Dumpster Diving For Your Garden Part 2

I was given this by a nice neighbor.  It looks hardly used.

I think it's a 71 gallon Urban Compost Tumbler and costs over $200. When I brought it down the street it looked like I was moving a Civil war mortar.

I am the go-to guy in the area for garden/farm recycling!

Dumpster Diving For Your Garden

I try to continually increase the production of my garden space every year. I have a limited budget so I  try to find "freebies" all the time. I am also a natural scrounger. It takes time to develop a "scrounger" sense but it will become second nature. There is nothing more satisfying than salvaging something and saying, "That saved me $20 bucks".

I live in a college town so at the end of the year entire an unbelievable amount of perfectly good things are thrown out by the students before they return home. I also live in an area where people need to scrounge in the students trash to help make ends meet. I don't take anything that the truly needy can use.

Here is my list of things that I am on the constant lookout for:

• Stackable organizers (for small tools)
• Baling wire (to hold up plants)
• Plastic containers (mixing soils)
• Buckets (never have enough for many tasks)
• Sticks, canes, broom handles (for holding up plants)
• Clothes pins (holding down plastic)
• Garden pots (re-use instead of purchase)
• Old gardening tools that need just a little work
• Outdoor tables (previously used for beer pong for outdoor work0
• Rope, twine(for releases, plant training)
• Composters (sometimes people just give up on their garden)
• Wagons (can be refurbished)
• Watering cans ( can be staged around garden, different sizes for different tasks) )
• Bricks (hold down plastic covers)
• Old hoses (can be cut into custom lengths and refurbished)
• Tools
• Metal clothes hangers (holding up plants)
• Any good lumber (bed construction)
• Rain barrels
• Windows (cold frame tops)
• Tarp that are paint free (leaf collection)

Politics Is Good For Gardening

You never know when you can find the perfect free in-bulk garden accessory.

Political Signs

The day after an election I am on-the-hunt for signs. Politics has nothing to do with it. Why? See below:


Collect political signs after the election.

For example (I did not endorse this candidate):

Now remove the metal from the sign:

The metal piece is perfect for holding up peppers, tomatoes, flowers, etc.

 I even use the foam type signs as a cutting board.

There are different of signs. The 3-sided bent metal signs can be re-bent into any shape you want to hold up the plants.  I use all types.

Places to find political signs after the election:

• Political Party or Candidate Headquarters. I walk in and offer to remove the signs for them
• Road sides
• Normal garbage

So,  get out there after the election and get your signs!

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