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It's crazy what you find in the gutter!
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Today was our local recycling day. And I was coming back from dropping my son at Kindy, when I noticed a fantastic terracotta coloured plant pot sitting in the gutter on our street. It looked in perfect condition.
I figured that maybe someone had had it blown from their house, as it was so windy last night. So I said to myself that if it was still there this afternoon, I'd grab it.
Well, this afternoon came around, the plant pot was still there, and now it is mine!
Here it is, filled with potting mix and home to my comfrey, garlic chives and chives. 
Looks good, doesn't it?
The only thing wrong with it that I can see (apart from a few minor scratches) is that it is missing its saucer. No mind. I'll trot along to the Warehouse and buy one tomorrow - that will only cost me a couple of dollars, and I'll have a great, "freeganed" planter that cost me virtually nothing!
It's crazy what people throw out, isn't it! Maybe it didn't match their decor any more!
Garden update
And time for a quick garden update...
Everything is doing well, and so far I've had no fatalities, which is a minor miracle in itself.
The strawberries are starting to flower. Very pretty! 
The raspberry has doubled in size, and has so many bright green leaves on it. I'm going to have to tie it up soon, and transfer it to a bigger container!
The peas I planted only a couple of weeks ago are showing their noses above the soil. Here they are, in with the cranberries.
And the lettuces I shoved in the top of the strawberry planter, simply for the fact that I had some space there, are starting to grow well. I'll need to find a bigger container for them too!
I'm amazed at the fact everything is still alive! Touch wood! (But not the raspberries - ouch!)
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Cluttercut - Be the change
8 comments:
Great score with the pot! we've just had our council clean up round here too- I picked up 4 perfect outdoor chairs that just needed a clean. Also I was on my way to my friends to dig out her rhubarb (with permission!) but neither of us had big pots to transfer them in... between our houses I picked up 3 huge black plastic pots, perfect! (though not as pretty as yours!)
I've got strawberry envy, mine are growing over a year now and still not a flower in sight :(
It is quite stunning what is thrown out sometimes - we picked up a new in the box espresso maker in our last clean up., it still had the plastic bags around the parts & the styrofoam ends & all that packaging stuff in it.
Hi Mountainwildlife - Four chairs! That's nuts!
But then, when you think of how crazily we buy stuff we don't need, maybe that explains why it is so easy to find great stuff people are just tossing away without a thought.
If I could, I'd give you some of the very first strawberries! But I don't think Customs would like it if I did! (and my kids would probably beat you to it anyway!)
Hi Toria - You'd think that, at the very least, someone would try to sell an expresso maker that was perfect, instead of just tossing it out.
It makes me wonder how much great stuff is sitting in rubbish landfills, just mouldering away, that never had anything wrong with it...such a waste...
Not quite the same, but I scored a free Breville Juice Fountain 850W, in perfect condition, barely used from Freecycle the other week... now I just need to get my hands on a free dehydrator!
Nice garden BTW!
Looking great!
My stepdad has acquired quite a few thigns from the dump or dumpster diving - a brand new bathtub that is now a water trough in my garden (it has water feeding from the water tank down into it), a set of 4 sturdy preschool chairs, a trellis archway that will be for our passionfruit vine. Crazy!
Your container garden is doing great Daharja! I like you find in the gutter. The last cool thing I found in the gutter was some shade cloth. It will save many a tomato bush this year during the summer heat!
Gav
The garden is looking great, and I love that find!
Hi Dixiebelle - I'm scouring TradeMe (NZ's version of EBay) for a dehydrator, but I'd be happy to get a juicer from Freecycle. You scored!
Hi Nikki - I'm hoping that the gutter will start producing, now I've started paying more attention. Here's hoping. Sounds like your stepdad has done well.
Hi Gavin - Summer heat isn't our problem here - it's keeping the warmth in! Saying that, though, we're getting temperatures in the low 20s already. Freaky! Dunedin has never seen anything like it.
Hi Molly - The garden is growing well. I just added some heirloom varieties of lettuce and rocket to it today, so I'd better scour the gutters for more plant pots! I can only hope I could be so lucky again :-)
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