Are you a garden scavenger?

[ChanellG]

@Shellyann36, @Gina145, @ACSAPA, guess what I found on the side of the road yesterday?

I was running late for a meeting and the traffic was ridiculous. I glanced over to the side of the road and noticed a bunch of flower pots sitting at the curb next to a trash can. From the amount it was obvious the people there had just had some major landscaping done. There were about 3 or 4 stacks of black plastic 12 inch pots at least 4' tall! I took at least a stack and a half because that was all that I could fit into my car.

I couldn't believe it! I have so much stuff I need to transplant and just about everything needs a much bigger pot! I am so excited! Now I just have to start transplanting.

 

[headfullofbees]

I scavenged some right sturdy wood from a skip ten years ago, and used it for wall-to-wall shelving in my shed.
It was a cheap shed, and for the past few years, it's been those shelves which have held it up.

 

[ChanellG]

I scavenged some right sturdy wood from a skip ten years ago, and used it for wall-to-wall shelving in my shed.
It was a cheap shed, and for the past few years, it's been those shelves which have held it up.

That is awesome! I love it when things work out that way. I see stuff on the street often and I'll hesitate for a second and then force myself to keep going, lol. It's really a good thing I do not have a truck! I just have no room to keep all the things I could pick up at curbs all over town.

 

[Gina145]

Nice find ChanellG. I hate spending money on pots and that size can be quite expensive.

 

[ChanellG]

Nice find ChanellG. I hate spending money on pots and that size can be quite expensive.

Thanks! I don't mind spending a bit of money on something I enjoy, and gardening supplies give back; the problem is that most of the time there are other priorities so when I saw these pots it was very serendipitous. I must have picked up a dozen or more, but I am still so tempted to go back and see if there are still any remaining.

 

[Gina145]

I don't mind spending money on plants, but plain ugly pots don't seem like money well spent. When I start cuttings and seeds I tend to improvise with cut down bottles or plastic bowls that our food comes in, but I can't use those in the long term and with the number of trees I've got, pots can cost me a lot of money.

 

[ACSAPA]

@Shellyann36, @Gina145, @ACSAPA, guess what I found on the side of the road yesterday?

I was running late for a meeting and the traffic was ridiculous. I glanced over to the side of the road and noticed a bunch of flower pots sitting at the curb next to a trash can. From the amount it was obvious the people there had just had some major landscaping done. There were about 3 or 4 stacks of black plastic 12 inch pots at least 4' tall! I took at least a stack and a half because that was all that I could fit into my car.

I couldn't believe it! I have so much stuff I need to transplant and just about everything needs a much bigger pot! I am so excited! Now I just have to start transplanting.

That is awesome and the timing is great since you had so much stuff to transplant. Lately I'm trying not to pick up anything because I made my funding goal and I'm applying for apartments, so the less stuff I have to move, the better.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I have sometimes found some usable things on the side of the road, especially after a weekend and there have been yard sales in the area. Usually, I find things along the road, but cant stop because of traffic, so I have to just go on by, but in the summer, I sometimes would just take detours along the sideroads to see if there was anything good put out for the trash pickup the next day.
I have also both found or given away items on Freecycle and Craigslist on their free items list.

 

[Shellyann36]

@Shellyann36, @Gina145, @ACSAPA, guess what I found on the side of the road yesterday?

I was running late for a meeting and the traffic was ridiculous. I glanced over to the side of the road and noticed a bunch of flower pots sitting at the curb next to a trash can. From the amount it was obvious the people there had just had some major landscaping done. There were about 3 or 4 stacks of black plastic 12 inch pots at least 4' tall! I took at least a stack and a half because that was all that I could fit into my car.

I couldn't believe it! I have so much stuff I need to transplant and just about everything needs a much bigger pot! I am so excited! Now I just have to start transplanting.

That is awesome! You needed it and the universe provided it! Love it.

 

[justusforus]

I will always adopt a plant in need, whether at the curb, someone offers it or in the "clearance racks". Sort of my plant rescue. There is often an abundance of plants, materials like wood, rocks or other materials in the "Free" section of Craigslist and other online classifieds. You can also find bargains at yard sales. Yes, I guess I am a scavenger too but I like to say re-purposer and rescuer.

 

[Shellyann36]

I will always adopt a plant in need, whether at the curb, someone offers it or in the "clearance racks". Sort of my plant rescue. There is often an abundance of plants, materials like wood, rocks or other materials in the "Free" section of Craigslist and other online classifieds. You can also find bargains at yard sales. Yes, I guess I am a scavenger too but I like to say re-purposer and rescuer.

I agree about the adopting plants too. I just adopted ten mums that were on clearance for fifty cents each at a home improvement store. All they needed was to pull the dead flowers so that the other flowers could bloom. I spoke with someone about this that has worked at one of the stores before and she said that they cut their losses on the gardening plants and just let them go. I think this is so sad but it does work in my favor.

 

[ACSAPA]

I agree about the adopting plants too. I just adopted ten mums that were on clearance for fifty cents each at a home improvement store. All they needed was to pull the dead flowers so that the other flowers could bloom. I spoke with someone about this that has worked at one of the stores before and she said that they cut their losses on the gardening plants and just let them go. I think this is so sad but it does work in my favor.

Aww. I've seen some plants on clearance at the Walmart that looked really neglected and I wished I could save them all. If only they would actually take care of the plants, they would last longer. Plants are not just merchandise, they are alive and the workers in the garden center should take care of them , the way they take care of the live fish in the pet section.

 

[ChanellG]

I don't mind spending money on plants, but plain ugly pots don't seem like money well spent. When I start cuttings and seeds I tend to improvise with cut down bottles or plastic bowls that our food comes in, but I can't use those in the long term and with the number of trees I've got, pots can cost me a lot of money.

These are definitely ugly pots, lol, but they are just what I need to move things up to the next level in my garden. I have so many plants that are in temporary containers and this find will give me more options. The pots are the perfect size for herbs and I could probably even grow carrots and some other edibles in them.

 

[ChanellG]

That is awesome and the timing is great since you had so much stuff to transplant. Lately I'm trying not to pick up anything because I made my funding goal and I'm applying for apartments, so the less stuff I have to move, the better.

I can relate to that! I have been so busy with the new business that I barely even go out into the yard. I don't have time to go out every day and see if worms are eating my food plants. I have had to scale back my plans for now, but the pots were like a gift from the universe! I need to get out there right now and mix some soil and start transplanting!

 

[ChanellG]

I have sometimes found some usable things on the side of the road, especially after a weekend and there have been yard sales in the area. Usually, I find things along the road, but cant stop because of traffic, so I have to just go on by, but in the summer, I sometimes would just take detours along the sideroads to see if there was anything good put out for the trash pickup the next day.
I have also both found or given away items on Freecycle and Craigslist on their free items list.

That's usually the way it is with me. If I am out driving around it's because I have somewhere that I need to be and I don't necessarily have time to stop. Of course, lack of storage space is an issue as well. I don't have anywhere to keep all that stuff I see on the street and want to bring home with me, lol. I've been finding really good stuff too!