Leslie,
Some things you can grow from the grocery store are Ginger roots, Taro roots, Passion fruits, Pineapple tops and many others. If you are growing just for show, don't forget Sweet Potatoes and Avacodos.
I've included a link to a post from the Bog Garden Forum that you might find helpful.
Jeanette
Texas

Here is a link that might be useful: any more grocery store ideas ???

When I get antsy and wish I could be gardening (but its the dead of winter) I like to browse in the gardening section of the public library - its free and inspiring.

Every spring I get such cabin fever that I tend to rush things, my mantra has become: "its better to start your seeds a week too late than a week too early"! As a 'beginning' container gardener you'll probably want to start out by following the same planting schedule as your land-bound neighbors. I know how hard it is to wait, I'm pretty new to gardening myself, but I can attribute most of my early failures to impatience.

You mentioned that you were interested in growing herbs, which is great because they are so rewarding (smell great, look great, taste great) and not too difficult to cultivate. You may even want to try bringing some of them in the house next fall to keep you company during the winter. Paul James (from HGTV) said in a recent show that good herbs to grow in containers and transfer to the indoors in winter are: chives, thyme, oregano, basil, and sage. (He noted that all herbs need a minimum of five hours of sunlight every day, indoors or out.) Herbs that can easily be grown in containers but present more of a challenge when brought indoors are parsley, mint, and especially rosemary. So that's the scoop - according to Paul James. It rings true with my own experience too.

In conclusion, my most important advice is not to let yourself be overwhelmed by all of the good gardening information out there. Trust the results of your own trials and errors more than any expert.

If your going to try and start some seeds in your apt. you'll have to think ahead. Is your balcony exposed or protected? You'll need a place to harden them off. I would ask around for pickel conatiner at a supermarket. deli etc. They are usually free and for the taking. You might just get enough to make some protection from the wind for your seelings and then you could plant them later. If your looking for some coverage a vine could be planted over and up the fence. Gourds are fun to play with and you'll have them next year if your still feeling like you need to keep busy. Is there an extention office near by or a local garden club. If not it just might be a time for you to start something. Place an ad in your local paper that your looking for gardeners. Usually free. You could be opening a door for other too.

You might want to try to get this book at your library, 65 House Plants from Seeds, Pits, & Kernals by Ralf Efraimsson, should be available thru interlibrary loan for 50 cents or so....

You didn't say what kind of peppers you want to grow that you have saved seed from. Are they hot or bell peppers? If bells, were they green or red? Green bell peppers are immature red bell peppers, and the seed saved from them may not be viable because the pepper was not mature.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'm just reading through everything now, and I do appreciate the advice.

Jeanette, I have a ginger root in the fridge...will that work? Is there any special way to get it to grow, or should I leave it alone until I can get some soil? What size container? I use ginger roots for the bathtub when I need to relax. :) I am not overly concerned about "looks", at least right now, because ANY plants would be better than none...I would be ecstatic if I could grow something I can really use. I guess i did get a pineapple plant to grow once, but my ex-boyfriend kept it when we split up. Pineapples are five bucks each right now...but someone told me that they will never bear fruit even if you can get one to grow. Is that incorrect?

SpoonPlayer: You are right! I have been very overwhelmed...it is hard to know where to start. It makes me kick myself for not paying closer attention to what my grandma did with her plants...when I was little, a good majority of the food I ate came out of her garden...but I was too young to appreciate it then. I am appreciating it now...thats forsure! Shes not around to ask anymore either, so I am basically starting from scratch. I did find the extention office, and went to their website. I couldn't find anything there that mentioned container gardening though. There is a gardening club here too i found out, but you have to pay for a membership I guess. Maybe I will be able to do something like that in the future.

Anyways, I use herbs in everything...and I hate buying that stuff in the store, when it is so much better fresh. I figure I will only be able to have what I could cumulatively fit in the house, since nothing would survive our winters here...that I know of. Soon, I will be able to put some money into grow lights, and that may help some. I also need to invest in a humidifier because it is WAY too dry in here. I have a whole spare room that isn't being used for anything, and I could even keep my cats out of there. I was hoping to grow some catnip for them too, since they go so crazy over the fresh stuff. I am a little confused because I keep reading that morning sunlight is best. I get morning sunlight on one side of the room, and afternoon sunlight on the other side. It seems that the afternoon sun exposure lasts longer...so would I put my inside plants over there? I am still trying to figure out the best way to plan that.

Yellow22: Yes...think ahead. Thats easy, since I am flat broke, and have no dirt or anything. Forced premeditation. I have no idea what "hardening off" means, not yet anyway...is that a bad sign or what? As for my balcony being protected or exposed...it is both. Even on windy days, I seem pretty sheltered from the wind, because of the surrounding apartments. The good news is that they are far enough away, and there is still nothing much to obstruct the sunlight...its very open, except for the balcony 12 feet above me. I have tons of five gallon buckets...only trouble is they are full of rocks mostly, but I can fix that. (I have a bad rock-collecting habit) Some of my polished ones might look nice in the top of my plant pots! What size container is too small to bother with? I have been saving almost ever household container as I empty them...just in case.

Oh yeah...about the vine-type plants for my balcony...I was wondering if those rails would get too hot in the summer, and hurt the plants? They are those typical iron "prision-like" bars, and they get pretty toasty when it hits ninety degrees. If that won't be a problem, I
like the idea of having peas, and maybe a variety of differnet things would be nice. I wish I could have a grape vine, but I don't know if I could do that in a container, or not. I don't know if strawberries would ever grow up into the railings either. When you say gourds...do you mean like squash? i have some acorn squash in the fridge...does that grow in a vine? Any other good vine suggestions I could investigate?

Cindybell: As soon as I start feeling better, I plan to make a long journey to the library. We even have a Barnes and Nobel; you can sit in there all day until closing time and read anything you want, and never spend a dime. When I used to have money, I occasionally had to "bann" myself from going there, because I love that place just a little too much. I wrote the name of that book down, and will be sure to look for it.

NWRoselady: I like peppers...mostly HOT ones. I just tried to dry out my first seeds: Habanero, an Anahiem...and a Serrano. My grocery store selection is pretty limited as far as fresh hot peppers, but I would really like to find some cayenne. There is probably no limit to hot peppers I would try. I have been trying to find out what kind of cooked peppers come with papa john pizzas as condiments...those are awesome. I think hey call them pepporincinni? I probably wont grow the green bell peppers, since my aunt gives me tons of those. I am glad you told me not to bother with them though because I might have tried it anyways. I have more time on my hands then I would like to. I would like to have my own Roma tomato plant...those are my favorite. Is there any way to get seeds from those?

Well thanks for all the helpful ideas. I need to rest for a while, but I will be back I am sure of it.
Goodnight, and thanks again.

Leslie

ConvexLes, I too use the Barnes and Noble as a library sometimes....I don't really have the money or room for too many more books. To get rid of the guilt, sometimes I will buy a magazine or a cup of tea....again, I'm sure you can get the book through interlibrary loan, that's how I read it...

E-mail me your mailing address and I'll mail you some seeds I have saved from my garden. I have lots of different things.

Cruise through the Garden Junk forum and you can also get some ideas about how to get free stuff. You may not have thought of 'trash trolling' to get free pots, but lots of people throw away flower pots. You can find them along the streets on garbage collection days.

Once you can get past the squeamishness of poking through someone elses garbage, you can clean up on some great stuff. A couple weeks ago I got two beautiful doors, soem nice wood-fram windows and a gorgeous plant shelf made out of a headboard of a bed. Someone was throwing them out, so I just pulled over and threw them in the back of the truck.

Cheryl

WOW, REALLY? You just made my entire month...wish I would have noticed this sooner!

Sending email to you now....

Leslie

You can make small arbors for your potted plants out of coat hangers with a pair of pliers. So if you grow something that gets leggy, like an ivy, it'll have something to climb on.

Vegetable cans may be decorated with paint, or glue and paper to make attractive planter pots. Plastic butter tubs (or any used food containers) make good pots too, and the lids make good coasters to place under the pots on the window sill.

The little toys from happy meals sometimes make cute decorations in the pots next to your plants, while they're growing and add interest there.

If you get your hands on some clay pots, they can be painted with acrylic paints and decorated with bright funky nail polish colors.

And speaking of polish, one of the goofiest projects those nuts over in the Garden junk forum are doing is using a small round fish bowl and painting the inside of it with different colors of nail polish. Pour the polish inside and swirl it around to cover all the glass areas. Be sure to do this outside, because you WILL get a lot of fumes. I made one and it's, um, well, interesting looking. It makes a gazing ball for a fraction of the cost of a 'real' gazing ball, and it's really fun to make.

If you have some old dishes, and/or cups you don't use, you can build a totem/birdbath by stacking the pieces together and gluing them with clear caulk. I'm going to make one out of plastic one that I get from the thrift store real cheap, before I start spending money on the expensive stuff.

You said you live in apartment, but didn't mention if you had any balcony or porch or patio where you could place growing things in good weather. If you do, you can use a birdbath, feeder or birdhouse out there too.

If not, well, there's no reason why you can't have them anyway, and use them inside your house as decorations. Any house is just more homey when you have things around you that you made with your own hands. And growing things make it cozy and they also actually clean the air.

Cheryl

Oh, and by the way, you can make a cute birdhouse out of a coffee can. Just cut a small hole in the plastic lid. Poke two holes in the bottom of the can and use a piece of coathanger to make a hanging loop for the back end of the can. Glue a twig on the front of the can under the hole you cut into the plastic, for a perch, and voila'! Whether a bird would actually use it to nest in, I don't know, but I made 6 of them last summer and it was fun. (The paper wasps on my back porch used them to build their nests in, and they seemed to love it.)

Do You have dollar stores in your area? I found 10 for 1 packs of seeds at Dollar General. Seedsaver

Just a note of warning. Read your lease and make sure you can grow "food plants" on your balcony. I lived in an apartment where that was enough to get you evicted. Hopefully yours does not restrict that.
If you would like some seeds, email me, and I'll send you what I can. I don't have the energy (or sun or space!) to grow most of what I have. I'll give you a list if you'd like.
One thing I've found that's fun to grow if you are REALLY desparate for something growing is lentils from the grocery store. They grow quickly, so it sometimes helps a little.
Good luck!
Kay :)

E-mail me for some seeds. I have some from plants that I saved and will be happy to share. My treat. Also, check out some of the gardening magazines that you can get a free sample issue. It will give you some reading material and get you in the gardening mood. For little mini greenhouses to start seeds, I use the plastic containers left from cakes from a bakery. Like one of the other post said, check out dumpsters and your neighbors trash. Free is always the best.

A couple people have offered to send me seeds...(thank you) I tried emailing them all directly (clicked on the "email me" links by their user names) ...but that's been a few days ago now, and I still haven't heard anything...so now I am wondering if anyone has recieved the messages I sent? Knowing me, it's entirely possible that I did something wrong...and if so I'm sorry. I just don't want anyone to think I had ignored their offers. No such thing. Could be that people are just busy, and haven't had a chance to reply yet...and if so, I understand completly.

But...just in case you have volunteered to send me some seeds, and haven't gotton any response from me?...I did send emails directly to everyone that offered... (or at least I thought I did) If my message never got to you, can someone please help me figure out what I might have done wrong? I am even starting to wonder if my email settings are messed up because my "bulk folder" has been empty too, and it's usually full of junk mail...so it seems odd. I figured I better check and see..just in case.

Besides all that, thanks a million to all who took time to respond to me. I appreciate these great ideas more than anyone could possibly realize. My life has been disrupted by a health problem for the last 2 years, and last semester I had to withdrawl from school because I just couldn't keep up anymore. I'm only 31 so its been very frustrating, but my doctor has been stressing how important it is to for me to try and stay as busy as I possibly can right now...so he really likes the gardening idea.(it implies sunshine)

So, when I said "stuck in the house" I meant it quite literally, and "need cheap project ideas" runs a bit deeper than plain, ordinary bordem. I was running out of ideas, and needed all the help I could get. :)

Also, I loose my internet service on the 10th, and so I won't be able to access these forums after that. I have no clue when I will be back online, but hopefully it won't be for too long. If you see a big "I'M BACK!" post...I'll be me...and in case I get some seeds in the mail from somewhere, hopefully I'll have some "baby plant pictures." I have been spending alot of time reading these forums, and I've learned more here than I expected to in a relativly short time! I'll try hard not to kill any innocent plants in the meantime.

Thanks again, Leslie

Leslie,
in my case, I probably did something wrong in my message. I never got an email from you so I am posting again.
kayva

Hoehom knows about this. I'll e-mail her and ask her to read your post to see if this might be the problem.

Leslie, so sorry we're losing you and I hope you'll be back soon. Frugal is one of the absolute best forums here at GW.

Cher

Leslie, when you're sending the emails are you hitting the 'submit' button? I know I've almost forgotten in the past because I had to scroll down to get to it.

I had a problem recently with my email being blocked and had to notify Spike to get it fixed. When you post to this forum and it drops into your email, does it say "you cannot respond to this message"?

MANY LIBRARIES HAVE INTERNET ACCESSIBLE COMPUTERS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC (SOME HAVE TIME LIMITS, THOUGH)...
GINGER IS A LONG SEASON (5-6 MONTHS OR MORE) PLANT TO GROW... THE HERBS ARE BETTER STARTER PLANTS & YOU MIGHT GET STARTS/CUTTINGS FROM A SPRING/ SUMMER PLANT SHOW PUT ON BY YOUR LOCAL USDA EXTENSION/ MASTER GARDENERS GROUP...
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SPROUTS (EG MUNG BEAN, ALFALFA, BROCCOLI, ETC)?... GOOD GROWING TO YOU & BETTER HEALTH! K

UPDATES

Ok...Sorry I am not been around...had a sick cat in the house. The other cat and myself, were both busy trying to talk him out of kitty heaven. AnywaysVet was nice enough to charge a visit, and got some kitty antibiotics, he will be going back for surgery later...but, my cat is going to be fine now I think. Things are gradually getting back to 'normal' around here. People have sent me emails, and I am still trying to get caught up.

Other than that, I got lots of good news. My phone was disconnected (I hate phones, so this is considered a form of good news) Strangely enought, my mother (whom I speak to on the phone maybe 3 times per decade) got wind of this, and for some reason, she felt determined to pay my phone bill. Luckily, I was able to talk her out of it. I told her, if she really wanted to help me so badly, she could pay the cable bill instead, so I could keep my internet. So, mom to the rescue, I am staying online! My future plants will enjoy a much safer childhood, if I can maintain my access to people who actually know what they're doing.

Also, I popped the big question to my uncle on Tuesday. The answer is YES! Since they are going to be gone all summer, and won't be aroung to take care of their garden...my aunt was going to turn most of it into lawn. (EEEK) Instead, he said I can plant some of my plants in there, under the condition I help take care of their stuff too! Oh darn. I'll just have to struggle thru that. (I am really in heaven, but they don't need to know)

So...I'm not going to loose contact with the outside world. My cat isn't going to kitty heaven. My garden project is no longer exclusively limited to the boundaries of the apartment, and I'll have a whole yard with a "real garden" nearly all to myself this summer. Can it get any better?

YES, it can! The lady who has the "garden of eden" growing on the other side of my aunts fence...apparently she is a human botanical encyclopedia? My aunt just told me that when growing season starts, this woman purposely buys extra stuff, because she like to give plants and seeds away so much! She won't let anyone near her garden (even her husband) but, apparently she loves to answer gardening questions, and come spring... she turns into a real plant-pusher. I'm thinking, if I spend my free time loitering and tinkering around in my aunts yard this summer...I might actually learn about this faster than I thought. Yippe!

I really have enjoyed this forum; I've gotton so many great ideas, and have heard from so many nice people here. I may be a poster child for poverty at the moment, but it is only temporary....and I think that by the time my check comes, I will have forgotton how to spend money, and won't remember what I needed it for. This place has really helped stimulate my creativity, and being broke has actually not been so bad. I have managed to come up with the most innovative solutions to problems as they arise, somedays its hard not to see the humor in my situation...overall it has been a rather amusing experience.

I have all these containers made from stuff around the house. I've just emptied a coffee can that is about to become a bird house. I traded some cable cords for potting soil and perlite, and now my uncle donated some more to me: He said "it has just been taking up space in the garage." He also gave me paint for my plant containers that he was going to recycle. Someone else is dropping off styrofoam peanuts today. People have offered to send me seeds too, which was the necessary key element I needed before I could start at all. My aunt (a cake decorator) is getting cake flats and lids from her work for me to start my seeds in. She offered to give me some containers she has, that are specifically designed for starting seeds, but I told her that would be cheating..."wouldn't be frugal."

I'm just having too much fun trying to find ways to make something out of nothing. Thanks for all the ideas, and support. I need all the help I can get, and I will always be looking for ways to return the favors.

I got my garlic babies growing right now in the "nursery" in my fridge. I've gotton alot of good advice about that from people on the "Allium" forums. Anyone want to see pictures? They are absolutly adorable.

I better go...but I'll be back. Thanks for everything.

Leslie

Leslie
Look at the "Winter Sowing" forum also in regards to starting plants outside. With your collection of containers you can start plants outside on your balcony and don't have to worry about "hardening-off" (getting your plants grown inside acclimated to the outdoor weather conditions). So, if you "winter sow" your plants you won't have to worry about hardening-off/acclimating them. You also won't have to worry about "damping-off" if you winter sow. Unfortunately, you won't see "babies" until the weather gets warmer but it is very exciting when you check your containers every day (twice a day, three times a day...) and see the little green heads popping up and out! Another frugal thing is if you drink coffee save the grounds and use them to amend your soil. We have a "simple" paper shredder and I also mix in some of the shreds of paper into the plant soil.

For simple, cheap greenery put a carrot top in water, or soil, and grow it for it's foliage and flowers. Have people you know, who have plants, give you cuttings to start your own plants. I'm always looking at plants when shopping and sometimes you can find a piece that has broken off. I usually (will) ask the clerk/grower if I may have that piece---I've gotten a couple of fantastic plants that way!

You probably could get ideas/help from the people in the "Balcony Gardening" forum also. Very knowledgeable, and friendly fellow gardeners in all of the GW forums!!!

Good luck in all your endeavors, Leslie!

38 DAYS TILL SPRING!!!

Hi Leslie,
I have not checked this thread since you started it, so I did not see your Ginger question until today :-)
The ginger I was speaking of is the kind you get at the grocer. Yes, the one in your fridge. They are so easy to start and you could easily grow one in a container on your balcony. I know you have access to your Aunt's yard, but if you did get it to blooming stage before it got cold in your neck of the woods again, the scent would be worth having it on your balcony. With little wind and lots of light, you could grow all kinds of stuff on your balcony.
If you haven't spent that check completely yet LOL, I would suggest with all my heart that you work on getting an indoor lite set-up. You never said what you were ill with (not prying), but I deal with chronic depression and having my indoor lights really helps ALot. Not so much from the extra light, which is important for me, but because I can have plants growing and blooming year round. I mostly grow African Violets on my light stand, but I am also rooting some cuttings and starting some seeds this year. All this helps me to keep busy, builds self-esteem and provides joy and satisfaction.
Glad things are looking up for you and your kitty. If you don't already do so, I would recommend growing some 'cat grass' for your cats. They would benefit from it a great deal and it is so easy to do.
All you need is a stable pot with some potting soil. Sprinkle some seeds of grass, parsley, thyme, oats, wheat or even herbs. Water as needed, without drenching the soil, and keep in a well-lit place.
Have a good day!
Jeanette
Texas
zone 8b

Just a note on the coffee can bird house, please please, if you must do this, and I do NOT recommend it, make sure it is in COMPLETE shade, NO sun at all. Any birdhouse made out of metal becomes an oven.

Robin

There are all kinds of fun things you can do. Once when I was a starving artist, yeah, like that's changed much, I decided that I needed some new containers. I was at a total loss. So...I realized that the rice box I was about to toss in the trash was extremely colorful'. I took an empty pop can and cut out the top with my can opener, slipped it into the box and tossed in some greenery from outside. HA... it looked terrific! Oatmeal cartons are a great size and shape. You can paint them or cover them or just leave them as-is. You can even cluster a half dozen or so mix/match bottles and/or cans on your table for a fun look. It's all in the eye of the beholder. I have no idea where I was going with this...apparently back to bed....Jim

I haven't much money for a garden either... i've been using large cans. milk jugs, and margarine containers. I used a old styrofoam cooler for carrots and radishes. I've heard that the big rubbermaid containers are good too. I've got a tomato plant grown in a big laundry soap bucket. Good luck with your gardening....
I'm growing a garden to help feed the kids, and hopefully for them to learn from too. Money is tight here too, so i know how it goes.

Let me know if you'd be interested in a couple of rooted scented leaved geranium cuttings (gratis)...

These are hardy, do well inside, don't need any 'special' soil/fertiler or pampering, not prone to disease or insect problems and since you mentioned having cats...cats will not eat them (even though they are very edible).

They can be used for pot-pourri, flavored 'sugar', tea, cookies, etc....and they smell so wonderful when you rub the leaves...

Email me if you are interested....

~Belle Michele~

I just wanted to stop by and say thanks to all the awesome people on here that responded to my original "Help!..." post. I have been having a great time with my gardening project.

For someone who never had a plant in her house before, I definatly don't have that problem anymore. It isn't really such a "little" project anymore either...I actually have baby plants all over the place, and I start new ones every Sunday. (Yup...I'm addicted) I have taken some pictures, and I am going to try to find a way to post them on "My Page" in case anyone is ever curious about what I have been up to with the seeds they sent me.

I'm finding that gardening is definatly a learning experience, it is more work than I expected it to be, but appears to be worth every moment. Even my cat seems to have taken an interest in gardening. I have made a few dumb mistakes so far, there have been a couple near plant disasters...but considering what a "newbie" I am, I haven't had very many botanical fatalities at all.

At the moment, all my plants are "camping" in my living room ...just in case it snows tonight. (Z4 is a drag) It sort of looks a like a micro-jungle in my apartment when I have to haul plants inside from the balcony nowdays. Next week I plan to start working on my aunts garden, and in June I'm taking a Biology class; "Field Identification of Plants"...I can hardly wait!

I forget....what DID I do with my free time before I discovered plants?

Thanks again to all the frugal gardeners who help me out, and encouraged me so much! :) I am kind of proud of the "garden" I have going...but I couldn't have done ANY of this if not for all the awesome people on from this fourm who shared their good advice with me, inspired me, and sent me care packages.

I am so grateful.

Until next time, Leslie in ND

I'm not sure if anyone has said anything about the tomato seeds yet, they probably have, but if you're still interested in getting roma tomatoe seeds, just save them from the tomato, and stick them in a cup with a small amount of water...wait a few days until they get grungy, smelly, just generally nasty, and rinse them.....throw away the floating ones, they won't work, and let dry. Some people say you have to wait until the tomato is really ripe, others say it doesn't matter, so just experiment.

If you eat sprouts: you might find alfalfa seed, mung beans, wheat berries, in the dry foods section of your store.

You can grow these indoors, in a jar, covered with a piece of netting or pantyhose. Rinse daily. Keep them warm. When they get to around half an inch long, harvest. If you start a new batch each week or so, you'll have sprouts reliably for as long as you need. (You also get to learn a lot about seed germination conditions...)

If you don't like the raw taste then add them to stir-fry or soup.

Another, similar venture, is planting mustard and cress seeds on a pad of damp cotton wool and let them grow in a well-lit position until they show little green leaves. Snip them off with scissors to use in salads or sandwiches.
You should be able to do this over winter, provided that your apartment is warm.

As you have kitties, you might want to grow them some kitty grass to nibble on for staying healthy. Polystyrene grape box (for shipping the bunches), a tray to stop water leakage, potting mix and some grass seed. (You could try canary seed mix. You'll certainly get a range of species if the area below my bird feeder is any indication!!)