Yankee Ingenuity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yankee ingenuity is an American English reference to the self-reliance of early colonial settlers of New England, United States. It describes an attitude of make-do with materials on hand. It is inventive improvisation, adaptation and overcoming of dire straits when faced with a dearth of materials.

"Make do with materials on hand" I like that..
I save stuff! I have always saved stuff. I can not throw out something if there is a slight chance I might find a use for it sometime in the next 20 years. Or maybe I might meet someone in the future that might need it.

I needed a heated seed propagator. This provides beneficial bottom heat to your seed trays.
With a bit of Yankee Ingenuity, I built this Heated Propagator, using a tiny bit of my allowance.
The box is 4' long and lined with metal flashing. I installed 3 light fixtures ($2.00 each) to provide the heat, and topped it with 3 - 16x16 floor tiles that absorb the heat. The clear containers act as a mini greenhouse and the lights overhead are 100 watt compact fluorescent bulbs which only use 23 watts. The light bulbs inside are 40 watt, and I may be able to drop that to 30 watts.

It is a great feeling when you build something, or fix something because you saved some stuff that normal people would toss out.

This Connecticut Yankee will continue to collect stuff, because you never know!!