One tip to homesteading is not so much being a ‘pack-rat’ (although I am guilty of that with glass jars), but looking at ways to reuse something that might otherwise be thrown away. Today I want to share a pictorial tutorial of just what I’m talking about when it comes to saving ‘trash’ and making good use of it.
Thanks to when our dog, Chewbacka [nicknamed ‘Chewy’], was a puppy, a chewed up hose has been coiled in our shed for months, almost 2 years. I wouldn’t throw it away because I just knew there was something I could do with it, eventually.
Low and behold, the other day, while going to dig up some purple potatoes, I found that someone had left our pitch fork (of 15 years) out under some bushes last fall and to say it’s weathered now is an understatement:
But it’s still quite sturdy and, frankly we don’t want to buy something if we can already use what we have , so my wheels in the wheels in my head started turning and I grabbed the exacto-knife, scissors and some electrical tape:
With the scissors, I cut four equal pices of hose, then with the exacto-knife, I split them in the center: Look at that guilty culprit in the background….
I wrapped them around the weathered, rough handle of the pitch-fork by opening them up at the split:
Then wrapped it with electrical tape:
The gripes are cushioned and smooth. No splinters and less blisters now – time to get to work!
Now my husband jokes with me that there’s no room for being lazy and just working for 3 hours in the garden, with this ‘cush-handle’ I should be able to dig and pitch all day long! Oh my! What have I done??
Seriously though, reusing things that may have thought of as trash or something not worth the time to keep is one of the top tips to developing a good homestead. Of course it’s a money saver too!
Popular Questions
What can Tuesday’s Tips to Homesteading teach about reusing household ‘trash’?
Start by separating clean containers, paper, glass jars, fabric scraps, and sturdy packaging before throwing anything away. Use glass jars for seeds, buttons, dried herbs, or homemade cleaning supplies, and wash them with hot soapy water first. Turn cardboard boxes into weed-suppressing mulch by removing tape, laying the sheets several layers thick, and covering them with compost or wood chips.
How does Tuesday’s Tips to Homesteading: Reuse ‘trash’ reduce waste in the garden?
Reuse food containers as seed-starting pots by adding drainage holes and filling them with sterile seed mix. Cut the tops from plastic bottles to make simple plant collars that protect young seedlings from wind and crawling pests. Never use containers that held chemicals, and remove plastic pieces before they can break down into the soil.
Which discarded items are useful for Tuesday’s Tips to Homesteading and reuse projects?
Choose items that are clean, durable, and easy to identify, such as coffee cans, wooden pallets, glass bottles, old towels, and egg cartons. Coffee cans can hold animal feed or garden tools, while old towels can become washable cleaning rags after being cut into squares. Avoid rusty metal, treated wood, and containers that previously held pesticides, solvents, or other hazardous substances.
How can families practice Tuesday’s Tips to Homesteading by reusing ‘trash’ safely?
Set up three labeled bins for reuse, recycling, and disposal, then inspect reusable items before storing them. Wash containers, dry them completely, and keep food-storage items separate from workshop materials. Make one small project each week, such as turning a carton into a seed tray or sewing a torn shirt into produce bags, so the reused materials remain useful instead of becoming clutter.