I LIKE BIG GARBAGE AND I CAN NOT DENY IT!
Why throw it away…when it can be used for art, crafts, decorations, storage, or so on???
Audrey, a French-but-living-in-Honduras house guest, asked me why did I pull over to pick up garbage? I had just put a pallet that was out for trash in front of a house into the back of our still new car. I laughed and said, “Do you know what I can make with that?!”
So here are some of the things we did not throw away!
Back in December, my husband and I had bought potatoes; sweet ones, Yukon gold ones and even purple ones! Not sure why we bought so many as we do not eat potatoes that much, our dinners are usually carb free!
Mix potatoes and sitting around doing nothing, and you get yourself an unwanted garden.
Most people would throw these potatoes away, but…
I embraced it, especially after reading on Pinterest that someone was having a problem growing potatoes from a potato in water!
Good Gracias Golden Pototoes…We Had No Problems!
Below is just from putting one sweet potato in a large jar at the end of January!
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
I mentioned the large jar above because the below was put in a smaller jar at the same time and is not so big and crazy, but growing none the less!
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
Our Yukon Gold and Purple Tots are slower to grow too!
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
Here is how I did it!
1) Waste a bunch of good eating potatoes by not eating them and letting them sit around for 2 months or so (not in fridge).
2) When they do have some sprouts…stick tooth picks in them so they do not hit the bottom of the container. Bigger jars/containers will give better results!
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
3) Keep the water high, as the roots grow up.
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
VOILA! A quite contrary garden grows!
And then, some gardens grow in odd spots!
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
Yes, those are tiny air plants growing inside a very old rusty bed spring.
Bed Springs which would normally rest out their long final days on an icky old landfill. But I bought this little threesome at an Antique fair for a whopping $1.00! I save garbage from the garbage!
I must not take credit for the mix, I think Jim suggested it.
I was going to use the bed springs as a candle holder, but it is a match made in air plant and rust heaven!
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
And now the latest of my “Saving-of-the-Garbage” creations!
TaaaDaaaaa!!!
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
Around 40 old toilet paper rolls were saved to be yet used again!
Who knew I would have garbage on my wall!?
Here is how I did this:
1) Cut up the toilet paper rolls into 5 sections. They do not have to be perfectly the same size or even cut in straight lines.
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
2) Connect the pieces together in any design you want! I used hot glue, but I have seen Elmers glue used (but you will need clothes pins or paper clips to hold the sections together while the glue dries) and some stapled the sections together. My design was copied, but modified, from the one I saw on pinterest.com
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
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| From Plants, Springs & Toilet Paper Rolls! |
I like garbage and I can not deny it!!
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.WE.ARE.GNOMADS. 
great post! I love the air garden with the bed spring and the toilet paper art is pretty cool too!
oh that’s me, Patty btw, using my wp login 😉
I love your posts and look forward to them but my ADD keeps me from responding to them. Sorry
I just love all the beautiful designs, especially seeing them in person while David and I were visiting you and Jim last month in Florida. By the way, I’m keeping a couple of potatoes out so that I can have them grow as beautiful as yours in the jar. I’ll have to buy the sweet potato so I can grow it too on the kitchen counter. Love you. Alice.
I love this. If we can change our thinking just a little about what garbage is. We compost all of our green waste and recycle faithfully. But this takes our consciousness to a new leve. Thanks for your creativity.