I intend this thread to be a place to discuss good growing related scores for cheap (or free!)
Things such as an aluminum ladder might end up in the trash and it can be re-purposed in a myriad of ways. For mine, I’m thinking it will become a black painted trellis for some sort of vines. I have hops, grapes, squash and a few others as candidates but haven’t decided which will be the winners of this prime location if it happens.
Another recent find for me was an old bird cage, probably 4’x3’x2’ which I intend to fill with potatoes from all angles.
Today my neighbor is in the process of getting rid of basically everything they’ve accumulated for growing things over the years. She said they are getting old and trying to simplify things so I gladly grabbed a trove of hangers, pots, trellises, tools, and a cart (home for rootstock during grafting season).
I have no shame in being frugal and grabbing the neighbors trash. Gardening supplies are expensive, I would have spent hundreds of dollars to buy the things I just grabbed for free.
p.s. here is another related post about 55 gallon barrels. I may be tracking some of these down in the near future to build a rainwater catchment system underneath my future deck. There is a guy who sells 65 gallon olive barrels down the road for like 15 bucks.
While it seems that the secret for societal economic wellbeing is to consume consume consume, the secret for individual and family wellbeing is to stop consuming. I’m horrified at how conditioned we have become not to think too hard at $20 items that can be had for $2 with little effort. The disconnect is mind boggling; people would slam on the brakes and cause a wreck if they see a $20 on the side of the road but don’t think twice about throwing it away on unnecessary purchases. The end result is 100% the same.
i have a pickup and go on salvage rides often. i know when people put their trash out in the local towns and time my rides accordingly. even though its put out for trash, i ask before taking. sometimes if they see im interested in something they threw out they will offer me more similar items. made a few friends doing this and many great connections to other finds. ive even swapped stuff at times. if somethings still in working shape and i dont need it, ill gift it to someone i know needs it or put it on the side of the road
for free or real cheap. i cant stand waste. just gave my brother a $400 gas grill. looks like they used it for the summer , never cleaned it then put it out in the trash last week. cleaned it with some oven cleaner then a hose. tank was there and still 1/2 full.
One of my neighbors has made some really nice growing areas out of unwanted dog kennels. I see them listed on FB all the time for $50, or sometimes free. I think she is going to make some greenhouses out of them too. I can see all kinds of good ideas with these things…
One of my friends collected enough sliding door panels and used them to build a very nice heated green house to grow plants during the winter.
Recycling stuff is a great way to release you potential talent by starting a creative project that is with your personal touch and direct from your own labor. The result can be very satisfying.
I have another one… Old baffle curtains can provide a few different options. The steel cables could be used to espalier trees, styrofoam blocks to insulate a greenhouse, and the curtains themselves to act as free heavy duty row crop covers for weed prevention.
It looks like his mix is really heavy on Styrofoam. I guess it depends on what they are used for. I might cut some concrete post holes with this, given some products on the market for that purpose now are literally just spray foam.
Perlite substitute?! If your goal is to see white specks in your soil then yes, it is a perfect substitute.
The porosity of perlite is what makes it special; it allows it to retain water, release it slowly, and when dry aerates the soil. Just as important, the porosity creates an environment for soil bacteria to thrive, modifying the soil around it.
Not that foam is bad, it can help loosen clay soil but it isn’t perlite by a long shot. Worse, if you see it in loose potting soil mix its only purpose is as a cosmetic filler, cheaper than real perlite that would have a beneficial effect even in good soil. that doesn’t fill me with a lot of confidence in whomever “engineered” the soil mix.
If you have clay soils just about anything that is not clay would help improve soil texture including finely shredded Styrofoam. I have gravel/sand, Styrofoam adds nothing to my soil other than volume; no water carrying capacity/retention, no aeration (sand is as aerated as it gets), no host for bacteria. No nutrient carrying capacity.
