Street Style: Vintage Housewares as
Garden Accessories

A little earlier this year I stumbled across this ingenious use of vintage plates in a small town in Indiana.  With the plethora of dining ware available at estate sales, rummage sales and thrift stores, why pay a lot of money for new bricks and terra cotta when accessorizing your garden?

I also liked this bottle tree, a perfect monument to all the wine someone drinks in a year.  At least it’s being put to good use.

Street Style: Red Rubber Planter

Nothing like a nice red rubber planter to brighten up a drab sidewalk scape.  It even brings out the green in the industrial door frame — even with no plant inside.

I can’t for the life of me find where to get one of these online.  Any help?

Guest Post: Container Gardening to Save Money

Container Gardening 2 by Flickr user treefell.

By Jayme Jenkins, editor of Nest in Style.

Our spiraling economy has brought many people back to the basics. Those who hadn’t stepped foot in a garden are now exploring their green thumb potential by growing their own food. It is no surprise that home grown food simply tastes better, but when done right, you can save money on grocery bills and lower your carbon footprint.

“The National Gardening Association estimates that a well-maintained vegetable garden yields a $500 average return per year. A study by Burpee Seeds claims that $50 spent on gardening supplies can multiply into $1,250 worth of produce annually.” — Associated Press

The demand for seeds has seen double-digit growth this year and many mail order seed companies are running out of stock for basic veggies like onions, tomatoes and peppers. However, going from shopping at your local grocery store to plotting your own backyard garden is a huge first step, especially if you don’t have space for a 10 by 20 foot edible garden.

Container gardening is a great alternative for those limited to the space on their balconies. You’d be surprised what you can grow in a container and how easy they are to maintain. Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Find Free Edibles from Local Resources:

• Craigslist Search the “free” category for people to have left over seeds from last year, or post a “wanted” ad for the types of plants you’re looking for.
• Freecycle Growing more than you can eat is always an issue for many home gardeners. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever worked with one — the break room table is always piled with foot-long zukes, cucumbers, tomatoes and beans during the spring. Pick up a gardeners extras and use the seeds to start your own garden.
• Neighbors Just like the gardening coworker, neighbors are growing more than they eat. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind sharing the leftovers. Just be sure to return the favor by sharing your future harvest.
• Nurseries Many throw away “ugly” plants that are too hard to sell. A great opportunity to score on some free plants!
• Grocery Stores Ask the store manager if you can go through the produce they toss out every day. Let them know you are starting a garden. Fresh produce can be grown by simply burying them in the ground: potatoes, yams, garlic, ginger and beans. Wilty herbs (with roots) can be nursed back to health with a little attention.

Don’t forget the containers. Craigslist and Freecycle are great resources for “free” containers too. Check out your local second-hand vintage stores for unique finds without breaking the bank. BackGarage has a great weekly email of hot finds from garage sales, estate sales and flea markets. If you’re reading this from Eugene, Oregon, you have to check out Oak Street Vintage (14th & Oak Street)!

Now that you have the supplies, check out these handy websites for a thorough how-to on starting your garden:

Container Gardening Guide

HGTV Guide to Container Gardening

Chicago Botanic Garden Tips & Tricks for Container Gardening

Etsy Find: Woodard Sculptura Patio Chairs

A way-decent price on these chairs: