"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."

That was my parents' mantra. I was born in the depth of the Depression and we lived by these principles even after hard times of the Depression and World War II were long past.

Frugal is the word that best described my parents. One incident remains embedded in my memory. Myra and I had returned to Colorado to attend my father's funeral. During breakfast on the day of the afternoon funeral service, Mom said, "The first thing we need to do this morning is to freeze the last of the spinach or it will go to waste."

I told her to just forget it. Looking shocked, she answered, "What would your father think!" Mom, my brother, Myra and I finished breakfast and without further word, we pulled the spinach, washed and froze it.

During the Depression most families learned not to throw out anything that still had some use, whether it was an item of clothing or leftovers from the table. And when the war broke out, Americans on the home front had no choice but to use it up or do without. Gasoline, tires, meat and leather shoes were rationed, and many other consumer goods were in short supply.

After the war ended and normalcy returned, many Americans made up for lost time by demanding the latest, the biggest and the best consumer goods -- whether needed or not. But not my parents.

I suspect I inherited more of my parents' Depression mentality than I would care to admit. And it shows, particularly in my vegetable garden. Repurposing -- using unneeded items for other purposes -- is something I enjoy doing. It's not only economical but it is also ecologically sound.

Many items that can be repurposed are to be found in and around our homes; others are giveaways -- yours for the asking from friends and strangers alike. Still others can be purchased from Habitat for Humanity's ReStore for a pittance, from other nonprofit organizations and from yard sales. Following are just three of the many items that I repurpose in my garden.

Shakes and shingles

Anytime you see a house being reshingled, the old cedar shakes or composition shingles are almost always yours just for the asking.

I use cedar shakes for shading new transplants by making an A-frame over them for protection from heat and bright sunlight until they become established. Small plants can also be protected from wind (and haven't we had more than our share this year?) by placing one or more shakes on the windward side of the plant.

Cedar shakes can easily be split into stakes that can be used for row markers. Many shakes are about 2 feet long, so the stakes can also be used for staking small plants, such as peppers.

Got a spot in your garden where you fight a losing battle getting rid of quack grass or other perennial grasses and weeds? Cover the area completely with composition shingles. Just one gardening season should be enough to get rid of these perennial pests. Composition shingles also make dandy temporary or permanent pathways in the garden.

Old screens

Retrofitting old windows and screens with new energy-saving ones is often done to make homes more energy-efficient. Screens of many sizes are available at the ReStore for as little as 50 cents each.

If you have trouble in your traditional flat bed garden or raised bed garden with birds eating your seedlings, quail making dust beds in your newly planted garden, or your neighborhood cats using your garden for toilet facilities, screens will solve the problem. Push in some of your cedar stakes to elevate the screens, and voilá, you have solved these pesky problems!

Need a little filtered shade to keep your lettuce bed from getting too hot and bolting? Put one or more screens over it to allow any amount of filtered sunlight you desire. Water right through the top and you will also find that evaporation is cut considerably.

Buckets and pots

There are a number of uses for 10-, 12- and 14-inch pots that perennials, roses and shrubs come in.

I leave several scattered about the garden to toss weeds into as I work in my garden. Add them to your compost pile after the bucket begins to fill up.

The larger pots and 5-gallon buckets also make handy seats by turning them upside down. Then you can comfortably weed or pick your peas and beans without a lot of bending.

Buckets or pots are great for covering young transplants in your garden when frost threatens.

Don't have any pots or buckets? Commercial painters often have more 5-gallon buckets than they need and landscapers will often share their excess pots, and all for free.

You may already be doing some repurposing in your garden, but if you aren't, now would be a good time to begin. No, you don't need to go to the extreme of freezing your spinach on the day of a loved one's funeral, but repurposing in your garden will contribute in a small way toward a more sustainable Planet Earth.

* Freelance gardening columnist Jim McLain can be reached at 509-697-6112 or ongardening@fairpoint.net.