Kindred Spirits Sisters: Save Money With Salvaged Building Materials

Did you know that using salvaged building materials in your garden is in? One of the best reasons for using salvaged materials in the garden is the cost. If you've seen the price of new compost bins, cold frames, and garden border - your head will spin. If you ever considered using salvaged materials to create your garden, it truly is a less expensive alternative.

Using salvaged materials is the wave of the future. As we get closer to 2015, the target date for the UN Millennial Development Goals, environmentalists are going to prevent us from throwing certain materials into the landfill. So why not begin getting creative now? Here are some ideas.

Cold Frames
You can start summer seeds early, or grow lettuces into late fall and winter. Your goal is to insulate from the cold and allow the heat from the sun to warm the plants. These old windows can be found at thrift shops, Freecycle, or Craigslist. You might want to consider painting them before setting them outdoors. Here’s some examples.

Bails of straw

Compost Bins

Composting converts grass clippings, fallen leaves and other landscape leftovers into a nutritious soil amendment. It recycles plant nutrients, improves the soil's structure, improves drainage in clay soil and increases the water-holding capacity of sandy soil.

You'll eventually need two bins: one for the already cooked batch, the other one for your current scraps. Be certain that your container is no larger than 4 ft x 4 ft. If it is, it won't get warm or properly breakdown quickly.

Recycled Pallets

Plastic storage bin

If you have dogs in your neighborhood, you may consider securing the lid. You could partially bury the can, which would prevent them from tipping it over.

Garden Border

Here are a few garden edge ideas. Some of these may take a while to accumulate.