Photo Gallery: Organic Sundays at Milagro Allegro Garden

Industrious Highland Park residents who want to exercise their green thumbs this spring need look no further than their recycling bins for the proper equipment, according Yvonne Savio, Southern California Horticultural Society “Horticulturist of the Year”

Savio, Manager of the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program, conducted a lesson on reclaiming every day recyclables as gardening apparatus at on Avenue 56 in Highland Park on Sunday afternoon.

In need of planters to get your seeds started before placing them in the garden? Savio suggests that citrus rinds make the perfect growing environment. Just place some soil and one or two seeds in the rind, and then place both in the garden. The rind will slowly decompose, providing extra fertilizer for the seedlings.

Half-gallon milk containers with the tops and bottoms cut off can be placed atop celery plants to blanch them while they grow.

Savio also explains that full-gallon plastic milk cartons with their bottoms removed can serve as makeshift greenhouse for young plants. She advises placing the cartons over the plants with the sides buried about two inches into the ground, to provide a barrier against pests. Savio also explains that it's critical to remove the milk carton cap on hot day, lest you wish to pre-cook your veggies.

More tips on reclaiming everyday recyclables into useful gardening tools can be found at the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program's website.