In the course of doing dishes I used to turn on the water and let it run while I rinsed dishes scrubbed pots and did general clean up.  Not any more!  Some years back I came to realize all of the water that was being sent right from the tap straight to the drain.  What a waste!  I’m embarrassed to think of how many gallons of clean water I sent back to the water treatment plant for re-processing for no reason.  Not anymore!

Now I live smarter.  I conserve water, nourish my plants, and save the water treatment plant from extra work – all at the same time.  Here’s how: Take a dish pan, large pot, empty plastic coffee container, or anything similar  and place it under the water faucet.  Capture and save the overflow water and put it to better use.   When the overflow container gets near full – pitch the water in your Earthen Garden.  Don’t forget your container gardens – they need extra water since they cannot pull water from the earth naturally.

If you are rinsing off plates, use the ‘grey’ water that comes from your overflow container.  This overflow water is perfectly good for pre-cleaning other dishes.  Got pans that need soaked for a while to loosen the stuck-on food?  Soak them with overflow water – your pots won’t mind.   After soaking – throw the water on the lawn, or in your garden.  Make sure there is not an abundance of debris in the water before throwing.  A little dish soap in the water is just fine, it won’t hurt the plants one bit!

The plants in your Earthen Garden will love you for watering them, and you will be re-cycling naturally instead of shipping the water back to the processing plant where it will take energy to re-clean the H2o to convert it back to drinking-water status.  Sure it takes more effort to carry the water outside, but it can put a smile on your plants face, and be a little step toward making the world a better place to live!

Old bike used as garden art!

Everything old is new again…

All it takes is a little imagination and a household or yard item that you don’t mind leaving out in the elements. Yes, what once was a thing of beauty can again become a thing of beauty in a new and unique way! Keep in mind however, this is a one-way trip. Once your 1970s blue metal step-stool leaves your home (if that’s where it came from), and spends time gracing the great outdoors basking in the heat of the sun, and the rust inducing rain and snow, it won’t be fit to grace the kitchen any longer! But, you knew that.

Look around your house, in your garage or attic; chances are that you will find something that can be used in a unique way to house a plant or give an interesting backdrop to a climbing vine!

Popular items to use in your Earthen Gardenas garden art include:

• baskets
• pots ‘n pans, or any container
• bicycles
• tricycles
• gates
• fencing material
• chairs
• benches
• old shoes
• bird houses
• fountains
• architectural pieces

An old bathtub lazes in the shade!

Imagine That!

The only limitation to the types and variety of materials you can use in your garden is your imagination. Got a car bumper or an old rusted push lawnmower? Use it! Got an old pedestal sink or a claw-foot bathtub? Recycle them into your yard instead of throwing them away.

Use whatever you want, wherever you want – after all, it’s your garden! And the beauty of it all is that you just can’t go wrong. If the item you choose doesn’t look right where you have it; move it! If the metal piece rusts after a while; no biggie it ads character! If the basket falls apart over time; simply throw it away! It was going into the garbage anyway…

Wooden barrel and baskets add dimension to a back porch!

Creating garden art from your discards is a refreshing outlet for your creativity, and a fun diversion from planting weeding and pruning. To top it off, you’ll get a lot of “wows”, and “ohhhhs” from your visitors to your garden. And, you’ll be the envy of the garden club as they wonder “how did she get so creative?”