, free stuff for the garden

Hubby and I did a little trash picking the other day -- came home with the tank portion of a water softener, and a grocery store "flat" such as they might have hauled veggies or fruit from one end of the store to the other in (hard rubber, square, about 3' long on a side, maybe 4" high, bottom is a grid).

The tank:
I need to transplant a thornless blackberry into something much larger. So.... we will cut the tank in half and use the bottom half. We'll just need to cut a couple drainage holes.

For the top half -- essentially a large ring -- we will glue down the lid and flip it over to get a second planter. Onions and garlic are the next things I want to grow but don't have room in my raised bed for now.

The flat:
I will probably try growing strawberries in it. I'll just need to put down some weed block in the bottom to keep the soil in. I already have something similar going for lettuce and it works great, but I don't really need more lettuce.

I think my only worry with all of this is that the water softener once held salt. We washed it out well, but I wonder if it still might cause a problem. Anyone have any idea about that?

Since the salt used in the water softener was used to treat water meant for human consumption I would not think it would be very detrimental. I would scrub it with a dish detergent and rinse well (hot water).

Your falt sounds a lot like the bread trays I used last season to grow lettuce. Worked great. I covered the bottoms with empty horse feed sacks. Great finds.

Thanks. Good idea on the horse feed sacks.

I picked up another freebie yesterday out of someone's recycle bin- a long plastic runner, like may have been used down a carpeted hallway. Heavy clear plastic with those little nobby things on the bottom. Maybe 10 or 12 feet long and 30" or so wide.

I don't need it in the house, am trying to figure out how it might possibly be useful in the garden.The plastic is likely not acceptable to be too near edible stuff. Not coming up with much in the way of ideas. Suggestions welcome. The only thing I came up with so far is to cut a short piece and use it as something to kneel on as I work in a garden bed.

You could use it in a walkway between rows or planting beds to keep down the weeds.

Or, use it to smother grass for your next flowerbed! I like CajuninKy's walkway idea. Cover it with some mulch or pebbles.

Yea... I agree with the walkway suggestion. I wish I had some of that stuff.

Me too. That was a great score.

Yep, the walkway idea will do me nicely! Don't know why I didn't think of it myself. Thanks!

U R welcome. Every now and again I get a good one. LOL

Just an update - I put that plastic runner down along the side of the house. Its job right now is tramping down/suffocating weeds, but eventually I'll put down something over it -- probably a bunch of pea gravel, to continue what was started a little further along the house, maybe with a few stepping stones. I'm enthused at striking a blow against the weeds that have been growing there (and out from under our neighbor's fence). Thanks again for the idea.

Now today, someone is throwing out the sides of a crib. All that nice brown wood in nice orderly slats. I am wanting these! Hubby nixed dragging them home, partly because he fears I'm going to fill up the backyard with junk, lol, and partly because he said the wood wouldn't last long outdoors. But it seems like there are possibilities:
-sort of lattice/trellis thing against our fence
-lashing three crib sides together and sticking the triangle-shaped thing in the corner to grow potatoes in or something.
-even just busting up into individual pieces of wood for stakes

What do y'all think? Would the wood last? He's into spending NO money on our garden, so I'm feeling like I'm missing a good opportunity at something I might need later. But then again...do I *need* it? I'm on the fence.

I'm with you LiseP... I see some possibilities with a trellis of sorts. However, I doubt the wood would last too long outdoors like that -- unless you treated it with something. But so what if it doesn't last -- just use it until you don't like it anymore. Then YOU can throw it away.

I'd grab that puppy. You could grow pole beans on it or put it behind your tomatoes and tie them to it eliminating the need for a cage. Or you could trellis your cukes on it. The possibilities are endless. You could keep it up till next Christmas and use it for a stable for your manger scene. It will only last a couple of seasons in the weather but that will be a couple seasons use you'll get out of it then you can feed a nice cozy fire with it.

Aargh, too late. It got dark and I didn't want to go messing about in the dark, but by the time we walked by this morning, someone had hauled the whole thing away. Well, they probably needed it more than I did.

But then! I saw several more items I really wanted while on this morning's walk -- old Venetian blinds (great for labels), 2 heavy-duty kitty litter buckets with handles (good for so many things!) and a small metal strainer (seemed just right for putting upside down in an E-bucket, which I would like to make). By the time I got back and jumped in the car to return to those things, the recyling truck had already done its deed. I was so irritated! I should have just grabbed them, but the blinds were too big an unwieldy and I figured that if I have to come back with the car, I'll just pick it all up. Man, those guys were fast.

I'll be ready next Monday, LOL.

Sorry you missed out. Maybe you should do a driveby before your walk next Monday. :)

The phrase, "strike while the iron is hot," comes to mind...

I passed a HUGE pile of used pvc pipe yesterday morning, and by evening it was all gone. I stopped and was ready to load up my car, until I saw it was part of a bathroom plumbing rip out. Since I'm cutting pvc with a hand cutter to make seedling grow tubes, I didn't want potty planters in the food chain. So, mine was a calculated decision to bypass the pile.

But, I was blessed to have picked up a fairly new length of pvc pipe sitting on the connector ramp between two major freeways. Yep, sure did jump outta the car and run back to pick it up! Good thing it was rush hour and we were doing a slow creep around the connector anyways, cause I held up ALL the traffic behind me. 8 seconds is all it took!

Yes, "strike while the iron is hot" is a good thing to keep in mind. I'll remember that next time! Good going on your ramp scamper!

Btw, speaking of "free" as in "no money," my Dave's garden subscription is running out in a couple of days. I'm going to hold off renewing for a bit. I will probably be back when I can't stand being left out of the conversation, lol, but meanwhile, it has been an honor to get to know you guys, not to mention how great it's been to pick your brains and share the occasional update/problem/triumph. I really love this place!

It's just that I am going "no-spend" in the garden right now. Just to see if I can. I'll be using last year's seeds, using up and making do. Hubby's of the opinion that my gardening attempts are pretty much just a sinkhole of money we can use elsewhere, so I aim to prove that the garden can prove its worth.

I'll still be reading here, so keep the conversation and pics flowing, please! And when I just can't stand being left out any longer -- I'll be back. Meanwhile thank you, thank you, thank you, for everything. And if anyone wants to chat offline, please send me a dmail today or tomorrow and we can trade email addresses.
Lise

My subscription ran out last Oct. and I still can post here - there are several "open" forums where all you need be is a member rather than a subscriber to post. I do miss some of my friends on the weather page and others of them I still see here.

Good to know, Dyson! That's very good news! Thanks.

All the 'beginner' forums are free. Plus a few more, you can tell by clicking on communities then discussions.

Thanks for that info, shune.

Update -- a very kind soul on Dave's Garden has renewed my subscription! Talk about 'hurray!'

I've thanked this kind person privately but didn't think to ask if she wants to remain anonymous or if it's okay to give a public thanks. I'll ask now and I hope to be able to update this to give credit where it is due (or maybe she'll come forward?? :0) . For now, I'll just say I'm thrilled and very very appreciative. It sure confirms my view that Dave's Gardeners are the best.

LOL, I was incorrect on who the mystery kind person is -- don't even know if it's a she or a he now. But *somebody* is a sweetie, I do know that, and thank you.

LiseP,
You share so much of your knowledge here, it wouldn't be the same without you. Glad someone made it possible for you to stay in the garden doing what you love!

Many happy returns of the day to you!

^^_^^

Somebody did the same for me when I had no money to renew. It was such a blessing for me. I learn so much here to help feed us with the garden and with the animals. I have prayed God will bless the person who blessed me. One day I hope I can do the same for another person.

Gymgirl, you rock -- for a few reasons! ;-)

CajuniKy, paying it forward is a nice idea. I hope to do the same.

Thought I'd report back on how the freebie old water softener tank got used. Hubby cut the tank in half to make two planters -- used the lid as a bottom for the planter made from the top half of the tank, affixing it with both screws and glue.

So now, I have finally been able to transplant my $4 blackberry plant from its overgrown 3.5 gallon nursery pot into a nice roomy new home.

Totally SUH-WEET on the recycle!

Now. Aim your camera a bit to the left so I can see your raised beds. I still have to construct mine and, while I'm almost set on the construction idea, I still have room in my head for one or two that might work as well...

Hugs!

Thanks, Gymgirl. Here's a pic from when we first built the raised bed, before we filled it, but you can see the bed itself pretty well. We snugged it in between a walkway and a fence, so it's a little awkward reaching to the back, but we can trellis along the back, so I'm happy with it.

And as you can see, it's deeper than most, but we have so little soil around here before you hit rock, so I decided to go deep.

I have another closer view of where things are joined but have to run right now, will try to remember to post it later.

This message was edited Jan 20, 2011 3:17 PM

Thanks, LiseP!
Neat idea putting the containers down in there. I've been toying with a box of some sort to camoflauge my orange eBuckets.

Looks great. Mine is not that deep and it's on ground cloth. Do you do SFG?

Great job with the tank recycle.

Here's the other pic I wanted to post, to show you better how it's joined at the corners (glue plus bolts).

I just had buckets in there when it was first built, before I filled it with soil.

Most of it is empty now, I had tomatoes in the back in the summer/fall. Now there's just broccoli in the right half (six plants, have harvested two heads so far, four need to grow a bit) and two cauliflower on the left. I just threw some lettuce seed down in the back.

I do pretty close to SFG but without the actual grid. I do have Mel's book and use it for a loose guidance. I figure with the box as deep as it is, I can plant as close as Mel recommends -- and I can, when it comes to soil, fert and water, but I do think the plants compete some for sun light as the plants get bigger and start shading each other. Still working that out.

This message was edited Jan 21, 2011 10:12 AM

Plant low ground cole crops like cabbages, beets, turnips, carrots that don't need a whole lotta sunlight underneath taller stuff like cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi...?

Speaking of broccoli - that is a nice looking one in the pic!

That looks just like broccoli from the store. I have never been able to get mine to look like that. I need a GH or a hoop house so I can start mine earlier. Good job!

Thanks, Dyson. I'm pretty pleased with them, I have to admit!

CajuninKy, been babying those (transplants) since mid-Aug, was sure they'd burn up in late summer heat and convinced myself I'd planted too soon. But with a little shade cloth and plenty of water, they came through like troopers. Tasty, too! :-)

Are they Green Goliath?

Sadly, either the six-pack wasn't marked or I didn't write it down, Green Goliath doesn't sound familiar.

Around here, Green Magic is favored by the local extension folks, so that might be a good guess (?). Hard to tell from pictures, but it looks like a good match (but then, most broccoli looks a lot like most other broccoli, lol).

http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F1Column/2007%20Articles/Plant%20of%20the%20Week/AUG25%20Green%20Magic%20Broccoli.htm

I have traded for some purple sprouting broccoli with a lady in The Netherlands.

No matter the kind - That broccoli would be welcome in my kitchen at any time !

LiseP,
I've been busy! The cups are 45 Black Krims potted up last night.

I have about 105 more seedlings to get potted up by Saturday...pray for me, please.