Last year, my patio had just been finished in April and I planted my huge white planters with beautiful flowers, so this year I was ready to get started on that once again. Planting flowers is something that I love to do for the summer months and it’s fun to get them started in April and they have a chance to really explode with growth and blooms.
I was contacted by a new company called EcoScraps® showing me their innovative gardening products. Since I love to plant flowers every year and was getting ready to replant for this spring, I looked at their website and really liked what I saw. Two college students noticed how much food was being wasted when they went out to eat and decided to do something about it….by turning it into gardening products.
Since 2010, EcoScraps has been working to be a part of the solution by reusing this waste and keeping it out of the landfills. They want to educate and make sustainability something that’s part of mainstream America.
I would agree that this is a good idea. My dad has composted forever by throwing their vegetable and fruit scraps out in his garden and under his trees. It really does work!
I’m not a total tree hugger, but I do think we can do a better job here in the US of recycling waste products and EcoScraps has made great headway into that endeavor.
Did you know that in the US, we waste 40% of the food produced? It’s enough to fill the Rose Bowl every day. Think about that for a minute! I know how guilty I am of wasting food. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve let lettuce and other produce go to waste by not having the time to prepare it before it goes bad.
Bagged salad is one of the top foods wasted, so consider buying bagged lettuce only on days that you actually plan to use it all. Raising my hand here. I’m completely guilty of this one!
Here’s another staggering statistic for you.
Between 2011 and 2015, EcoScraps recycled 75 million lbs of food waste. Something else to ponder! They are matching that number in 2016 with projected recycling of another 75 million lbs of food waste, this time in just 12 months.
The amazing part of this is that recycling 15 million lbs of food waste is equivalent to keeping 500,000 cars off the road for an entire day. An entire day!!
OK, so why not support a company who does all of this?
I purchased a couple of bags of EcoScraps potting soil for my new planters and got to work planting.
Out came the old spent flowers from last summer. Here’s what happens when you put foam packing peanuts in the bottom of a big planter and fill it up with dirt and plant it. The roots will completely go to the bottom of the container and wrap themselves all over those peanuts until they are barely detectable. I threw this ball of roots away and started over with nice fresh dirt.
I added all my plants to each planter and will be having fun watching them all grow again for this summer season. It’s nice to get them all potted up before it gets too hot and they have a chance to fill out and grow well.
They anchor my new patio that I’m really going to enjoy this year. I got the patio all cleaned up for the year and ready to relax. I stored all the cushions for the patio on the screened porch this year and covered all with old sheets. It worked out great and they were all safe and sound.
I covered the vinyl sofa with my tarp, just to keep it covered and protected from debris for the winter. I then took off the tarp, hosed it all down with the hose to get off any pollen that had gotten in there and then let it all dry really well, before bringing out all the cushions.
I rolled up the rug and stored it on the screened porch too and that worked out well for protecting it through the winter. It’s an outdoor rug so holds up well to water.
I’m leaving it all uncovered for now since no rain is projected for a few days, but when the rain sets in again, I’ll get the tarp back out and cover everything again. It’s not so bad to do that and I want to protect it all for as long as possible.
In the meantime, I’ll be watching these beauties grow and bloom and that’s the start of summer for me! Potting up some new planters is a great way to kick off the fun season of summer.
EcoScraps has a cute video that shows the process of how they recycle food scraps and turn it into potting soil, so check that out for more information.
You can find EcoScraps products at your local Lowes. If they don’t have it in stock, order it online and then pick up at your local store. That’s what I did! It’s no more expensive than regular potting soil and I like that we are helping to recycle and reuse waste products.
GREAT news for my readers! EcoScraps is giving away a $50 Lowes gift card, so that you can pick up bags of EcoScraps for yourself to try out!
Enter to win by signing up on Rafflecopter and leaving a comment here. What do you think about the EcoScraps concept and are you going to be planting any plants this year? Planting veggies or flowers?
One winner will receive a $50 Lowes gift card!
Note: This post is sponsored by EcoScraps.
I bought a bag of this at Lowes last weekend – I used to use a different brand of organic potting soil, but the only place you could get it was Ace in VA Highlands in Atlanta. When I moved further out, I used a regular brand from Lowes so was excited to see them carrying this brand now (and it was basically the same price as the other stuff). Your patio looks beautiful too!
Old habits die hard for some of us, but I’ve been seriously trying to be more eco conscientious for the past few years.
Finally in our own home again and starting my garden and pots from scratch. Your blog has been such an inspiration for
me and since I trust what you do, I’d definitely try this product.
Keep waiting for the spring snow storms here to end (Colorado) so I can really get started!
Like the EcoScraps concept and will look for it since my compost is not ready to use. I will be planting flowers to put on my long front porch. Thanks for letting us know about the soil.
Love this idea!! I’ll definitely be looking for EcoScraps when I buy my flowers in a few weeks. Still too cool here in PA!!!
I really must try this Eco-Scraps…it’s a great idea. I’m so ready to create great planters this year! I have several window boxes that need new fillers also.
What a great idea…Eco Scraps! Love it. I’m guilty of some food waste, too. But I’m pretty mindful of it, so toss very little, and compost everything suitable.
I just planted some flowers in pots here in Alabama. I do need some more potting soil so I will look for this!
I think two smart young men came up with an excellent idea on recycling! I plan to use this soil this spring since I’m late planting!
Looking forward to planting my tomatoes this year!
I’ll look at product this weekend because I’m ready to start planting in my containers. After reading their post and some of the others, I want to investigate how to do my own composting. Thanks for the tips.
What a lovely patio! I have always wanted something similar, but am curious. I live in Michigan where the weather can be rainy, etc. Does the rug dry out fairly quickly after a rain? What about all of the cushions and pillows? Or do you store them when not in use?
Kim, I do have a big tarp that I cover everything with. In fact, it rained tonight and as the storm clouds rolled in, I took the cushions off the chairs and piled them on the sofa and covered it all with the big tarp. I don’t worry about it getting wet a bit, since the fabrics are all Sunbrella, but I’m trying to keep it nice as long as possible and I don’t mind covering it all with the tarp. The rug does dry fairly quickly since it’s outdoor and gets plenty of sun.
Your patio looks so beautiful & I love all of the pretty colors, especially the rug. It will be interesting to see if there is any change in how your plants do with this new interesting soil mixture. I think your patio is perfect just the way it is but each time I see it, I seem to picture it with one of those retractable awnings. Might be nice if that company contacted you to try one out. It’s lovely, though, and really couldn’t be nicer.
I think Eco Scraps sound like an amazing product – I try to compost on a small scale! Can’t wait to plant all my flowers in the next week or so!
Thanks,
Karen
I try to plant flowers & vegetables ,really enjoy it.w I must say the Ecoscraps potting soil will be on my list to look for.Thanks
Love that someone has started composting on a mass scale like this and marketing it. Good going Ecoscraps! We have far too much waste these days.
You’re container looks great! I mostly stick to perennials or self-seeding annuals myself, but I’ve been known to fill the truck up with a load of colorful annuals I’ve found sitting on the reduced rack on occasion. I prefer the wild English garden look and don’t do many container plantings, just lots of flower beds. A lot of work, and probably not the greatest thing for my allergies, but it brings me a lot of joy.
Your patio looks lovely. The ecoscraps soil looks rich and I would love to try some. Here in Maine we don’t plant outside annuals until later in May as we can still get a frost. But I am looking forward to planting some supertunias and pansies. Thank you for this opportunity Rhoda.
What a great idea! I’ve never heard of EcoScraps, but now I’ll look for it! Kudos to the founders and thanks to you for introducing us to a new product that really is a great idea.
Your patio looks great–I know you’re eager to use that beautiful space again this year!
I love the idea behind EcoScraps, I will surely look out for it. I love putting my kitchen scraps in the compost for my worms and hate wasting what could be used for the garden. This year I’m planting lots of veggies. I’m determined to grow lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes among other things.
Absolutely love your colorful rug, such a pretty color.
Yes! Spring fever requires new flowers in all the pots and a few tomato plants.
Never composted but love this concept.
I plant lots of flowers – geraniums, petunias, portuloca, zinnias and several hanging ferns at least.
And we do a family garden at my mom and dad’s with tomatoes, green beans, squash, cucumbers,and more.