Enriching gardens and sharing bounty

I grew up in a family that had a natural tendency to save, reuse, and recycle resources.    It was against our religion to throw away anything that might be useful in the future.  Some might call us "Scotch" or penny-pinchers.  We were reluctant to buy new items, especially if something on hand would do.  "Making do" was a habit.   If we did need to acquire something, heading for a thrift store or an antique store was much more likely than visiting a store or shopping mall.

My mother, especially, disliked shopping in big stores.  She was much more comfortable at home in old "dungarees" working in her garden or riding her horse.

This month's column is about the recycling of resources from horse (or cows) to gardens.  Horse manure was consider a great resource, not a waste product.  My mother happily shared the manure with others.  She also trained us as kids to "harvest" cow manure from nearby pastures using a pitch fork and wheelbarrow.   Her garden and the gardens of neighbors benefitted.

See  Cleaning up paddocks, pastures, and gardens.