Using Resources Wisely

We have all heard the catchy phrases "Reduse, Reuse, Recycle" and "Going Green" but what does that mean to normal folks like us? You know, the broke folks. Well lately I have seen new purpose for broken items like a Wheel Barrow turned into raised planting bed for extra perennials, a broken clothes basket turned into a raised veggie garden, scraps of marble that were used to build a raised garden for hostas.
It is one thing to say those catchy phrases but anouther to actually practice those things in real life. As the wallets get tighter and budgets get stretched to the max it becomes more important to look around at your environment and see those things that can be repurposed for other uses like bathtubs, baskets, containers of any kind.
Our ancestors new the need to store food, to use the environment to our advantage, and to live in harmony with our environment. Somehow in the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle we have lost those instincts for survival and harmony. We need to step back and evaluate what is important and what can wait.
Feeding your family should be your top priority. With food prices "neccesarily skyrocketing" we need to prepare for the worst. Even if the sky is full or rainbows and fairies dance on the flowers in the morning things can go from good to bad in the blink of an eye. We all saw what happened on 9/11 and countless other tragedies since. Feeding your family can be done in a very small space with very little money. 

Look around in your yard, your garage, your families yards.  See if there is something you can use as a container.  If there are no holes in those containers then make one or several depending on your needs.  The Wheel Barrow I mentioned before made a great raised garden for vinca, creeping jenny, and Strawberry plants.  I always try to mix a perennial ground cover with food plants such as strawberries.  The ground cover helps keep the fruit off the soil so it doesn't rot and it also keeps weeds to a minimum making gardening easy peasy.  Here is a picture of the wheel barrow planted last year.  I also added some flower perennials to make it pretty as it resides on the front side of the house. 

The broken clothes basket made a great basket for tomatoes, peppers and strawberries.  With all my containers I plant a tall plant, middle sized plant, and a ground cover so that all levels are used to maximum efficiency.  I later added a tomato cage made from extra chicken wire that was left over from building our chicken coop.  You don't need to buy cages from the store.  You can use a tripod of bamboo poles lashed together to get the same effect. 
If you live in an apartment as many people do these days you can still use container plants to grow veggies.  On a shady side of the building grow cool season plants in the balcony.  Hot, sunny side of the building can grow squash, tomatoes, peppers, or any full sun plant.  If you go to a landscaping company you can often get those black containers that the trees and shrubs are grown in for free.  They throw them away or the recycle them.  Make sure you ASK someone first.  You don't want to get arrested dumpster diving.  Many states outlaw dumpster diving.  Besides, asking first is the NICE thing to do!  "Mind your Karma" is a phrase we all need to live by.  Well folks, until next time!