Chickens in the Road - Topic: Re-purposing What have you done lately?

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by LauraP

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:41:11 -0400

I don't drink soda at all anymore, but the recycling center let's me swipe bottles from the bin. Some places will, some won't.

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by BuckeyeGirl

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:17:22 -0400

I don't drink enough soda to come up with that many soda bottles, but the buckets are sometimes available from bakeries and delis or restaurants. The soda bottles might be good because they'd fit in rows better, my tomatoes were grown in clumps because of the size of the buckets, but they wouldn't hold enough water for a truly arid climate (or so it seems to me).

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by LauraP

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:03:36 -0400

Buckeye Girl - That's how I use 2-liter pop bottles and milk jugs. I never had enough of the buckets to spare. This year the kitty litter buckets are about all filled with small saplings that I want to grow out a bit more in a protected area before planting them out. I make the drainage holes just like you described.

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by justdeborah2002

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:07:18 -0400

BG, that is a great idea. My garden is at a friend's house, since I live in an apartment, and they don't mind me mucking around their backyard. I try to get out there every day, but sometimes life intervenes. With the holey buckets, I wouldn't have to stress as much, and my garden would get a much more even watering.

Thanks for the great tip!

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by BuckeyeGirl

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:52:47 -0400

Not sure if I mentioned it before, I suspect I have because it's a very good thing in a hot dry climate, but when I lived in the Denver area, I had all my friends save the 5 gallon buckets with lids, or the kitty litter buckets with lids, and drilled holes in them on the sides, close to the bottom. Start with medium sized holes and don't get too crazy, but not tiny either. Then buried them in the ground up to within a few inches from the top. Then I planted tomatoes and green peppers around them. You fill them with water and the lid keeps the water from evaporating out, and the holes let the water seep in down low so the roots have to develop well, also the lid keeps mice, voles or anything else from drowning in it too (and getting smelly etc).

If there aren't enough holes, or the holes are too small, you can either let the bucket dry out and sacrifice an old drill bit by drilling from the inside-out into the dirt, or usually, once the dirt is firmed up around them you can pull them out and slip em back in if you're careful. I drilled my holes facing each plant, so they were pointed towards where each was, but I don't suppose that was all THAT necessary. I wanted to be able to fill the bucket and for it to be mostly empty about every two days... but you can adjust so yours empties faster or slower. I'm seeing that there are quite a few folks from Colorado, so you'll understand about the dry climate stuff!!

I gardened there in a "community garden" so I had to travel back and forth after work or on days off and it was nice to be able to fill the buckets while I was there, and not worry in between. If you had the water running you had to be 'on site' and our garden did WAY better than the people who just surface watered.

I'm sure this might belong in the gardening section, but the garden related re-purpose things made me think of it! (Pete will get after me if it really needs to move! )

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by Joell

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:51:34 -0400

This evening, weather permitting, a few of us gals are getting together to make toilet tissue holders from empty oatmeal containers. We have at least 2 dozen tubes to decorate, they hold 2 rolls of tissue. We decorate them a few times each year for a charity sale held in the Fall. We end up with about 40 to 50 holders we then fill each with 2 rolls of tissue.

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by Miss Judy

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:21:56 -0400

That pot maker looks pretty neat... I always get tired before I am finished making seedling pots.

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by Ag Adventure

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:07:28 -0400

I drilled holes throughout a few of my plastic cat litter buckets and use them for composting. They work great. I give them a nice shake every time I add anything in and they are a nice alternative to the big plastic tumblers that you see in the seed catalogs.

I also use them to hold potting soil so that I can scoop it out easily.

I got a nifty little tool for Christmas that is letting me make newspaper pots which have been wonderful! (I actually blogged about that one. If you are interested: http://farmingfoible.blogspot.com/2013/03/diy-newspaper-pots-otherwise-known-as.html)

Thank you for the idea about the firestarters! I always wondered about a good use for lint. That's perfect! I might even have to get a litter bucket full of them to store outside next to my fire pit .

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by Edgefield

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:17:47 -0400

Kahuna55 said
HI!! I am always excited on Garbage Pickup Day!! LOL I am always looking for things people put out for collection..things I can use.

A fellow Dumpster-Diver; that's me. I am always checking what people put out on the side of the road. I have brought home coffee makers, microwaves, computers,--most everything works.

Also, there is a local charity that habitually throws out baby clothes, and I have been recycling them to a consignment shop. That worked well for the last several months until the shop went out of business. She seemed to be doing very well...

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by TeaCup

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:05:14 -0400

My newest repurpose isn't really. I bought at auction a while ago a piece of an old fire department, a rail with the hardware they hung their hats & coats on. I've cleaned it and we're going to use it. Not really a new use, but certainly new to us! Our current hat/coat rack just inside the front door has no place to really put any hats, and only has 3 hooks, somehow, even with just 2 of us, it isn't enough!

Re the canning jar lids: How about making a large bunting out of them for a party? Using them as flashing devices to keep crows out of the garden? To shingle the roof on a bird house? Make a fish picture (as scales)? Write card values on them and use them for outdoor card games? Dunno. That's all I can think of off the top of my head!

Teacup

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by sheep4us

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:17:41 -0500

Our water faucet for the garden sticks straight up out of the ground about 1 1/2 to 2 feet. An eyesore for sure. My husband found an old round wash tub that had the bottom rusted out and slid it over the faucet. Now I don't have to drag the hose back and forth, I just roll it up around the faucet and nestle it in the wash tub. Hidden from view but right where I need it. Less for the scrap man, sorry.

MissyinWV...love the tp firestarter idea!!!

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by wvhomecanner

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:38:38 -0500

do you do Pinterest?

http://indulgy.com/post/2WuHgSfxG1/take-a-mason-jar-and-spray-the-lid-wit

http://www.kristanlynn.com/2012/05/diy-mason-jar-tumbler-lid-in-only-3.html

http://vintaj.com/gallery/proddsp.asp?which=AA206

hope these links work.....

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by mamajhk

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:21:19 -0500

I, too, would like to know. I have spray painted some that are used so I can tell the difference between used and new. I,too, use the used ones when storing things in jars.

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by brookdale

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:26:17 -0500

Anyone got any good ideas for used canning jar lids? I can't bring myself to throw them away after just one use.

I do use the used ones when I put crumbs, raisins, oatmeal, etc. in jars (stuff that isn't canned).

And I made labels for plants in the garden with some, but they got rusty after a while.

I'm sure you folks have some good hints!

Re-purposing What have you done lately? by Squeegees Mom

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 10:43:43 -0500

I use cardboard egg cartons for starting my seeds indoors. Fill with a bit of potting soil and put in a filtered light area, water as needed. When they are ready to transplant, I put the egg carton cup with the bottom torn out (put the torn pieces in the ground or pot as well) water well, and watch them grow.

I found some long clear plastic trays that will hold 12 egg cups so my window sills don't get wet. These were inexpensive at Walmart several years ago. Any waterproof tray will be fine. I make little tags for each cup identifying what is planted there and mount the tags on a toothpick like a flag, and stick it in the soil.