When I was out for a walk this morning, I noticed that a house the next block over had a bunch of stuff out on the curb for trash pickup. My eye was immediately caught by a perfectly good set of 6' metal shelves (the kind of thing I'd been needing to hold all my seedlings, which are in the hardening-off phase right now). When I got home, I commandeered my husband and his truck, and we went over to pick it up.
Amongst the rest of the curb leavings was a large metal dog crate. I remembered that in a recent gardening class, some folks mentioned repurposing them as composting bins, since they provide plenty of aeration and are easy to break down and move when necessary. I've needed a third compost heap (you always need three: one to for completed compost, one that's percolating and one that you're adding to), so I snagged that, too. I was afraid my husband was going to disapprove, but he was busy loading a professional grade KitchenAid mixer* (sans attachments and bowl) into the truck.
So now I have a free compost bin, plus the shelves, a couple of plastic milk crates and a few other items that I can use in the garden. I feel rather virtuous about it, since otherwise it would have all have ended up in a landfill.
What's the best thing you ever found on the curb and were able to repurpose?
*By the way, that KitchenAid works just fine. I'm stunned.
Amongst the rest of the curb leavings was a large metal dog crate. I remembered that in a recent gardening class, some folks mentioned repurposing them as composting bins, since they provide plenty of aeration and are easy to break down and move when necessary. I've needed a third compost heap (you always need three: one to for completed compost, one that's percolating and one that you're adding to), so I snagged that, too. I was afraid my husband was going to disapprove, but he was busy loading a professional grade KitchenAid mixer* (sans attachments and bowl) into the truck.
So now I have a free compost bin, plus the shelves, a couple of plastic milk crates and a few other items that I can use in the garden. I feel rather virtuous about it, since otherwise it would have all have ended up in a landfill.
What's the best thing you ever found on the curb and were able to repurpose?
*By the way, that KitchenAid works just fine. I'm stunned.
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