I like how you think............................................. ....
"Valkyrie" wrote in message
news:1045952401.208608@yasure...
Some of my best finds for "garden stuff" has been in the least likely
places. Well, least likely for those who limit their perusing to garden
centers, nurseries, garden mail order and the like. I was thinking about
this when I read the request for a source for seedling trays. I found some
great trays at Boeing Surplus one year. They were actually sorting boxes
for
mail, 2 ½ feet long and a foot wide, hard double wall plastic, just like
the
post office uses, except these were sort of UPS brown and FIFTY CENTS a
piece. I also found the neatest garden wagon, it was used for moving some
sort of equipment I think. The thing was about 2ft x 4ft, had a 3in thick
solid wood deck, axels and wheels that would handle a 1/2 ton payload and
a
PADDED handle. That cost me a whole FIVE DOLLARS!



I picked up some twisted up rebar at a construction site that made a dandy
trellis over a side garage door for my silver lace vine, absolutely free!
I
've found stepping stones at a landfill and once when I was driving by a
house that was undergoing a 'garden redo' I also was able to get some
pavers
that were destined for the dump, "sure, take all you want". I got some
nice
beveled cedar siding from the scrap pile in a new housing development, and
a
partial roll (just enough) of roofing tar paper, and enough 2x4 scraps to
build a garden shed for about $20 with what I had to actually purchase.



I found "planters" at an auto salvage yard. What these things actually
were
used for was a metal cage guard over lights on heavy equipment. They were
in
a lovely state of light rust and when turned bottom up became moss lined
planters, I got a roll of sprocket chain (aesthetically 'aged') at the
same
place and had six of them hanging over the north side of my patio full of
fuchsias. The comment I got most was, "Are those antiques?" *smirk, nod,
nod*



A discarded, partial roll of concrete reinforcing wire was turned into 6ft
high tomato cages and sides on a compost heap. This stuff is great! I cut
lengths ( needed bolt cutters) about 4 feet and rolled them and bent the
long cut "spoke" over the joining edge to make a cylinder. The spacing was
about 4x6 inches so it was easy to get your hand in to pick tomatoes but
strong enough so the cage never bent out of shape, and they lasted eight
years. I'd probably still be using them if I still had my veggie garden.



I child's rocking chair, seat missing, made a great pot stand, some old
hub
caps, turned wheel side down made pedestals tucked into the garden for
seasonal display plants in pots. I drew the line at toilets planted with
blue plastic petunias, but it's amazing what you can use that blends in,
looks good and isn't the "regulation, for this use only garden accessory".



Salvage yards, construction sites, boatyards, the dump, other people's DIY
projects to me are like Nordstrom's to the Junior League set. I say forget
the other drummer and get your own brass band to look for neat garden
stuff.
You'd be surprised what's out there if you'd just squint a bit and cock
your
head to the left ;-)



I think the best garden investment was my little old pick-up, it was a
Chevy
Luv, beat to death and a real rust bucket, paid $500 for it. Looked bad
but
ran like a charm, the brakes were good and I put new tires on it. The
bargaining power that little truck had was amazing. I mean, think about
it.
Wouldn't you say, "sure, you can have that" to some person standing next
to
that little truck in a pair of jeans with dirt on the knees rather than a
Talbot clad person next to a $25,000.00 shined up Dodge Ram?



Val