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Recently I stumbled upon a unique idea for how you can use clear plastic bins in your gardening efforts. Previously, I have recommended them for seed storage, tool storage, and more in your garden shed. But as it turns out, there is another amazing use for them, and that is to create miniature greenhouses.

You do not need anything unique if you are shopping for plastic bins for gardening. Plastic containers for gardening can be the same simple bins that you purchase for use anywhere around the house or yard. You will need to stick with large plastic containers for this purpose, but they do not have to be huge. In fact, if they are somewhat portable, that is for the best.

What will you be doing with them? Well, you cannot store any large plants in them, but you can store one or two smaller plants in them, or you can use them for seedlings. A single large plastic bin can easily hold a couple dozen seedlings in little cups. The dimensions of the bins will provide more than enough room for vertical growth, even with the lid on.

Here are some of the benefits of plastic bin greenhouses:

• Extend the growing season for your plants. With these plastic greenhouses you can start out your seedlings earlier in the season. The clear plastic helps to regulate moisture, temperature, and light. This allows you to get started earlier in spring, or even late in winter with some plants. When the temperature outside gets to be right, you can just transfer the seedlings to the soil, and they will be ready.

• Protect seedlings and other plants from pests. If you don’t want animals eating the seedlings you are trying to grow before they have a chance to mature, then you can conceal them in the bins. You can even cover the bins up if you need to (experiment with this; some plants may like it better than others).

• Take care of your plants when it is raining. You can simply bring them indoors and take them back out if you have to. This is why the portability aspect is so great. It also is helpful on very cold days. You can keep the bins outside most of the time, but bring them in when it gets to be too much. The bins themselves help keep the plants warm. If your plants need more sun, just move them to a different area of the house or yard! Bringing the bins indoors is also a great thing to do if you don’t want to cover them, but still need to get your plants away from pests.

Grouping the plants according to their cold tolerance or light needs is a great idea, because that way you can handle each batch of plants according to their needs. Do some research and you will come up with the best setup. What a cool, creative use for clear plastic bins. Have fun with this one, and happy gardening!

Pack and Store Dried Foods in Plastic Containers

Recently I’ve been learning a lot about food dehydrators. Most kitchens are not equipped with a food dehydrator, but maybe they should be! As it turns out, this is a very helpful appliance. You can use it to make healthy snack foods, avoid canned foods that are packed with unhealthy additives, and save a lot of money over time. It is also perfect for preparing foods for hiking and camping.

Where am I going with this? When you prepare dried foods with a food dehydrator, you need to store those foods right away. Dried foods are partially preserved, but they won’t stay that way unless you store them correctly. Poorly stored dried foods may reabsorb moisture, which can cause them to go bad. They can also attract pests, especially sugary dried foods like fruits.

What’s the best way to store your dehydrated foods? You need to get them inside sealed, airtight food storage bins. That means using canning jars, mason jars and the like, or going with plastic food containers like those you use in your freezer. You also have the option of vacuum packing, but this requires you to go out and buy a second device. And unless you are going to be bulk sealing foods, you probably don’t really need a vacuum packer. It makes a lot more sense to simply go out and purchase a number of plastic bins before you begin dehydrating your food.

It’s a good idea to only put as much food into a package as you can eat at once. Why? Every time you expose dried foods to air, they take in a little bit of moisture, and their quality declines. For this reason, you are going to want to get a lot of small plastic boxes.

Once you have your dehydrated food packed in airtight, sealed plastic boxes, you are going to want to put them in a cool, dry, dark place. Many dried foods can keep for four months or longer. Some may even last for a year, like dried fruits. Vegetables typically make it about half this long. The warmer the temperature, the faster the dried foods will spoil.

Before you store your fruits and vegetables, you need to go through a brief process called “conditioning.” Essentially, when you are dehydrating your foods, the moisture will not be removed equally from all pieces. Some will be drier than others, but you need all fruit to contain around 20% moisture and vegetables half that. When you condition fruits or veggies, you pack them in a plastic container for 7-10 days. Shake up the contents once a day. The moisture will redistribute. If you find condensation forming, put the foods back in the dehydrator for a short time, then try it again.

Once your fruits and vegetables have been successfully dehydrated and conditioned, you can store them in the same sealable plastic bins. As long as they are in a cool, dry place, they should keep great for months to come!