My wife and I are scavengers,and avid recyclers. We started our small nursery with almost no money, and about 20 plants. After a summer of recycling, scavenging, and propagation from cuttings we ended up with about 4500 plants of various sorts and built a 10'X48' greenhouse.

The greenhouse cost us about $100 total , but that was for the inevitable screws and 6 mil plastic covering........all the lumber was recycled, thank God for Freecycle groups.

Our pots also came from freecycle, our local Ag college, and also from landscapers on new housing construction sites.

Cuttings, and plants ( at least here in Fl) can often be gotten from landscape companies that change out landscape plants seasonally. We happened across a couple of landscape techs pulling up plants in front of a mall, and asked what they were going to do with em.........answer was "Compost pile" After talking with the guys for a short while, and telling em what we were doing.......well...we ended up with a pile of plants . They were a lil worse for wear, but after repotting them, and a lil TLC, I think out of 100+ plants we maybe lost 3, and had a great pile of additions to the nursery.

We do the same thing when we see landscape techs trimming foliage on species we want to propagate. Just stop and ask if you can have the cuttings. Most times they are more than happy to let you have them.

Ok, done rambling now.......and HURRAY for cheap frugal gardening!!

Steve and Barb