Some DIY creativity and a bunch of scavenged and recycled materials are all that stands between you and a lush garden!
Like Midas with his golden touch, some individuals are endowed with the ability to green an infinite array of botanicals using nothing more than a batch of homemade compost and the right collection of sweet nothings (whispered ever so encouragingly at leaves, buds and tendrils).
That’s hardly the case with the rest of us. Growing a garden, successfully, I might add, can often require a great deal of time, patience, persistence and honest-to-goodness hard work.
There are rumors that it can be a cathartic experience, but if your thumbs happen to be a deeper shade of brown rather than green, digging in the dirt can oftentimes be an exercise in pure frustration.
Among the many conundrums that the amateur gardener can face, a few perennial questions rise to the top of the list, such as:
“Why are there brown spots on my tomatoes?”
“Where the heck did those caterpillars come from?”
“How can I prevent those rascally squirrels from chomping countless bites out of my veggie patch and then thoughtlessly spitting all their rejects out on my walkway?”
Whether you stick with mainstream landscaping projects or take advantage of warmer seasons to grow your own food, several crucial gardening supplies are necessary in order to go the distance, but they generally come at a wallet-weeping cost. That is, unless you whip out your DIY-repurposing skills.
As the following list of easy-to-do projects suggests, the only thing standing between you and your drool-worthy garden is not money, but two willing and able hands (plus a whole lot of scavenged and recycled materials).
Plant markers using recycled…
Hanging planters using recycled…
Metal coffee cans with resealable lids (spruced up with decorative fabric scraps)
Garden planters and pots using recycled…
Shoes (don’t forget to drill a few holes in the bottom of each sole for proper root drainage)
Food packaging “molds” filled with concrete
Mulch using recycled…
Cocoa beans (but pet owners should steer clear since the theobromine content is toxic to curious critters that munch on it)
Compost using recycled…
A rain barrel using recycled…
A backyard greywater system using…
Strategically drained water from your washing machine
A self-watering mini garden using…
Water harvested from your central air conditioner
Garden edging using recycled…
Wine bottles or inverted beer bottles
An irrigation system using recycled…
Birdfeeders using recycled…
Plastic Method brand soap containers
Chemical-free weed killers using…
Everything from rock salt and rubbing alcohol to dish detergent
Eight different natural techniques
Chemical-free fertilizers
Two-in-one DIY compost tea (nourishes plants while keeping disease at bay)
Natural pesticides using…
Everything from salt and fresh basil to peppermint and rhubarb leaf
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