A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 any trashpickers-junkers out there #2

found this in the archives any trashpickers-junkers out there

i got my bench from someone who was tossing it away! looks good by my pond

Heck Yeah!!!!I find some great things, one mans junk is anothers treasure:-)

I agree....i have found some really cool pots that were being thrown out!!!

I start seeds in the bottom half of water bottles and soda bottles...

That counts Mark.....good idea!!!

I thought this topic sounded firmilar...

Count me in....I am always looking through trash piles or at other peoples house for items that I might be able to use for something else. I have made a lot of great finds that way.

my cousin works in the cemitairy, he tells me all the time to go up there cause people through away plants, bulbs, ect,
i'll have to get my butt up there this summer!

Christy good idea....You could get many plants ;-)
as they only allow so much time, and I belive they toss them.

yep also i know the loved ones will buy a pot of spring bulbs set em by the grave and when they die off their toss em out and replace it with somthing else.
also the cemitary relandscapes every year, they toss every thing in the dumpsters, and buys all new! i told him they were nuts cause it would be cheaper to just replant the seeds but i guess they would rather buy new, and change the look every year, so they dont care if you take seeds or whatevers in the dumpsters just as long as you dont make a mess,

knew i wasnt the only one.. a couple of times a year my sister and i go out dumpster diving.. we get babysitters [usually grandma]] and go to as many dumpsters as we can. driving by neighborhoods we see are having trash night. especially in the spring when people do their yearly cleanup. there is a city near us that has a once a year get rid of everything weekend. [ this is such an awesome idea]]. my uncle lives there, so he tells us when it is every year. last year we got 1 dresser, 1 white wicker bench, 3 computer monitors,[ which we currently use two of]] 3 large rectangle pots/drip trays too!! about 15 or 20 assorted size clay plastic, and other pots....and so much more.........you would also be AMAZED at all the things big companys throw out... check dumpsters. BUT REMAMBER ALWAYS DIVE WITH A BUDDY, NEVER ALONE, BE SAFE, NOT STUPID....FLASHLIGHT AND CELL PHONE ARE GOOD TO HAVE WITH YOU...

ONE MORE THING FOR DUMPSTER DIVING............... NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER GO INTO DUMPSTER THAT HAS ONLY ONE OPENING...... most likely it is a compactor.... this is bad and dangerous.... people can and have been killed........there are laws about them tooo. so be careful.... only the regular kind that open on top and both sides ..... even stilll. ALWAYS DIVE WITH A BUDDY...............

Good tips....thanks!!!

They have what they call city wide clean up here also, and you can find some of the greatest things during that time. My stepson furnished his whole house one year from the city wide cleanup. In fact he left some chairs sitting in my yard from it and I finally put them back out for the trash man.

I found a bunch of screens someone put out
from changing their old ones..
But I haven't done anything with them yet,
but I'd like to see if my husband can make
a case and make them into shelves for drying things...
*We'll see if it gets put on "THE LIST".....

Now you know it may get on the list...but the next question is how many years will it take before it is done????

How true is that
My husband....if it were for someone else...they'd get it right away.....Me, i'd be waiting for months....heck years reallly

Ohhhhhhhhhh, I hear you there..
That's mine.. he's got several on his list
that if they call, he's there..*which, I don't
have a problem with, cause those come and help
my husband back when he needs it*...
but there's sooooooo many on his list,
I'm on the bottom...

I keeppppppppp telling him, he's lucky I like
him and that he's cute...

Love the curb finds;-)

weezie i tell my husband the same thing!

i like to use the old screens to make a thing to clean out the pond, just take an old coat hanger, strech it out, and wrap the screen around it. use twisty ties or fishin line to tie it together.

@ Weezie!!!!
I tell Brad the same thing!!!!

I'm a trash picker too We *love* finding things by the curb. We have found several chairs, an antique boat oar that looks great hanging above my fireplace and other odds and ends I can't think of right now.

When my daughter was about 2, she was in LOVE with Barney the dinosaur and I once found a whole bedroom worth of Barney items in a pile by the curb. There were curtains, big rugs, toys, etc. I took them all home and washed them up well and she was delighted. THEN when she outgrew them, I sold them on eBay for a tidy little sum.

My grandpa found about 30 shepherd's hooks in a dumpster that were new with tags a couple of summers ago! They lined the walk to their house with hanging baskets that summer and ever since and it is so beautiful!

I also love FreeCycle, yard sales, and thrift stores for other free or cheap finds! There are so many things that can be reused as "art" in the garden!

'Manda

Mannnnnnnnnnn, would I have loveddd to have
found a find like that...
OMG!!! What a lucky Grandpa you have...
That sounds sooooooooooooo pretty!!!

I just had to giggle... I never have said what my screen name refers to- I'm such a thrifty person and the only diamonds I own or wear are my wedding rings- which don't really suit my personality, but they are special. My hubby thinks it's funny that you can hardly tell they are diamonds because I always have my hands in something dirty- trash, compost, the garden, home improvement things, the little lake behind our house, food that I'm preparing, etc.

I'm always having the scrub the "dirt" that's in my diamonds!!

I hear you there..
back when I did wear my wedding set,
it was alllllways filled with compost..

I just brought home two boxes of junk from a friends house...There's a dumpster out by a barn that 4 families use, she can see when ever anyone puts anything in there and her hubby also alerts her that so & so just put a huge amount of stuff in there and she should go check it out. I didn't even have to dig in the dumpster she had this stuff boxed up for me There were 2 nice terra cotta flower pots no drainage hole, they are glazed on the inside and marked made in W. Germany. 3 clear glass vases...not just your normal vases either..very pretty. A skinny wooden rolling pin & a bunch of electronic stuff..like computer cables etc. A gardening book was also among all this stuff...So I made out and didn't even have to go looking for this stuff..just load it in the Van and carry into the house.

Hey.....great finds Comfrey and even better that the boxes were right there for you!!!

I thought I would share my latest trash rescue, A friend retrieved these (yes 2 of them)from a trash bin and brought to me...Now to figure out what to grow in them, also I was thinking about painting them, any ideas??? They have an open bottom, so I will have to use a big pot inside of them.

Wow....pretty cool find.....as for the color...what are you going to put in there first???

Good question Penny..have any suggestions?

Some trailing plants would look nice or do one with trailers and the other with full plants...i like things that are natural, so i would go with a stain and keep it like that, but i'm sure whatever you decide will look great.

I was thinking some sort of short vining plants also.

Comfrey, I'm like Penny and love the natural look in my gardens so I would stain them. If you paint them you will have to keep doing it to keep them nice looking and that's a real pain. I used to paint all my trellises white, but now I just stain them because it is years before they have to be refreshed and staining them is much easier than painting them. Besides, if you ever decide to put any flowers in them you might be taking away from the color of the flowers.

As far as what you should plant in them, I think any vining plants would be good. Actually, Sweet potato vines would very look nice and they would be cheap. Of course, I really love Ivy Geraniums and they would look awesome, but they would be quite a bit more pricey.

Man, talk about a double bonus...

One to find them in the garbage...
and One to have a FRIEND that brings them to youuuuuu.....
*I'd be keepin' them puppies for myself*

How about some of the shorter morning glories..
*or if you can find some of the Black~Eyed~Susan Climbing Vines*

Oh Weezie What a great Idea...I just happen to have a package of Black-Eyed Susan Vine seeds. I had thought about shorter MG but then I was worried about getting seeds everywhere if I didn't keep them picked off and my yard full of morning glories in the long run.

I really like those vines,
They're pretty, and colorful...
and not a common color in a climbing vine...
*at least I don't see many that color!*

I just trash-picked the other day. Got a 10' patio umbrella. Yeah, it's a little faded & yeah, the wood pole needs to be sanded & polyurethaned, but it works w/no mechanical problems & no tears in the umbrella material.

Wooo Hooo!!

Hdey...great find!!

Let us know what you decide to put in there Comfrey.

Well I will for sure put the Black-eyed Susan vine in one of them...not sure about the other one. It appear the wood is treated, so will that effect staining them?

I love junk! I have a whole yard full of everyone else's leftovers. From bricks to garden treasures. We even build with discarded wood from tilt-ups from a contractor friend (He delivers).

Ummmm...not sure on that one Comfrey...the best thing to do is call or go into a paint store and ask...I'd really hate to give you advice and it be wrong.

Well Penny they are weathered, but I noticed some green places and DH said he thought they were made out of treated wood originally, so not sure either..maybe I'll just use them the way they are this season????

NuSkewl ...great find, I was thinking you found one that wasn't covered and was going to make a vining umbrella stand like the one mentioned either in this topic or another one similar. But finding an umbrella in good shape is great!!! I'm going to be looking for one for vining plants....City wide clean up is next month and I will be searching for an old table type umbrella in everyone's trash piles

What a great idea! Quick question... does anyone get creeped-out w/sitting under a trellis or this vining umbrella... thinking of all the creepy-crawlees that could drop onto your head/neck (into your drink)?? <shivers> I didn't for the longest time. But now...

I was thinking of some sort of vining plant for the umbrella that might might draw humming birds or butterfly's...and I am not going to sitting under it.

Ok I found the post I was refering to about the umbrella check it out Here

Ahhhhh...!! I see! Very cool!! How did it turn out??

I didn't make one...I want to find an umbrella to make one out of it.

Ha! I just picked a pyramid-like topiary from the trash!! It's about 5' tall & in pretty good condition. The way I gauge it... it will last a good 2-3 yrs in my garden. That'll work for me!

Any suggestions of what to have grow on it? I'm thinking those climbing/vining daisies (but that's not the right name). Help!

NuSkewl,
Got a picture of your find???????

Also, you know we're switching to the new forum in a day's time..
Click here to jump to new forum...

I can take a pic & DH can teach me how to post it.

& thanks for the heads up about he new forum. I didn't even know it was happening. I did just notice the note above "your membership & log in info has been transferred to our new facilities", but I wasn't sure what that was all about.

I'll bookmark the new forums now.

In the new forums, I don't see any subforums for my favorite "Frugal Gardening"

i have never been dumpester diving hay it sounds fun

In the new forums, I don't see any subforums for my favorite "Frugal Gardening"