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Plastic Lumber for the Landscape

While “milk does a body good,” its’ recycled cartons can also do some good in the garden. 

Consider using all plastic lumber, wood/plastic composite or fiber-reinforced plastic lumber for your garden construction projects.  Plastic lumber is constructed from 100% recycled plastic and is often used for docks and decks. 

Wood/plastic composites are usually made from 50% recycled plastic and 50% sawdust or other recycled fiber and often made with a wood-grain texture.  Fiber reinforced is a mix of plastic and chopped or strands of glass fiber.  This is the most expensive, but the strongest of the three. 

All three come in a variety of colors, sizes similar to standard lumber, and never need staining.

And consider giving milk jugs a second life before recycling. Use them to make a hands-free harvest basket, cloche or soil scoop.

A bit more information: Use a milk jug to make a hands-free harvest basket to use when picking raspberries and strawberries. Enlarge the opening at the top, but leave the handle intact. Secure the milk jug around your waist by running a rope or belt through the handle. Now you have two hands free for harvesting and a safe place for your harvest.

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Sept. 11, 2026
Illinois State Master Gardener Conference
Rockford, IL
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Sept. 12, 2026
2026 Knowledge in Bloom Conference
Urban Ecology Center, Milw., WI
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Sept. 17, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Fall Landscape Care and Planting

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Sept. 26, 2026
Pruning Hydrangeas & Other Shrubs
Pasquesi Home & Gardens, Lake Bluff, IL
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Oct. 6, 2026
Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference
La Crosse, WI
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Oct. 22, 2026
Wauwatosa Public Library
Wauwatosa, WI
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