Your Trash is My Treasure

I really don't like to throw stuff away. As I have mentioned before, I no longer have trash pick-up at my house. I reuse, recycle, burn compost, and the little bit I have left, I take to the Palmyra "Clean Up Days" usually amounting to 2-3 bags of trash, twice a year.

We should all be doing the same. Humanity is shamefully, sinfully wasteful. I know people who waste money buying junk they don't need or want, then throw it away, unused. AAARRGGGH!

So, before you throw away that piece of junk, see if it is listed here as something I can use. If so, bring it out to the farm, please, or let me know so I can make arrangements to pick it up. If it is not too big, you may bring it to one of the Farmers' Markets I attend.

Here is my list. It will probably grow as I think of stuff. PLEASE, don't give me anything if YOU can use it. That would be good, too. Be creative!

Galvanized tubs, old wheelbarrows (barrow part only)

Rusty OK, holes in bottom preferred. I do lots of container growing, and I have found, because of the particular problems with my soil, that these are ideal homes for my lettuces and other greens. I have really expanded this idea this year, and it has worked beautifully. I have the healthiest greens I have ever had, and they are not bolting, wilting, or getting chewed up, even on the hot days.

Here is some arugula growing in a wheelbarrow. Click here for more photos.

Plastic buckets (nothing that formerly held toxic chemicals, please), kitty litter buckets, plastic gardening containers and trays

I have tons of large plastic gardening containers, and this year, I have really put them to good use. I am growing several varieties of container tomatoes, plus I have herbs, radishes, morning glories, marigolds, and zinnias growing in containers. The added benefit to that is that they are portable. I can put the flowers where color is needed, take the tomatoes in the greenhouse when the weather gets chilly, and move plants around if their location is disagreeable. Click the link above for photos.

Ratty towels, sheets, and blankets

For rags, covering plants, and animal bedding. I always need these.

Plastic grocery bags (clean only, please)

Even though I save all my bags, I just never have near enough to pack items for customers. This is a really much-needed item!

Half-pint canning jars or jelly jars with rings (standard canning only; no chips or cracks)

I even PAY for these. For each jar and ring (lid discarded, labels removed), I will give you 25¢. For each jar without a ring, or a jar with a label (they're a bitch to remove), I will give you 20¢. Please don’t ever, ever, EVER throw away a good jelly jar!! They are expensive, and completely reusable.

The lid should always be discarded so it doesn't accidentally get reused. There is a chemical on the rubber part of the lid that is part of the sealing process. It sucks the air out of the jar as the center of the lid pops downward. The chemical is only good for one use.