In the spirit of recycling, what garden project are you most proud of?

[mirime]

Boy, Oh Boy, Mirime, you are not kidding, We have gotten ourselves over whelmed many a times also.

Glad we're not alone!

We had to put building a chicken coop and getting chickens off until next year - this makes me very sad - but we have to be practical...I think!

 

[karanleaf]

Sorry Mirime you don't have your chickens yet. But that is something to look forward to and planning for next spring.. Did you have your breed decided on yet there are soooo many of them We were given ours by some friends. I had already gotten 3 ducks last spring for my grandson Noah for 4H ( I thought it sounded like a good excuse anyway ) So we had some type of enclosure already.. Vic just had to expand to the run then he built the chicken coop out of reclaimed & left over materials we had. I still don't know what kind of hens we have but the Rooster is a Black Bantam Frizzle. Then we decided we would like to be able to have more eggs, so that meant more chickens so we did some research and decided on Cuckoo Marans, they lay very dark brown eggs they almost look like chocolate eggs. So we now have 16 Maran chicks, that's how we got where we are at with the poultry.. Hey its going to be an additional benfit to our composing and gardening :tools It's wonderful how all that goes together :rainbow-sun

 

[patandchickens]

We have a vast supply of broken-up chunks of concrete slabs that previous owners "thoughtfully" left in various states of piled-up or not, in assorted parts of lawn and horse paddock (grr), and it turns out they make a pretty reasonable substitute for stone when building a dry-laid stone wall or low steps on a sloped path.

I am also proud of various perennials that are now large and lusty but that I have 'recycled' from the discounted-to-$0.50 rack at local nurseries

Got some sections of tv aerial tower that I keep meaning to Rustoleum bright blue and try to grow beans or clematis up. With some sort of decoration at the top it should look ok. But that will have to wait for another year, since right now I have too many other things to do (including chickens waiting for runs to be built).

Pat

 

[mirime]

Sorry Mirime you don't have your chickens yet. But that is something to look forward to and planning for next spring.. Did you have your breed decided on yet there are soooo many of them

wow you have lots of chicks!!

Since we have a smallish yard, I'm thinking 3 -5 of different types - Buff Orp, Dominque, Buckeye (hehee because I'm in Ohio) and maybe a Blue Cochin, and a RIR or Easter Egger.

 

[karanleaf]

Actually Mirime both Deputies asked me why I only got 15 ? They said most folks bought 200 or more . I don't need that many But I think we will be happy with what we have Thanks

Pat I like the idea of using the broken chunks of concret for stone wall or path

I recycled my mothers 2 very leggy gererainums (sp?)I'm so bad at spelling
You know how you plant a leggy tomato? Laying it long ways in soil and covering it. Well I did this with the flowers in a long flower box leaving leaves exposed in sections and now I have 2 boxes with 5-6 plants that have bloomed beautifully. I'll post photos of them. I plan to cut the sections later and potting them individually..

:dance I love making flowers

Here I posted them ?? Pink & Ringo Red

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Wow, folks have some great ideas here.

We took some giant eucalyptus logs (10'x4') and made benches out of them. This was a lot of work with a chain saw, hand saws, hammer and wood chisel and sand paper but it was finally down. We took the leftover wood and chipped it down. They're pretty comfortable and pretty functional. I carved tables into the arm rests and everything. One of the smaller logs was made into a bird bath also. We stood it upright, carved a basin into it, sanded it down, used a non toxic water sealer and filled it with water.

From my days of working in the labs. I had about 500 cylinders, beakers and misc glassware that we have turned into shelving. We took a bunch of cylinders, filled them with colored or painted rocks. Others with water, gelatin and food coloring. They were all corked and then we took 2 boards, one for the top and one for the bottom. Each corner was reinforced with a 2x2 support beam. The back and the sides were lined with the cylinders which were glue at both the top and the bottom. When place against the light or near a window they look really cool.

 

[aquarose]

I spent the better part of last summer completely digging up the previous owner's totally neglected rock garden. I pulled up every rock I could find. While digging, I unearthed a little section of concrete path, but it was below the soil line. So I used the rocks I dug up to line the path to hold back the soil. I also extended it with a section of sidewalk (the darker gray sections) that we had to remove somewhere else because of lifting from tree roots. I also built a stone bench and the steps with more rocks. The concrete rooster came from my mother's house; she was going to throw it out. Its sitting on a pedestal that was the base of a rusted out ornamental windmill. There are two other benches made of slabs of slate that our neighbor was throwing out. And finally in the right foreground is a beautiful glossy abelia that was so ancient and crappy, but I rescued it from another part of our property where we had a bit of construction, and now it is beautiful and lush and blooming. We also have three slate tables elsewhere. Years ago, in Brooklyn, NY, my dh saw the city pulling up 3 inch thick bluestone (slate) sidewalk so they could replace them with concrete. He called me and said what should he do, and I said "get them!" We got three. They each take about 4 men to lift. They are just sitting on concrete blocks (recycled from another project) and I am training ivy to cover the blocks.

 

[NurseNettie]

So far, the only recycling in the garden has been using old wire fencing as a trellis... mind you, we just moved here in March. As far as the "yard"-- our chicken run is entirely made of posts and fencing found here on the property, as is the brooder on our sunporch that's currently housing our 3 week old chicks.

 

[aquarose]

Sorry, everyone, I don't think I posted that photo correctly. I don't know what I am doing wrong and DD is not here to help tech challenged mom. (Never mind! I got it!)

 

[karanleaf]

WOW That is Wonderful Aquarose
That is really amazing!!
Looks like something that belongs in a lawn & garden magazine. You did a wonderful job
way to go