Signs Your Garden is in Distress

No matter how hard you try there is no such thing as a perfect gardener. You walk out to your garden one morning and something just doesn't look right.  How do you diagnose the problem and create a solution?  First you need to know how to recognize the signs.  Some signs are easy to detect, others may remain invisible until it is too late.  Routine maintenance, keen observation and the proper knowledge can help to avoid complete destruction of your crops.  A garden requires constant nurturing in order to produce at it's fullest potential.

How I Got a Free Fence

My new backyard fence

What do you do when your husband brings home a seven week old puppy that gets through your garden fence? You build a new fence of course.  Buying material for a garden fence can get costly.  The one we had put up previously was chicken wire with fence post that cost close to $75.00.  It didn't seem reasonable to spend that kind of money again.  On my husbands first day off we took the truck and went pickin for fencing material.  My husband keeps track of the city bulk trash pick up schedule and knew the curbs were lined with treasures waiting to be thrown out.

Our little clan Meijah, Cowboy, and Lupe

One Mans Treasure

I admit I was completely skeptical the first time my husband brought someones discards into our home.  It really wasn't my style.  Seemed a little unpractical in my opinion. Like most cities we have a monthly bulk trash pick up.  The curbs are lined with rows of tree limbs and old furniture for days waiting for their destination.  I figured if someone put it on the curb it was nothing but junk. Not my husband.  He sees a usefulness in nearly every item he passes.

Dining room area rug

I'll never forget when he made a true believer of me.  When we bought our home there was a formal dining room set with matching hutch that the sellers left.  It is beautiful and I enjoy it.  Problem was the floors in the home are ceramic tile.  I longed for an area rug to set the table and chairs on.  We were watching our expenses so purchasing one wasn't an option.  It only took a couple of days for my husband to show up with the most perfect rug (pictured right).  The colors, tone and design could not have been more compatible.  He found the rug rolled up and ready for disposal.  We cleaned it up and five years later it still sits in my dining room.

Cabinet door before

Cabinet after refinishing

When I met my husband I wasn't aware of his passion for refinishing furniture. It wasn't unusual to come home from work and find something on the back patio.  One day there was a stand alone cabinet that was such a mess I was puzzled. What could he possible see in this thing? The cabinet had obviously been left outside.  The top was plywood with the layers separating, and the wood completely whitewashed.  You can see from the picture that it was a mess.  But the cabinet is solid wood and my husband was determined to save the piece. He sanded down the wood, applied a stain and added a ceramic tile top.  He also found two 3' stools he finished to match.  It now sits in his "trophy room" affectionately referred to as his office.

The number of items my husband continues to find sitting along the side of the road continues to amaze me.  Recliners, sleeper sofas, chest of drawers and so much more.  The list continues to grow.  A lot of the items we clean up and resell adding a little cash to our pockets.  Not only are we keeping these re-usable items from winding up in  an already overcrowded landfill, but my husband has found away to supplement our income.