Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Compost, Burn, Reuse, Recycle

It's Not So Much A Matter Of A Conscious Green Footprint...

As, it turns out, a 'marching along with what [color] you have' one.

{an onion that never made it-- to the compost! She got burried, and decided to produce. [Pun intended...]}


[Ashes of junk mail-- a burnt offering kind enough to amend my soil rather than junk a landfill...]

[Ready-to-make tomato cages, or pea trellises, or light-sabres...]

[Even the peat pots are in on the action: No sprout until a second veggie were added. Et VIOLA!!! A plethora!!!}

[Who needs nursery pots!??!]

I'd nearly DIE to have a greenhouse-- a place where I could start all variety of cool-weather stuffs a bit earlier; y'know-- to harvest, consume, sell...

But... the house I'm residing in doesn't have one, nor do I the the fundage to provide the necessity. And yet I cannot abide my patience and wait until mid-April to get stuffs going...

Enter IMPROVISATION...





So... what's a GREENHOUSE??

Too many variations for me to try and define here, but essentially you want to provide a place for plants to retain heat and moisture whilst utilizing every available amount of sunlight.


{Looks open, the busted corner, oui? Ahh... you missed the sandwich baggie, taped thereon for thermal conductivity!!!}



Ain't got a spare 10' x 12' concrete slab driveway, extry four-by-fours, and reams of clear poly plastic lounging about your garage, but drink soda by the 2-litre?

Umn... you have sandwich baggies? Some plastic or styrofoam cups cups?!? Scotch tape???

Well, then--you've got a mini-greenhouse. Or can make several...


The out-of-doors temperature will only climb to about 55 F. today. Sunlight will abound, but the ambient temperature, as well as the breeze, will keep everything on the cool side for any real out-of-door transplantings.

GREENHOUSES solve the problem, foot-space and materials-wise. Some scotch tape and several solo cups and ziplock baggies later... and all so easily transportable!!!

Really, folks, I'm a simple man. I don't have the capitol to invest in my 'dream scape'.
I don't need to.
I have a vision, some spirituality, and a big-big love of food and the processes involved in self-providence.

And I gots stuff lying around that, utilized, provideth mayhap more than I needs can can or freeze this year.

[Um...I seem to have hundreds of tomato seedlings... Anyone wanna lend me a canning book?!? HA!!!]

[Empty take-out containers and storage bins make GREAT impromptu hot-houses...]
[and dixie and solo cups function as wonderful, inexpensive seedling starters:]

This residence now puts out to curb less than ONE BAG of landfill per week. Everything possible is composted-- to help build soil for future growth; burned-- to amend the compost and save landfill space; re-used-- so we aren't spending dollars on designated planters etcetera; or recycled-- merely because it makes sense.

Look around to see if there are ways you can save over both short- and long-terms.

Slainte, folks!

Cygnus

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're a woman after my heart! Love you, grrrrrl!
Ravenwind

Momlady said...

Great ideas! I'm going to start collecting mini "greenhouses" for you.

Cygnus MacLlyr said...

Why, Thank you; Thank you very much!

But, Umn...

C. Mac is not a female.

...

Can I still have your heart?!?
HAHA!

Cygnus

Unknown said...

Fabulous ... I love this post and all your mini-green houses! Perfect. When one uses everything, it puts a whole new spin on life ... now I'm always searching for containers to use as growing pots (I have an apartment patio ... my "farm") and I feel bad if one single piece of vegetable goes anywhere but my compost bin. It certainly turns trash into treasure, doesn't it?

I really like this blog and have added it to my "green" blog roll.

Thanks for sharing your very creative ideas ... and for introducing me to the Slainte (which I now know the meaning of).

Small Footprints
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

Cygnus MacLlyr said...

Thank you very much, Small Footprints...
Trash to treasure indeed! All those nutrients giong back in to the soil and not to a landfill!!!

And all those mini-greenhouses, Momlady, that I planted in the last two days, were those from your recycling effort-- tahnks for the contribution!!!