99% Free and Recycled Garden

Finishing up the mulching and landscaping on this plot, I realized that it is composed of 99.9% recycled materials and the only thing that is new and cost money were the strawberry and speedwell plants.

It is easy to get resourceful when you lack financial stimulation.
Here are where my materials came from:

Flagstone: Neighbor's yard. Who needs permission when it is just laying there? (Naw, I did ask).

Mulch: Local housing development's party for marketing their homes. I skipped the Open House and hot dogs, but motivated (in the rain) to borrow a truck and grab a load (thank you Dane!).

Newspaper Weed Barrier (under mulch): Raided from the Durango Herald's overflowing recycle can AND it was that day's paper. We read 217 copies while working.

Kiddy Pool: (for the dogs to cool their dogs) OK, I bought this new, but it was two years ago. I'm going to drill a hole in the bottom for a drain plug to do my part in combating West Nile Virus.

Plants: Thinned and transported from Paonia friends last year. Poppies, Phlox, catnip, and this year's garlic curtesy of Denise and Bob, Maggie (unbeknownst to her), and Purple Haze Garlic.

Lawn Furniture: Comandered when the boyfriend moved in two weeks ago (scored, in so many ways).

Gardening #4: Rototilling Time

This weekend Scott set to work on tuning up the rototiller I inherited from my grandfather so we could get the garden beds ready for planting.

This rototiller is probably 20 years old, but my "Fix it up Chappy" oiled and scrubbed and replaced fluids and belts. It runs like a champ now.

Fall leaves covered the garden all winter, and the manure added last year and compost added this year served to make some dark chocolaty-looking soil when tilled up:



Very gratifying.

Now, if I only had some goat manure to add to the mix...