Bits and Pieces...The reduce/reuse/recycle thread

[Snadger]

No problem using pallet wood for plant boxes but if you want them to last a long time use annular ring nails they stop in a lot longer and the boxes do not fall apart easy ....jacob

One step ahead of you there Jacob, bought three boxes of different sized thin galvanised woodscrews at Aldi when they were on offer.

I can testify how good the annular nails are though by how many boards I split whilst stripping pallets. All good woodburning stove fodder though!

[HeyWayne]

Seemingly every childs toy is attached to the box using wire ties. I've now saved a load that I'll be using to tie plants, hang labels and hook things up with.

[ammi]

I re used an old oven as a small compost bin and I also reused a washing machine drum to grow irises in.
I try to reuse as much stuff as I can and have even reused an old leaky motorcycle petrol tank for a small alpine planter!

[ammi]

leaky boot

Leaky boot left me to have to reuse the first ever recycling I ever did. I wrapped plastic bags over my socks and put them inside my boots. Lovely, not only were my feet dry but they were also warm. Wish Id thought of this earlier in the week when my boot started to leak!

[broadway]

Just found a pile of change bags from the bank and thought these could be used to store seeds?

[Liza]

I used some left over breeze blocks as a raised bed, lined with weed control not cemented together so I can move it when I need to.

Pinch the bubblewrap from supermarket fruit & veg boxes to cover tom and chilli seeds.
The plastic trays from the fresh cream and yogs to put small pots in, the cardboard apple boxes for transporting produce and drying onions.......I think I maybe banned from T***o soon !

[Liza]

Oh and old recycling boxes(cos we have gone wheeley bin here) to plant carrots in

[chris]

I used some left over breeze blocks as a raised bed, lined with weed control not cemented together so I can move it when I need to.

Pinch the bubblewrap from supermarket fruit & veg boxes to cover tom and chilli seeds.
The plastic trays from the fresh cream and yogs to put small pots in, the cardboard apple boxes for transporting produce and drying onions.......I think I maybe banned from T***o soon !

Heh, I thought I was cheeky taking the plastic trays.. Hadn't thought about the other stuff though - I'm sure they'd just bin it anyway

[reetnproper]

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Piskieinboots' thread about cleaning labels got me thinking about how much of the title 3Rs we do in our garden and how many of us buy new every year?

We bought 100's of different sized pots the first year that we started growing veg but have cleaned, sterilised and reused them each year since AND we also use the huge tubs the shrubs came in which we saved from when OH landscaped the hardcore .

The boards which make up my raised beds started life as a frame for concrete bases;
then became the frame work for a shed (which never got built because OH changed his mind - thankfully);
were dismantled and became shelving units for the out buildings;
were then dismantled again and were over engineered into a massive scaffolding contraption so OH could paint the outside of house;
before, finally, becoming the raised beds.

One of our daleks was donated by a friend of a friend and some of the bamboos we use for beans and tomatoes actually came from the plant my erstwhile OH bought for the garden but which got out of hand .

An old engine hoist that was in the garden when we moved in is now used to grow beans along and hang the bird feeders off (it's too heavy to move) and old tyres and a cylinder block from an engine (also found in the garden) have been used as planters, along with the old sink and toilet cistern!

Reet
xx

[Creemteez]

Newspapers get used 4 times in this household.
We read them, then they line the rabbit hutch, then they get composted and put on the garden, then we eat 'em......

[broadway]

I'm currently using reclaimed scaffold boards for the raised beds I'm making.

Using 2 wheelie bins (freecycle) to make compost tumblers.

Will soon be getting some pallets for other projects.

I find it very rewarding

[Noodles]

The compost bins are made from old pallets, more have been broken down and used to line the paths on my plot to stop the wood chip escaping into the beds.

The shed base is made up of old paving slabs that were removed from the patio when the conservatory was build.

The boot scraper was made by a friend out of a chunk of tree trunk and an old slate roof tile.

[OllieMartin]

I don't have children. I calculate that that has outweighed any recycling I could do!

No, but in reality, I no-only recycle religously, but I also pick up recycleable rubbish from my street and put it in my blue bin.
I also reuse bottles in my garden as cloches and built my bed boarders out of reclaimed decking boards I sourced by putting a request on my Facebook status.

[reetnproper]

I also reuse bottles in my garden as cloches

Very intrigued by this idea but, being not so bright at the moment, am wondering how?

Reet
x

[OllieMartin]

Very intrigued by this idea but, being not so bright at the moment, am wondering how?

Reet
x

I only use plastic bottles by sawing the bottoms off and taking the lid off. They're good for small plants to get them established.

You could do it with glass bottles if you have the facility to cut them. I've never tried it, but apparently if you pour oil into the bottle and then put a red hot poker into the oil, the glass sheers off at the surface of the oil.