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| Or "If you could pass on ONE tip on frugal gardening, what would it be?"
I'm in master gardener training and have decided that one of the ways I want to volunteer is to give talks on gardening. I've had pretty good reactions (no one fell asleep or threw anything at me!) to my talks on gardening for cats, but I better have a few presentations in my repertoire. And what do I love more than anything? Saving money and being clever in the garden, of course! The thing is, so much of what I do feels "normal" to me that I don't even think of it as "frugal" (TM), so I'm asking for your help. So here's your chance to communicate your wisdom without actually having to talk in front of a group! :) Thanks, Monica |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| funny you should ask! i have been a master gardener for around 10 years, and have taught adult ed courses at the local community college. and one of them was "dirt-cheap gardening"! my outline covers establishing a good knowledge base- education is a real timesaver!- how to use catalogs for information, not just shopping; recycling- everything from yard sale tools to containers to composting; water conservation; soil testing; and generally focusing on "time vs. money." so for a single suggestion, i would recommend establishing water barrels and/gray water use. this has saved me a mint! |
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| First, GardenFaerie, thank you for reaching out on the topic of gardening. I firmly believe that if everyone was a gardener, the world would be a better place. Think of all that gardening teaches us about the natural world and how to work with it. If everyone knew what we gardeners know, our world would not be full of pollution from automobiles and lawn chemicals. I'd have to say my favorite frugal tip has been my association with my garden center client. Since the time I've formed this association, I've gotten everything for my garden through him. Yes, I still have the urge to go shopping at all the nurseries around here but I stave off the urge and tell myself to do something more constructive with my time. I used to have a stack of receipts for gardening things at the end of every month. I spent a lot, like thousands and thousands every year. Now I don't spend a penny. So how to make this tip work for others? I would say that if a person is an extreme gardener, to form some sort of alliance with a garden center. You can get lots of good castoffs or if there is a mutually beneficial work arrangement, you can trade tasks for plants/pots/etc. Since working with my client, I've met other garden center owners. They are such nice people. I think many of them have some type of task they can't get done and they could use an extra set of hands. They would be willing to trade it for some plants or whatever. Once you've formed that association and fulfilled your end satisfactorily, you can be "on call." Get a garden center to adopt you! Cher |
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| Scout trash day for garden treasures in need of makeovers and bring them back to glory :) I've gotten bonsai, bulbs, trees, houseplants, containers galore, shrubs, ornamental grasses, annuals, perennials, roses, rose cuttings, shrub cuttings, mulch, potting soil, used soil (that I recycle), and manure (one guy bags his horse poo). |
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- Posted by mid_tn_mama 6 (My Page) on Sat, Feb 28, 04 at 11:41
| Here are a few: Ask your friends if you can have their clippings when they prune (so you can start your own bushes) or ask if you can prune their bushes for them. Older folks will often appreciate the help. Ask your friends if you can rake their excess pine needles or leaves for your mulch and composting. Ask your friends/acquaintances if you can take their straw bales after halloween so you can use for mulch and compost. Ask your friends if you can take some seeds from their flowers. Trade away the ones you don't want to use. Save your dish water, add a little epsom salts and ammonia to fertilize your plants. Get an aquarium and use the water you take out when cleaning for fertilizing your plants. Save old holey plastic buckets and boxes for worm bins. |
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- Posted by Yellowhair z7-KY (My Page) on Sat, Feb 28, 04 at 18:07
| Great thread! Use old envelopes for drying seeds. NEVER use plastic bags because if there is any moisture in the seeds----they will mold. Been there, done that. Put clay pots indoors during the winter. Some of mine are breaking up. If you do have a broken pot, you can still use it, just sow some flowers in it, lay it on its' side as if the flowers are spilling out. Use some type of netting or chicken wire to keep cats out of planter boxes. My kitties think loose soil means their bathroom is ready. Not good. Newspaper and cardboard are my new friends. Use for mulching, clearing paths, killing weeds. There is much beauty in the plant world, if only we'll take the time to see it.
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| 1. Don't practice false economies when buying tools unless you're really short of cash. Good quality tools last much longer. And then take care of them properly. Alternatively, one could continuously buy cheap tools at yard sales, if one sees yard sales all the time (not in my neighborhood). 2. Work a few hours a week at a garden center. The pay may not be much but you get employee discount (check to see there is one) and you're there to see what's going on sale soon, what's about to be thrown out, what's in the 75% off bin, etc. Harimad |
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| Spiders!! They are free and cost nothing to maintain. No bags of food, no vet bills, no yearly shots. I never kill spiders in my garden, just freak out if I get one on me! I also learned what a ladybug larva looks like and felt really, really bad when I realized I had killed a few because I thought they were "bad" bugs. |
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- Posted by sylviatexas z8 Tx (My Page) on Wed, Mar 3, 04 at 12:43
| Lucy Harrelson, of "Ladies of the Garden" said this in a presentation at an organic garden club meeting: "Don't kill any bugs except fireants. the idea being to bring in ladybugs, trichogramma wasps, etc instead of poisoning your garden. |
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| Specialize in prolific self-seeders for your flower beds; collect the seed; start the seed; trade extra plants and seed for plants and seed you don't already have. (Okay, that was four tips masquerading as one ...) |
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- Posted by Debra_Boston Zone 5 - Boston (My Page) on Thu, Mar 4, 04 at 14:22
| A friendship garden. My best tip is this: Many years ago I admired the lovely lemon-yellow daisy-like flowers sticking their cheerful heads up over a stone fence as I drove slowly along a country road. One day I stopped and asked a woman tending these flowers what they were. She told me heliopsis and gave me a clump to take home -- the proviso being I now was a member of a "frienship garden." Anytime anyone asks you what they are, you must give them a clump and pass on the "friendship garden" mantra. I have given out over 2 dozen clumps of heliopsis from my own 32' border! Try it, you'll like it. |
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| Hi, I am also a master gardener and have recently found the winter sowing site and find it is a very frugal way to garden. I can plant a $1.00 package of annuals and save $$$$$$$$, perennials too!! Have you investigated winter sowing? This is my first year to try it and I already have sprouts. Since this is my first year to winter sow I won't be offering my presentation until next winter but I sure plan to do offer it. Right now I am doing my volunteer hours by teaching gardening to 4-H kids. A frugal tip here is to ask the floral dept. at the grocery store to save their spent tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, etc. for the 4-H kids. I have 11 pots in the garage right now to take to my 4-H meeting and give to the children. They were all free and the children can put them in their own gardens to rebloom next year. Another frugal tip is to get started on the seed exchange. I am going to save seeds from many of my plants this year and start trading in the winter. My goal is to trade seed with people in all 50 states, sounds like fun, no? Hope you can use some of these frugal tips for your presentation. |
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| Get cuttings from people when you visit (don't be shy most people are wanting to give you some!), collect seeds to trade & grow when you are anywhere (of course try to ask first...run fast! LOL!), and swap swap swap in stead of buying anything....if you live out in the boonies like me your local dump man knows everyone just ask him and recycle things....mine saved a great piece of soaker hose for me still in the package new! I brought him a doz. eggs from our chickens. Save your eggshells to crumble up or start seeds in. Compost. Shred paper. Save leaves to compost. Lasagna style gardening etc. |
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- Posted by thorspippi z9 Sac CA (My Page) on Sun, Mar 14, 04 at 3:37
| Start seeds in eggshells?!? |
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| Throw your pride aside! If you see a nicely landscaped yard with a plant you would like, go right up to the door and ask for a cutting. Not only have I gotten lots of neat plants like this, but made a few gardening friends as well. Don't judge a plant by its cover. I have a navel orange tree growing happily in my back yard that was rescued from the trash dump at a friend's house. I just rescued a nice gardenia from the side of the road. Most plant that are being dug up and thrown out by ignorant non-gardeners just need a little loving care. Don't be afraid to ask for something in a store. I got a whole herb garden by asking the lady who runs the floral department at our local grocery store if she would let me have the herb plants she was tossing out. Learn how plants grow. For instance, pussy willows take root when they are in floral arrangements, and are easily transplanted and grown into nice shrubs. Gloxinias are bulbs. They go dormant, and when they do, people think they are dead and toss them. Ask for the toss outs when you see dying gloxes at groceries, etc. Same for forced bulbs. They'll take a couple of years in the garden to grow back into a normal bloom cycles, but hey, they're free! Carry materials with you on nature trips to take cuttings, gather seeds, from native plants that would make good garden plants. I carry a shovel and plastic bags in my trunk at all times, and clippers and ziplocs in the glove box. Find a company that remodels old houses. Most of the time, they strip the old landscaping and put brand new stuff. Get in good with them, and they'll call you and let you have what they're tearing out. Haunt the roadside trash on the day everyone tosses their household stuff. Our city has a special day on the first pickup of each month. Amazing what neat stuff you can find.
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| Bruggirl, please be careful when taking cuttings from "nature walks". 1. You don't know what you are getting 2. Just because it is a nature walk doesn't mean everything is for the taking. 3. Many nature areas are protected. Just like you can't take an animal home, you cannot pull any plant you see or cut from it. You are upsetting that natural habitat and possibly a rare item in its natural home. If this was viewed by someone of authority from that nature area you could get in trouble 4. You could be bringing an invasive item into your territory that doesn't belong or even insects along with it. I am sorry. I do not mean to be harsh but as gardeners we should be the first to protect nature in its true form. I think this is the last thing a master gardener should be suggesting to anyone. |
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| Make friends with your gardening neigbors. Take the master gardener class in your area. Learn how to make cuttings (they are easier to do than plants from seeds). Michelle |
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| Plant swaps are the best place to get plants that grow well in your area. Yadda out. |
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- Posted by Maid_in_the_Shade (My Page) on Mon, Mar 22, 04 at 1:22
| Diligently maintain your tools so they will last the longest! Keep them clean, practice rust & rot prevention, store them neatly so they can be easily found the next time you want them, use them properly so they don't break doing something dumb with them. And desperately try to teach the rest of your family the wisdom of doing so... |
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| When "shopping" for potting soil try the church or local cemetary. Everyone puts out pots for Memorial day. Most Cemetaries only allow them to stay a week or two then they do their spring cleaning. The keepers throw all the left over potted plants into their dumpster. A lot of good soil can be gleaned from those plants for the diver there on the right day. Churches have tons of flowers for Christmas and Easter. Again after the season the plants are all tossed into the dumpster. A lot of nice lilly bulbs too!!! Think about it. Scout out their dumpsters. |
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| Find the dumping grounds... Because we have so many slobs in this world, we also have unused lanes where the slobs dump their refuse. I recently built a 32x16' fence to dogproof my garden. All of the 4x4 posts were salvaged from road where people dump their "projects." I cut the rotten ends off, brushed them with roofing asphalt, and blew my savings on steel ground-spikes. I cut old barbed wire this morning to run along the ground (discouraging doggy forays)--also free. And haven't bought a landscape timber in several years; the bottom one on a tier might be shot, but folks will throw out the whole thing... |
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- Posted by totalchaos 8b (My Page) on Tue, Mar 23, 04 at 18:19
| The best thing I did for my garden was ask a tree faller for a load of wood chips. I saved him the dumping fee, and he delivered to my door for FREE. We both got a great deal! I still can't get over how effective mulch is for weed control, and the difference in my soil quality is striking even only a year after. |
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| Another tip....do not take everything a so-called master gardener says as gospel. I'm not a master gardener. I don't support the master gardener program, because I've seen too many of them with their 6-week course degrees do real damage giving out bad information. I think the term "Master Gardener" is deceptive, and should definitely not be applied to someone in Florida who comes from up north and takes a six week course. I've been gardening here for many years, and still don't know enough about gardening in Florida to call myself a "Master" of anything. I get really tired of their know-it-all attitudes, and how they throw their title around. I've actually corrected some of them that were giving talks in our area, and they have insisted that what they were saying was right. It makes me ill to think that people actually see that title and believe everything they say. Sorry, but I had to vent. |
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- Posted by GardenFaerie z5b Michigan (My Page) on Fri, Mar 26, 04 at 12:30
| Well, no one likes know-it-alls, but I don't see how that equates to "I don't support the master gardener program." You don't support people interested in gardening taking an eight-week course (4.5 hours a week) to learn the finer points of plant science? And then volunteering their time in their community to spread the joy of gardening? Part of our volunteer time is staffing a gardening hotline. It was stressed to us that it was OK to say you would find out and get back to the person. We are encouraged NOT to provide any information we're not sure of. Finally, if you move to another region, you have to recertify in that region, because as you alluded to, gardening in, say, Florida is very different from gardening in Michigan. Monica |
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- Posted by daisydolphin 7b GA (My Page) on Mon, Mar 29, 04 at 11:06
| Frugal gardening for me means using what I have in my yard already, given freely by nature. Shredded fall leaves make perfect spring mulch. I use a "Leaf Hog" on mine. |
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- Posted by GardenFaerie z5b Michigan (My Page) on Mon, Mar 29, 04 at 15:14
| To bruggirl: Just found this on the main page of the Michigan Master Gardener website: "The 'Master' in Master Gardener doesn't mean you know everything about gardening. It means that you volunteer your time helping others grow." - Mary McLellan, state master gardener coordinator |
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| I always set aside any large rocks I find in my yard--never know when I might need 'em! Plant swaps are great as well--free plants, nice people and food! What's not to like? |
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| There are a lot of people who do frugal things because it is normal to them, Gardenfaerie. I never thought of saving leftovers as "frugal" because I was brought up to just do it. It's part of the Boy Scout promise, which my brother said in honor of our grandfather at his funeral. He had the whole packed church laughing at the "frugal" part, so I guess it runs in the family. I think the funniest frugal family story was my great aunt throwing a fit when her oven grate broke and she couldn't get a replacement because Sears/Roebuck was no longer around and nobody was making parts for a turn of the century iron oven/stove. Gotta give 'em credit, though, it worked for 90 years before falling apart. I guess my current favorite tip is cheerfulness- whether asking questions at the store, admiring someone's yard, or asking the construction workers for the empty buckets. If you give them the option to say no and keep things pleasant, things are often easier all around. Can't say I always do this... |
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- Posted by hollyhocksnh z5 NH (My Page) on Mon, May 10, 04 at 23:22
| I just discovered this one, I was shopping at the grocery store and stopped to pick up a couple of flats at their outside display, and my daughter noticed all the stems on the ground because they had flowers on them, they were pieces that had broken off the hanging baskets and other plants, so we picked up a handful of stems and I am rooting them, I've got a couple of colors of wave petunia, some fuschia type things, etc etc, now I find myself looking for broken pieces on the ground under all the gardening displays. |
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| When buying perennials in pots, be sure you plant them carefully and properly in the ground the first time. Never plop a plant into a 10-cent hole. Dropping perennials with the whole rootball & all potting soil from the nursery pot...as commonly seen on HGTV...is not the best way to plant. Your plants will be healthier in the long run...and you're being frugal too...if you take the time to get it in the ground right the first time. Gayle |
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| Make friends with your neighbors!!! I have gotten cuttings from both of my neighbors. One neighbor pays people to plant his plants and they are watered with sprinklers. But I have still gotten some cuttings from him. Today I finally went to talk to the other neighbor. He was out trimming his plants. He has an amazing garden in his backyard. I asked him if i could have cuttings of his Mexican Primroses and he gave me some divisions. He said i can have whatever cutting i want from him. |
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- Posted by White_Wave z5 IN (My Page) on Tue, May 11, 04 at 22:24
| If you have a pest/plant/problem, check the internet first. For instance, today I got down to researching it and finally figured out the garage has Carpenter Bees (not the lookalike Bumble Bees I had been presuming). Then I tracked down the most natural/least chemical way of controlling them. Comparison shopping on the internet saves me a bundle. I can double check those too-good to be true claims at a Cooperative extension site. The consumer opinion forums available can clue you in to companies you may want to steer clear of. This website alone is like have 30 different neighbors who offer advice to a newbie like myself. |
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- Posted by dirtdivarocks z6 PA (My Page) on Fri, May 21, 04 at 16:24
| Well, I'm not a master gardener, but I love to dig and have a natural flare for design. When I am planting my big flower pots on my deck, I will sometimes plant a very small shrub in with the flowers..... like a $3.00 alberta spruce,,,this year it was a $2.50 blue star juniper on sale at Walmart. I always take one or two wondering jews in the house to overwinter...then in the spring, I break them off into pieces, dip in root tone and plant outside in my pots. They grow like crazy. (I invest in fertilizer and good potting soil) This year I cut off the tops of some of my autumn sedum, dipped in root tone and planted in my flower pots to fill in. (water everyday) The shrubs overwinter nicely in the pots and when they are big I plant them in my yard. You could use any of your perenials that are multiplying quickly for your flower pots..mix them in with the annuals to fill in. They'll come back in the spring for you. Oh yes, and I always read the frugal gardening web for sales going on at Lowes. Last year I got 5, $l.00 clematis..I read the clematis forum for tips and now I have 3 absolutly gorgeous clematis about 4 foot tall already blooming with huge flowers...the other two didn't make it. |
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- Posted by bumblebeez z7b SC (My Page) on Sat, May 22, 04 at 12:29
| So many tips here already are things I do regularly so I tried to think of something different and although it's not practical for everybody, I would say own a pick up truck. Never pay for delivery of anything and it's great for getting county mulch and that way you can back right up to the bed (usually) and spread it. I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to bring home all the stuff I use without it. Not to mention big plants, dirt, landscaping rocks and of course all the stuff in the house: appliances, furniture, rugs... |
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| I too understand gardening as something that shouldn't make you get more plastic into your life. This goes for any kind of jug or gadget, or anything that comes in a plastic bag. Been there, done that, as they say. Plastic can be avoided by preparing home made remedies, updating your garden soil with compost which works as fertilizer too, instead of bags of topsoil, and finally, by using bamboo or metal or even tree branches for plant support. If not 100%, plastic usage can be greatly reduced to a few items. Many nurseries sell invasive plants which should be banned because they are harming forest preserves (like honeysuckle). When in doubt, checking the internet can save a bunch of headaches. In general, I always check before I plant. |
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| I want a pickup truck.. :^( Ok, here's mine: Put spent coffee grounds on acid loving plants. Use dog poo to keep your dog from digging in a particular spot (not for veggie gardens tho). ALWAYS save seeds. I work as a garden guide at Monticello, and we use an 1800's "trellis" - its a branch trimmed from a treestuck in the ground. The peas grow up it. GREAT idea. |
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- Posted by msmeliss58 Z7 Delaware (My Page) on Wed, May 26, 04 at 10:19
| Great tips!! I have something to add regarding having a pick-up truck. I save my old shower curtains & liners and line the pick-up bed with them when getting mulch & topsoil. Saves on cleaning out the bed of the truck AND when you get to a point you can man/woman handle just pull it out to unload the rest. |
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| Probably not my favorite tip, but one I just thought of a couple of days ago--I cut up an old vinyl tablecloth with the whatchamacallit (I've gone blank) soft backing into about a zillion strips for tying up tomato, hollyhock, etc plants. I won't have to worry about ties for years! I like to use old hose on trees so they will move in the wind, but some plants I want more stable, & the vinyl stretches just a little for some "give". The soft backing protects the plant too. I cut them up length-wise & left them really long. That way I can cut them to size where I use them. |
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| I got this GREAT idea from a friend last week-end. Those of us with ferns. I decided I could not justify putting so many plants in a pot as I am no longer working at the green house and have to pay for all my flowers now. I missed having height in my planters. I was visiting a friend and she had ferns (ostrich) in her pots around the front door. How cool they looked! I went home and dug the smalles one up out of my perenial shade plot and planted them in among some flower pots and put some in several pots all alone for on my shady porch. i will have access to ferns for years to come! |
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- Posted by White_Wave z5 IN (My Page) on Thu, May 27, 04 at 21:18
| Ferns! Good idea... I always let friends and family know I like old bricks and stone. I'll come and pick them up from folks who are tearing out this or that. I'll drystack a planter surround. Use them to edge around a new plant (no honey, don't mow this one down). Drystacked a cold frame, which I can take down and resize or shape for next year. Hide the uglies - right now I have a nice square in red brick stacked around the Tree of Heaven stump that persists despite my best efforts. They also squash weeds well. |
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| Buy a $3.00 mini-blind at Kmart, cut the slats up and mark with a Sharpie to make a ton of cheap, effective plant markers! |
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| Winter sow, winter sow, winter sow. |
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| solargal, what a great tip! Thanks!!!! -Deepika |
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- Posted by MOgardener z5MO (My Page) on Mon, Jun 14, 04 at 14:33
| If you are in a rural area with some cattle producers, ask for their empty protein supplement tubs or post a notice at the local feed store that sells the supplement. These tubs have about a 20 gallon capacity and are handy as a pocket in a shirt. My uses: Brooded small numbers of chicks And they are recyclable too! |
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- Posted by kittysmith z9Houston (My Page) on Tue, Jun 15, 04 at 15:30
| Some nurseries throw plants away if they don't look good enough to sell and you can rescue and revive them! Just be wary of diseased plants. |
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| Contact a local florist for another source of greens for your compost pile. |
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| Oh my, so many good ideas! I'm only a second year gardener, but already into the whole frugal thing. I'm cheap anyways! I scavenge wooded areas and the vacant field behind my house for plants and seeds. I found some pretty milkweed, some elderberry, dianthicus and blackeyed susans that I'm waiting for seeds to ripen. I have a nursery just beyond that feild and found tons and tons of plastic containers, half bags of potting soil, and several other things that "fell off the truck". My next door neighbor is the owners son and has given us free stuff. I really should get him a fruit basket soon! Save seeds from anywhere and everywhere you find them available. Even if you don't want the plant you can trade the seeds. When I built my flower bed (neighbor was highly impressed) I only spent sixty dollars because I had saved all of the gravel to add rock sections with just a little chipped marble on top. I also saved all the big rocks I dug up to add them too, made my own compost, etc. Don't pull anything up without identifying it first. I have several new plants this year that I have no idea where they came from, and thought they were weeds. I saved my christmas tree from last year, cut off all the branches and laid it down as mulch under my porch where nothing grows anyways. Keeps my feet from getting too muddy when I work there, keeps the weeds down, and keeps the neighborhood cats from using it as a toilet! Sorry that's more than one:) Destany |
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| To Make Seed Tapes: Rip old newspaper into one inch long strips tearing from the top to the bottom of the page. Use only black & white sections since colored print can emit toxins into your soil. I borrowed this from another site. A great way to sew those seeds!v :) Wing |
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- Posted by thorspippi z9/sun14 SacCA (My Page) on Thu, Jun 24, 04 at 3:03
| why doesn't the moisture in the flour glue cause them to germinate? |
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| Someone mentioned free woodchips... I second that. Free garden beds: I created my front and back gardenbeds for free with layers of my neighbors grass clippings, leaves, sticks, kitchen non-meat scraps, free coffee grounds from Starbucks, junk mail and newspaper. It helps the environment and my garden and it's free! I can't believe the amount of wonderful earth I have now, all wormy and moist where previously it had been dry and rooty from all my trees. I top the beds off every year with free chips from tree companies. Another benefit, I no longer use chemicals because all the free stuff mulches, fertilizes and keeps the weeds away. Coffee grounds on the lawn are awesome. I reduced my lawn with beds so there is less mowing to do. I now have frogs! I heard if you stop using chemicals they will come...amphibians absorb chemicals through their skin easily, so if you use chemicals, chances are you won't have frogs. Frogs are a cheap way to keep the bugs population under control. Free edging - broken concrete pieces Free weedmat - layers of newspaper, the thicker the better Someone at this forum mentioned using roof shingles for edging in front of the beds so that the mower can run across...what a great idea! I plan to try this, thanks! ~Alex |
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| some great tips on this thread, thanks everyone... And maybe y'all can keep it going! |
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- Posted by homequaker1 5/6 PA (My Page) on Wed, Apr 6, 05 at 12:17
| We used to have a pickup, which we loved, but it was costing us too much and we needed more interior room. We bought a more economical vehicle, added a trailer hitch and bought an 8 foot trailer ($500-550 new). We use the trailer for all the jobs we used to use the pickup for, and it is much cheaper and practical. |
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- Posted by frugal_gary alvin tx (My Page) on Sat, Apr 9, 05 at 22:35
| Frugal, I love the idea of cheap or free "stuff".My freind next door sells Yumyum to garden centers and gives me the busted bags. They have horses and you know what they make! Behind my garden there are cows and a bull I call "Bud". They make lots of OG and Bud is a 1 ton pet(He comes to get scratched when I whistle for him).A catfish farm "gives" me all the scraps I want.Free rice hulls by the trailer load just for asking. Leaves everywhere!!! Down the street I see a big pile of wood chips I will probably get if I want to haul them out of thier way.Coffee grounds from the donut shop.Seeds from a brother and my dad. Tomato plants from an elderly man at the donut shop.Pallets from work,including 12 footers Hadiplank siding comes on(these are great to make 4 bin composters out of).I also pull apart the big pallets to make stands for water barrels.I got a 55 gal. plastic one from another old man at the donut shop.For the other "barrel"I patched my leaking water well pressure tank with JB weld. BE NICE. BE FRUGAL. ENJOY. |
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- Posted by MagnoliaMommy z8/9 TX (My Page) on Tue, Apr 12, 05 at 15:51
| Chicken poop & alpaca poop work just as good as cow poop for the soil... I use chicken poop since we raise chickens but one of my friends works at an alpaca farm where she gets hers and she has a gorgeous garden. |
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| Tie up berry canes or tomatoes with spent latex gloves. I just peel them off when done weeding and digging, and start right in on whatever needs tying. They look a bit silly, but work great. |
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| I've used an old hose that leaked, drilled more holes into, and turned it into a soaker hose. |
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| Pantyhose cut into strips make great ties for tomatoes. I like black best because they are easy to find at the end of the season but any color works. |
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| Do not buy plastic tie-tape. Take the plastic bag in which your paper carrier places the paper on wet days and cut 1" strips across the bag. Cut the one inch loop which results on one side, and you have MANY clear plastic ties! They are unobtrusive in the garden, and are VERY soft and stretchy,so won't hurt delicate stems. |
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- Posted by mantorvillain z4bMN Dodge (My Page) on Sun, Apr 24, 05 at 10:57
| My neighbor is my mechanic and 'vehicle spotter'. My old pickup ran great but the bed was literally held on with duct tape and bailing wire with plywood covering the holes. When neighbor found me a whoppin deal on a newer PU I was faced with the delimma of what to do with old reliable (no room to just keep it). I ended up giving it to a single mom down the street so she gets a reliable (if ugly) PU and I get unlimited use of it for trips to the dump & don't have to mess up my nice truck with wood chips, compost etc. Will |
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| Milk Jugs make wonderful little green houses . Have used them for pots too. |
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- Posted by roseyp8255 z8 AL (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 05 at 14:28
| All of my friends who buy plants (from individuals other than me) bring me their leftover pots....i give them a free plant or two - which I am able to count as income (bartering thing) - makes me happy, costs little, and makes my accountant happy! I have a home based greenhouse - side business, sell at flea markets 3-4 times a year, etc. - I haven't BOUGHT pots yet! |
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| i love planting food scraps & watching them grow into a whole new plant. now anytime i have potatoes, beets, or onions that are too old to eat, or kitchen scraps that most people throw out (well, at my house it would go into the compost pile.. which is kind of how i discovered this).. they get planted! *potatoes- (whole or pieces)- grows a new crop of taters i'm going to keep experimenting with "food recycling" & see what else works.. i think i've just discovered the dangerous secret that farmers & food suppliers don't want us to know about... LOL! this week i'm trying romaine letuce, hopefully it will work the same as celery. |
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| Plant the bottom of a leek and get a pretty white allium flower Tracy |
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- Posted by Victorias_Garden 7 Atlanta (My Page) on Tue, May 3, 05 at 8:11
| Regarding the post about planting things from the grocery store: I do a talk on "grocery store gardening" - here are some other things you can try: coconut, avocado pit, basil/watercress/rosemary will root in water, taro root (plant is similar to elephant ears), ginger root, horseradish root...just a few more for you. |
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| Instead of putting those laundry scoops that come in powdered laundry detergent in the recycle bin, use them to scoop out dry fertilizers, lime etc. Many medicine products (like cough syrups, citucel, etc) also come with measuring cups and scoops. These can also be used when mixing liquid fertilizers, insecticidal soap etc. |
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- Posted by SeaOtterCove 2b BC (My Page) on Thu, May 5, 05 at 17:02
| A great way to get sturdy stakes for your garden is to go to the local hockey arena and get the broken hockey sticks. My husband brings these home for me when he spots them in the garbage. They come in lenghts up to 6 feet (depending on the height of the person and where they broke). Plus they are thick enough that you can use eye hooks if nessary for plants, plus you can paint them. Or if you want you can save enough and make quite a nice bench or chair out of them. The goalie sticks make great armrests. |
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| - I had saved all of my translucent plastic milk jugs since last year thinking that I might do something with them. I've used almost half of them making plant labels. I write on them with a sharpie. - Growing everything from seeds this year...so far, so good. And all of those plant labels came in handy. - Compost grown in our own backyard. - Wood chip mulch from the municipal landfill. |
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| Great thread...learned a lot so far! Cheap Bubbler Amend soil with manure instead of store-bought compost Use sand to amend clay soil Big wooden tongue depressers as seed id sticks Sour cream containers as scoops CD-R/DVD-R plastic stack cases Free plastic pots If you don't like a plant or it isn't doing well Final tip
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- Posted by jarrett622 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 27, 06 at 0:19
| Styrofoam peanuts can be used in the bottom of plant pots. I ran out of coarse aquarium gravel (given to me by a friend) and have a ton of those peanuts left over from our move in Oct. I'm using those in the bottom of the pots and so far they're working great. Today another friend gave me several stacks of clear plastic containers that he'd had sitting around. They look like lids from a fast food joint. I can nest one inside the other and have a very nice tray for starting plants from seed. I use several popcorn pieces in the bottom of the water tray to keep the top portion out of the water. I realise this is an old thread but I figured one could never have enough frugal tips. ;-) |
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- Posted by tastefullyjulie zone 6 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 4, 06 at 0:16
| I'm glad you revived this thread. I have tons of styrofoam peanuts that I was going to throw away but instead I can put them in the bottom of some large whiskey barrels this spring. Thank you! |
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- Posted by gardenfaerie z5b Michigan (My Page) on Sat, Mar 4, 06 at 8:27
| If you do use the styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of pots, put them in one of those mesh bags oranges come in or in a plastic bags that you make slits in (drainage is obviously important!) and tie with twist-tie. This way, cleanup is MUCH easier and you can reuse the bag o' styrofoam easily the nest year. Otherwise, it's hard picking individual peanuts out of the soil. Monica |
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- Posted by booberry85 z4NY (My Page) on Mon, Mar 27, 06 at 12:15
| Some seasonal tips: spring is here so people will be doing their spring cleaning. Keep your eye on the curbs for what people are throwing out. Also, in the beginning of May all those college kids will be going home and put all sorts of things in the trash they don't want their parents know they bought. So go look up near the colleges in the beginning and mid-May. Shortly after that is when the schools do all their landscaping work. It's easy to pick up extra containers or even plants! |
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| Recycle 2 liter bottles from pop. Cut about 1" below lip on bottle top ( like a funnel), turn up side down and put into bottle. Staple/tie the two pieces together. Staple string in 3 places evenly around the top and hang. Add a little sugar water - enjoy gardening without being hassled by wasps! They can get in but I have never saw one get out. They are very attracted to the green ones, not sure why. Pop bottles are also very good mini greenhouses. Cut out bottom and push into ground around the plant. |
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| Collect rainwater in barrels. I grow many exotics that can only be watered with rain, distilled, or dehumidifier water. Last fall, we picked up three 55 and two 33 gallon barrels for free from a carwash (in the pickup truck). We also have a few worm bins, the finished compost is absolutely amazing. We made worm compost tea, aerating it with an aquarium pump. It worked better than anything by Miracle Grow and several plants that hadn't bloomed in years flowered for us. Plant swaps and exchanges. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Rainbarrel Info
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- Posted by birdtalker z7WA (My Page) on Tue, Apr 11, 06 at 22:14
| my favority frugalities are : 1) not using any pesticides. We feed the birds and they seem to take care of all pests. 2) always use natural fertilizers and mulch. Works better and lasts longer. 3) we water as little as possible usually only once or twice in august. Cuts down on bugs, fungi, and lower water bill. The grass goes dormant for a month and then rebounds. 4) a mulching mower is worth its weight in gold!! Our area gave big discounts if you gave up your regular mower. Helps with keeping the grass healthy and you only miss the clippings at composting times. |
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| I cannot believe that this thread is two years old and nobody has mentioned grafting! Mail order fruit trees cost can run you from $20 to $35 apiece, or even more, then you need to consider what postage and handling adds to your bill. Grafting permits you to make your own fruit and nut trees for about one tenth the cost of retail, quite a savings! Grafting is pretty easy to learn. I whetted my taste for it on the internet, then actually bought a very good book about it by RJ Garner that is the best manual I have ever laid my eyes on. So in all, pretty much self taught (or at least 'self-read'), and now I am actually teaching others. You can buy rootstocks for around $2 each, trade other people scion wood, or just buy it outright for a dollar or two per stick (usually you can graft half a dozen trees up from a 8 or 10 inch stick of scion wood). Thus you could whip up a half dozen fruit trees for around 12-15 bucks, plus or minus. That same half dozen trees, retail, would run you around $130 to $210, depending on what and where you bought from. If you buy rootstocks by the 25 or more count from places like Raintree or One Green World, the price goes down to 1.75 each, usually. This is one tip that has saved me alot of cash over the years. I have grafted some 90 kinds of plums, 40 or more kinds of apples, plus decorative hawthorns, and assorted gooseberries, peaches, apricots, cherries, pomegranites, jujubes, mulberries, roses and persimmons. And I am probably forgetting a thing or two :) I forgot to mention that it is also a very interesting and fun craft. You can use it anytime a tree has leaves on it, and in some cases, when there are no leaves. Well worth learning -- it adds a whole new dimension to gardening! |
Here is a link that might be useful: one of many grafting links
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- Posted by thecurious1 z5 Chicago (My Page) on Thu, Jul 13, 06 at 16:26
| Thanks for all the good tips!!! My contributions are the following: 1. If you live close to orchards, ask for the apple pomace to amend your soil. It does wonderful things to clay soils!! 2. Search for a municipal recycler in your area. Chances are, that there is finished compost available for a low cost or free. 3. The Garden Web site has a really nice explanation (with pictures) of starting seeds in coffee liners. Look under seed starting 4.Never pass up a household auction. Many of the things that no one wants make wonderful garden trellis, fences or ornaments. You can usually get them for a few dollars as a lot. Keep up the good work, I will be checking back to get more hints. |
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| Deer repellent from the Dollar Stores ..... Arm & Hammer carpet deodorizer. I sprinkle it LIGHTLY over my 'deer munchable' plants about once every three weeks and the deer will not go near them. Not affected at all by rain. I have very large flower gardens and one box will last the entire growing season. |
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- Posted by ellieengland 92116 (My Page) on Wed, Aug 2, 06 at 1:15
| I have a rather intricate gardening system that ends up actually putting me in the green so to speak. When I moved into my house I had cockroaches and the ugliest plants ever in the yard. I pulled most of the plants out and sold them at a garage sale since they were these lame landscaping plants. I didn't want to tent the house for roaches so I got a duck and it ate all the cockroaches. Then I got another duck and a few chickens to keep the duck company. After a while, we started running low on cockroaches (as well as snails, slugs, grasshoppers, japanese beetles, lawn grubs, etc) so I wanted to feed the birds fresh fruits to supplement their diet so I brought the fresh eggs to the farmers market where I gifted them to people in the booths in exchange for their trash (mango rinds, apple cores, extra lettuce that was ugly from the ends of the heads of lettuce, and such). Because people thought they were getting such a good deal trsading trash for fresh eggs (and *I* tought *I* was getting a good deal too), I got not only as many boxes of fresh veggie and fruit refuse and I could freeze for the birds every week but also if I tried to buy herbs and veggie plants from the herb and veggie people, they insist that I take them for free. Meantime, I composted the bird droppings with earthworms. Once a month I sell off extra plants, eggs, baby ducks, worm compost, worms, and herbs and veggies I get in trade for eggs. I make between $40 and $1500/month off my 1000 square foot garden (depending on if I sell some realy rare stuff out of the garden or just a few buckets of worm compost and a dozen eggs). It's pretty weird but it supports my trips to get exotic plants at botanical gardens in other cities. I get extras and sell those at my plant sales...you knew that though... |
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| Love the tips. Definitely work at the garden center if you can (as someone mentioned). You get lots of free (damaged) bags of fertilizer and soil, as well as a discount on stuff. My friend gets a 40% discount on everything. Also, we got a bunch of free pepper and tomato plants that were going to be thrown out. With a little watering and care, they're now producing peppers and tons of tomatoes. Here's my neighbor's tip: when you cut off the bottom root part of alliums (leeks, onions, green onions) just plant the bottom in the ground and water it. green leaves come out of it if the rooting "takes" (almost always) and you have a whole new plant. I got a leek plant this way, way faster than from seed. This technique also worked with romaine lettuce and cabbage and chinese greens. When you go cook, you can cut off bits of the green onion leaves instead of yanking the whole thing out of the ground. My neighbor did this for a year and eventually found a big red onion sitting in the ground where she planted a green onion bottom. If you use this technique successfully please send a silent thank you to Rhonda (my neighbor) |
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| I make starter pots out of old pvc pipe. Cut it 4-6" in length. Then put newspaper in the bottom of the flat to retain the soil. When it's time for transplanting, simply soak the bottomless pot in a bucket of water, place it in the hole, and slide the tube off of the top. You never disturb the roots. |
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| I have recently discovered that the posts from all those awful campaign signs make nice garden stakes. |
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- Posted by greth_gardener (My Page) on Thu, Nov 16, 06 at 19:07
| My garden is self funding. I have registered a small nursery business (was free to get a business number) so whatever I buy I can get at wholesale price, and that gives me licence to wander round 'wholesale only' nurseries and pick out what I like. Sometimes I take a friend plant shopping at wholesale prices! I buy punnets of seedlings at wholesale price (about $1.70), pot them up and grow them on as individual plants, and sell for $2 a pot.If there are six plants in the punnet, that means $12 for a $1.70 investment, pretty cool. I keep some of the daggy ones to plant in my own garden, so we get veggies as a sideline. I can also buy pots/labels in bulk, not commonly available or cheap in garden shops. I would highly recommend getting a business number if it is free where you live, and if you do a lot of gardening. You don't have to prove you have a viable or continuing business, or do a lot of accounting, just keep a basic record, here anyway. No more paying the middleman! Just imagine wandering around a nursery where everything is half price, lovely! I grow and sell herbs, trying to stock the rare and unusual, at the local market. Because I am small scale, the tax office neither knows nor cares about what I do, its just a paying hobby.I make around $30 profit a week, have a lovely time hanging out at the market with my children playing in the park. I meet lots of other market plant sellers, swap a few plants with them, get new ideas and advice. At markets people often give away produce at the end of the day too. And I've lost count of the little gifts other stallholders have given my children. When my toddler is big enough for school, I will expand a bit, and make my nursery a real moneymaking business, but for now it is fun, and husband can't criticise my garden spending when it turns into profit. This is my perfect life, I chose it, and I live it. Sometimes it is a bit hard to drag self out of bed on Sunday morning to load plants into the car, but that is about the worst of it. |
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| greth_gardner: "Because I am small scale, the tax office neither knows nor cares about what I do, its just a paying hobby." Whoa. There is no such thing as a "paying hobby" to the IRS. Even if it is only $30/wk like you say, you still must report it by law. I see by your profile that you live in Austrailia and things may be done differently there, but here in the US you would be getting yurself into some big trouble for not filing quarterly taxes on a business. |
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| Thank you all guys! Great advice and tips. Happy New Year to each and everyone of you! May 2007 bring you all abundance of goodies, and lots and lots of free stuff :-)! ~Natalie |
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- Posted by sylviatexas z8a Tx (My Page) on Fri, Jan 12, 07 at 12:45
| "I still have the urge to go shopping at all the nurseries around here but I stave off the urge and tell myself to do something more constructive with my time." NJCher posted this in February of 2004, so it's an oldie... but a goodie that bears repeating. One of the most frugal (& enjoyable, & therapeutic, & rewarding) things we can do in our gardens is occupy our time & our hands. I often have the impulse to add something to the garden, & as we all know, giving that impulse some immediate gratification always involves spending time & spending money. So I try to save my time & my gasoine & my cash by "adding" via re-habbing something I already have, or creating something "new" from what I already have on hand: thinning plants becomes trading or propagating or making arrangements. removing spent roses becomes starting potpourri. when I trim the gangly rosemary, I take in a few sprigs to scent the kitchen or office & sometimes I put a few sprigs into a small vase to share with the people at the bank, the post office, the vet clinic, Starbucks, etc. Some of these vases come from garage sales, maximum cost 25 cents, & some of them are glass bottles from here & there. I paid something like $9 for a glass bit for my little drill, & I now can drill drainage holes in old coffee mugs to make small planters for mint, ice plant, etc. These are nice for occasions when people typically give cut flowers: (& if I ever run out of coffee mugs, I bet I can find more at garage sales or thrift stores!)
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| Hey fellow cheapskates! I plant apple and plum seeds in between my grape plantings. Then when they are 5 or so millimeters diameter or so (usually one seasons growth) I graft them to some superb apple or plum and try to find a home for them. Usually it is not too hard, particularly if you use well known names like Fuji, Golden Delicious, ad nauseum. Or you can plant on the roadsides for future generations to wonder at! Now is that cheap enuff? If you are not participating in this brand of high-excitement, you are really missing out :^) |
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| i saw the hint above about using venetian blind slats cut up as plant markers. i've been doing this for a couple of years and discovered that the best marker with the least fade-out is a laundry marker. great hints here -- got to keep this thread toward the top! |
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- Posted by aberwacky_ar7b NLR, AR z7b (My Page) on Fri, Mar 23, 07 at 15:35
| Lots of great tips here! One we use is our chicken composting system, LOL. All kitchen scraps go to our 8 hens, who rapidly turn them in to valuable manure and mix it in with the leaves in their coop. It makes for great compost in only a month or so, and since we have to pay by the bag for our trash, saves at garbage time--my DH will put kitchen scraps in the chicken bucket, but I never could convince him to put them in the compost bucket. We get great compost for the garden, get rid of kitchen scraps and lots of leaves, provide entertainment for the kids, plus, we get more than enough eggs for our family and plenty to give away to the neighbors and friends. Leigh |
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| I found an old stainless sink in an alley and brought it home, buried it in the ground for a planter. Its sweet. |
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| i just found this 3 year old thread, and it is just wonderful to read thru! my tips would be: broken concrete and free planting beds. i hunt down a pile of broken concrete any time i need a patio, or to edge a new raised bed, or to stack for garden benches, etc. a pickup really helps here! to be nice to the truck, i only haul a few pieces at a time, as concrete is heavy. when i need a new planting bed, and that is more often than you might think, i pick a place in the yard and lay out a border of broken concrete, or bricks if i find some for free. then i lay down a light layer of newspaper, because a thick layer of newspaper is like pouring a concrete bottom. then i go hunting for neighbor's neatly bagged leaf and grass clippings, and pour those into my new planting bed over the papers. i try never to dig the soil under the bed, just build over the top of it. after a few rains, i can spread homemade compost over the leaf mixture and start to plant. usually, a free bed made this way is really at its best the second season out, and continues to get better over the years. i use those leaves and grass clippings for mulch and compost also. they turn our heavy clay soil into heaven on earth. i especially loved the tip about planting seeds in eggshells. my mom used to do that when i was little. she would save the egg carton, poke holes in the carton, set half a washed eggshell in each little section, fill each with a fine soil and a seed or two, and water in. i believe that the little plant would break thru the bottom of the shell in time, and she'd plant the entire thing in the bed. that way eggshells became amendments to the soil over time. |
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| Well, I guess the talk has been given! But my favorite tips are: Use your local library. and Try craigslist - I've gotten lots of low cost or free plant and planters and other garden accoutrements. |
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| What a fantastic thread this has been, can't really think of anthing offhand that hasn't already been mentioned . Although, I have been saving those clear plastic containers that you get salads in , also tomatoes which have containers that have holes in top and bottom to allow moisture to escape. Have been using them to germinate seeds and they are excellent. You can just open the lid to let excess moisture out once seeds start to germinate. |
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- Posted by jennijenjen z10b SoFL (My Page) on Sat, Apr 28, 07 at 21:29
| Thanks, Maggiepie! I've read through this entire thread to see if someone had this idea also! It figures it's be the LAST POST! I get the clear 'all natural' cartons of eggs at Publix or Whole Foods and poke a hole in each cup. The entire carton is clear and they're also perfect little greenhouses for germinating seeds! |
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| pick up wooden chopsticks when you get chinese or sushi, even if you can't use the blasted things to eat with. They make great plant stakes! Also, make friends with your local restaurant or deli, especially if they serve pickles with their sandwiches. You can usually get the 5 gallon pickle buckets for free! I use mine to hold my potting soil out on my balcony. I'm sure that there are other uses for them as well. |
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| I had stopped checking the forum because of the ads. Anyways, I am thinking of setting up a container in my office's kitchen and bring home the coffee grounds, fruit peels, etc. I already bring back my own leftovers for composting, so this may be interesting. I wish the people in this thread who recommend vynil, pvc or plastic stuff would read more about why this is not a good idea. Plastic takes thousands of years to decompose and shed toxic compounds throughout, so I prefer reducing or recycling it when possible. Mailboxes etc and some UPS stores will accept plastic peanuts for reuse. I have recycled bubble envelopes through freecycle. |
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- Posted by gardnpondr Zone 8 (My Page) on Fri, May 4, 07 at 0:01
| ME TO on wanting a pickup truck!!!! my tip would be, for those of us that just can't grow seeds into nice plants, (I can if I plant them outside in the flower beds) watch Lowe's clearances!!! I racked up a couple weeks back on plants. I got 2 whole trays of petunias for 2.00 a tray. Then got 6" pots of salvas for .05 and marigolds for .10 and 6 cell packs of mexican heathers for .25 each. BUT I STILL want a pick up truck!!!!! BAD! ;) |
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- Posted by auntnete 8 (gafoodies706@aol.com) on Sun, May 13, 07 at 18:53
| Hello everyone, this is my first post and I think it belongs on this thread. I take the limbs that have been pruned fromn my apple, pear, and peach trees and break them down into manageable pieces and take them to the potting shed. Then I cut them down into 3-4" pieces. When I get a good handful I wrap them with raffia in the middle and give them as fragrant firestarters to friends. Around Christmas I give them as hostess gifts when we go to parties. I fill a large paper bag that I have decorated (presentation is everything) and they seem to love it. The other thing I do is take the cedar trees that have had to be taken down and run them through the chipper, I put them in mesh bags and put a bow around them then with same color ribbon I wrap a clothes hanger. Instant closet freshener. I hope someone can use these tips. Thank you so much for all your ideas! |
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| This needs to go back to the top. I have read each and every one of these great idea's and I think others would learn a lot if they did too. Great job everyone!!! Also put requests in on Freecycle. And check Craiglist often for free plants or seeds. |
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- Posted by cottagegirl_tn 7 (My Page) on Tue, Nov 18, 08 at 20:48
| My tip is overwintering some half hardy perennials indoors that are commonly used as "porch plants" in summer. They can get expensive to re-buy every year. My easiest ones have been angel wing begonias, common begonias, geraniums, variegated ivy and kimberly fern. Jennifer |
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| I buy plants very inexpensively on clearance racks in Lowes, HD, etc. If it is 75% off or more - it comes home with me. |
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- Posted by gatormomx2 9 westvolusiafl (My Page) on Tue, Dec 2, 08 at 7:09
| Become a Master Gardener . I have been amazed at the kindness and generosity of MGs. We swap plants all the time along with pots and wood chips . MGs have some incredible tips and best of all - I get to hang out with " like minded frugal gardeners " . Check out your local Extension Office and sign up for the next class . And - it's all free ! |
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- Posted by greenbean08 5 CO (My Page) on Thu, Dec 4, 08 at 1:39
| You know, if a pickup truck isn't in your budget, check out your car's towing capacity, and look into a utility trailer. Of course, then you have to be able to back it up... (I'm not so good at that part...) We bought a $600 trailer probably 10 or 12 years ago, and we use it a lot (and we actually have a truck as well). It's lower to the ground than the truck, so it can be easier to load & unload. I don't have to worry about chipping the paint or anything like that, and if it takes me a week to unload the horse manure I brought home, DH doesn't freak out about his truck. Our trailer can hold quite a bit more than the truck. If we're hauling a heavy load, we use the truck, but my Escape has pulled that thing full of household goods more than 8,000 miles (a few different trips) with no trouble. Just something to think about... |
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- Posted by tidewaterlilly z7 va (My Page) on Fri, Dec 12, 08 at 17:37
| My favorite tips: 1. I cut up old black waterhoses into 6 foot sections, I place them in the cherry trees, blueberry bushes, and grape vines. Haven't lost crops to birds since doing this. 2. Save tomatoe soup cans to give or sell tomatoes plants in, folks love them. I use all tin cans, cardboard creme and milk cartons for transplanting, haven't had to buy a pot yet. 3.I love clay pots for the patio plants, but they dry out so quickly. I line the sides with bubble wrap, and don't have to water as often. 4. When I find a dead tree in the woods, I cut slabs for stepping stones. 5. Railroad has given me many railroad ties for raised beds, I don't use them for or near vegetables. Also have made steps out of them on hilly areas. 6. Save all coffee grounds for the blueberry bushes. 7. Panty hose for tomatoe ties. 8. Produce mesh bags for homemade bird suet. 9. Sow buckwheat throughout the year in between vegetable plants, and in rows, the bees love them, I let some go to seed and collect them, and or just pull them up and lay next to veggies for mulch, then dig in in later. 10.Raise most vegetables in raised beds made from 2x12's. Very little bending, and no tilling. Easy to construct a small hoop house over beds for winter salad greens. |
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| I have one! Not just for gardening tools, but any tool that has rust. It's easy to take off rust with aluminum foil. Just damp soil foil with water and rub on the rusted surface. The rust will transfer to the foil. |
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| Here is a strange one. But then so am I. I wanted a hill on my level yard. In the corner of my fenced in city yard, by an erosion preventing pine tree. Not enough dirt by calculation to make much of a strawberry hill that the next year transformed into a small bog garden with the use of a discarded pond I picked up. I had about 3 or 4 dozen gallon milk bottles with caps (you need them to keep the air in and the jug from collapsing). I laid down some excess brick amongst the jugs and brought in first load of dirt. Then more jugs and more bricks and more dirt till I had a mound about 3' high. Then I added limestone, plants and trees and of course several strawberry plants all around the bog area. For realism, I added a few dead trees/stumps and got some cattails from the local slew. If I ever decide to change it (or someone after me), they can reuse the bricks, stones, and recycle the jugs. Seems like I won't change it tho, I just keep added to it. This spring will be it's third year. Oh, lest I forget, neighbor was discarding a toilet. I bleach washed it, left it out in the rain for a month and then sledge hammered it into workable pieces and buried it amongst some large plastic planters and put perenniels in the pots and covered it all with my compost. My hill didn't get higher, just larger. And my fall 75% off hens and chicks had a new home. |
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- Posted by chickenmom 7b/8a, DFW, TX (My Page) on Wed, Jan 28, 09 at 0:13
| Wonderful ideas! My latest idea is making pots out of newspaper. On the winter sowing forum directions are given to open up a sheet of newspaper then fold it in half from top to bottom. Fold in half again from top to bottom then wrap around a glass with about 3" extending beyond the open end of the glass. Next you shove down the extended paper inside the glass. Now pull it all off the glass and use the bottom of the glass to smash down the folded paper in the center which makes the bottom of the pot. You'll get a nice pot and you can change the size based on the size of the glass you use. Fill them with potting soil and nestle them together in a foil lasagne pan with a plastic lid or a plastic salad container. Plant your seeds and the container will keep the moisture in while the seed germinates. When finished with the pots they can go into the compost pile. I've made hundreds for winter sowing. |
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| I have used this tip for years to help keep the cats out of the garden. I take my used coffee grounds and pour them over the garden area that the cats seem to like and - voila! No more cats! I don't know if it's the smell of the coffee or the texture of the grounds, but it has always worked for me. |
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- Posted by gardenfaerie z5b Michigan (My Page) on Fri, Feb 6, 09 at 21:39
| Wow! It's been nearly five years since I first posted this thread, and I'm so happy people are still responding. Thanks to everyone for your input; it's been so fun reading your tips. Keep 'em coming! :) Monica |
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| Here where I live we have trouble with the cut-worm. We have to put something around most of the plants in the vegetable garden, to protect them until they get big enough. I cut up a 4" thin wall pvc pipe and have used the same collers for the past 12 years. Using the same collers for that long sure same lots of time and money for me. |
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| smooth stones or broken clay pots are good for plant markers |
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- Posted by autodidact (My Page) on Thu, Mar 5, 09 at 12:22
| Made my compost bins out of free wood pallets off Craig's List. Even included hinges in the front. Very happy with them. |
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| I have never tried myself, thought heard someone made a "smoothy" in a blender out of banana peel and other table compost material, and pored it directly around her plants, since she did not have a compost container. |
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| My number one tip would be to salvage as much stuff as possible from trash piles around your neighborhood. Also, don't be afraid to contact businesses to ask if they have any scraps. Food establishments are a great source for free or cheap 5 gallon buckets. If you need a tool, try pawn stores or flea markets first. |
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- Posted by nancy_drew 5 nw chgo burbs (My Page) on Sun, Mar 29, 09 at 12:02
| Winter sowing! You cannot get more frugal than that! With a 20 cent packet of seed from WalMart, you can grow literally pound upon pound of veggies! There is no cost for lighting, no cost for expensive trays or for heat mats. All it takes is a quart of potting mix and an empty milk just. For about the same amount of money, you can also grow very expensive perennial plants as well. Some of my Winter Sown sell for more than $10.00 EACH at a nursery! Never again will I ever buy a plant for my garden! Even if it's 75% off... I can winter sow dozens of them for the same money! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing on GW
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- Posted by hepatica_z7 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 30, 09 at 20:05
| Hi all you Froogies (just made that up for us). I am a long time lurker who is finally beginning to post. Some of these ideas I already mentioned in Bulbs, Vegetables, and Wintersowing, but here they are all together in their true home; 1) Instead of beer for slug traps, you can just use a bit of yeast in water. Bury a cottage cheese container to the lip and then fill with this mixture. 2)Old sheets, towels, even natural fiber clothing make fine weed barriers. They do break down within a year or so. It's fun to find snaps and buttons when planting the bed in later years! 3) Raised beds can be made for free if you can find tree trunks that don't have branches. Maybe that is not so easy everywhere, but with all the tulip poplars around here, in vacant woodsy lots, I find a lot of straight, about 6" diameter logs that can be up to 15" long. I haven't done anything in the way of attaching them, but I'm sure one could. They serve the purpose of holding in the soil, just by sitting there. They have a rustic, natural look. Of course, after quite a few years they rot. And of course, as the last poster urges, winter sow! Sturdiest transplants you could ever hope to buy or grow. Hepatica |
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| One thing we do is use old bed frames for trellising. We are growing cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and medium pumpkins on these sturdy frames. This year we'll try growing potatoes in old apple baskets. (Must have a hundred of these old things around!) I guess the moral is to use what you have, scrounge what you don't! :) Cheers! |
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| I have a new one: For seedlings that I want to transfer directly to the garden without disturbing the roots: yoplait yogurt cups. I decided to try them because they have a sort of upside down cone shape. I made a happy discovery: The cup has a false bottom--the bottom of the cup is raised up 1/4 inch. When I used a razor blade to cut off the ring of plastic that raises up the false bottom (see crude illustration below) the whole bottom popped out, and then the seedling and dirt will all slide right out the bottom into the planting hole. ...... [~~~~~] |
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| Love this post. Love being called a Froogie! (it beats "cheap" which I've been called before) 1) I have annuals in huge pots by my walkway. Shallow roots don't need all that expensive potting soil, so I filled the pots about 1/2 way with plastic soda bottles. 2) Made a trellis for my Morning Glories out of small limbs cut from the branches that came down in our ice storm last year. Just lopped off the branches, (about 4-5 ft tall), stuck them in the ground in front of a fence & secured them to the fence w. twist ties. It is cool looking in the winter with nothing on it & cost only for the twist tie things (bread ties not being long enough) Thanks for all the tips. Patty |
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- Posted by luvsdieter 6a (Cincinnati) (My Page) on Wed, Jun 10, 09 at 17:07
| I love this whole section!! It just hurts me to pay full price for something or buy an item that I could easily make at home. I'm still new to outdoor gardening (been doing small container gardening, indoors mostly), but my whole garden has cost me less than $75 so far this year. Here's what has worked for me: - used dirt dug from our "compost" (I put it in quotes because it's not really compost - just the pile where clippings and misc yard waste go) instead of buying lots of potting mix - Started everything from seed except for berry plants - Made my own trellis for climbing beans from an unused shepherds hook. Just took twine straight down from the crooks, then tied off different sections for the beans to climb - Instead of buying twine, I just grab a few handfuls of the free stuff by the door at Lowe's each time I go in (used for tying things to the roof of the car) - i didn't have any tomato cages and didn't want to buy any, so i planted the tomato seedlings strategically near stakes so that I could tie them up with the free lowe's twine - just picked up a huge bag of coffee grounds from the starbucks in my office building. |
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- Posted by okiefamily (My Page) on Thu, Jun 18, 09 at 17:15
| I used a re-useable grocery bag to make a planter for my upside down tomato instead of buying the kit at the store. I've got tomatoes growing out the bottom and cilantro growing out the top! |
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| I traded plants for small seed pots and trays on Craigslist. I needed more small 2" pots for my greenhouse, so I promised to return some of the pots with veggie and flower plants. I got a great response and made some new garden friends. I use yogurt cups for the next transfer stage of seedlings. Don't forget to poke holes in the bottom. We eat lots of yogurts so always have plenty. Then I clean them and recycle them when I plant the small plants in the garden. |
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| I buy tomato cages at yard sales and cut them in two pieces to use as supports for smaller perennials. They don't last as long as the expensive ones but are often free or very inexpensive. We've collected lots of used coffee grounds from local coffee shops to use as soil and compost amendments. Also every week get a garbage bag 1/2 or full of veggie trimmings from the produce section to add to the compost. It's plant food and it's all free. In the bottom half of very large outdoor plant pots (bot cheaply at yard sales) I put fine wood shavings we get free. Reduces soil needed, absorbs moisture, and starts to decompose so can be used as mulch later. All the mulch we use is those wood shavings with compost, UCG, and alfalfa tea added. Have to go and shovel the shavings but they're free. Alfalfa pellets are a fairly inexpensive fertilizer. Plants from seed are the best value IMO. Plants from charity sales and yard sales can be good also as are plant swaps with friends. My DH has bot a lot of garden tools (and mechanic and woodworking tools) at yard sales. I buy plant pots and garden decor there. I've used lots of twigs to hold short garden peas up off the ground. We yard sale so a lot of things we use come from there. One really good find was a square rigid plastic pond liner. I wanted to make a pond but decided not to so use the pond liner in the back of our van to haul dirty things we wouldn't put in the van otherwise. It fits perfectly, holds quite a lot, and is easy to clean by taking out and hosing off. |
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| Good ideas all. I just read about breaking up a toilet and using that in the bottom of pots. My neighbor topped that by placing an old toilet in his front yard and used it as a planter. Her is currently growing petunias in it. First I thought it was tacky but after awhile it started to grow on me. One obvious way to recycle in the yard is to salvage all grass materials possible. Grass clippings add a lot of nitrogen to the ground. Good grass that is dug out so beds can be put in should be used as plugs or as sod in other parts of your yard that are lacking. Popsicle sticks are okay plant marker. Old plastic knives are even better markers(don't buy new knives just to use for this since that would defeat the purpose). Old hoses can be used to tie up trees that are in danger of wind damage. Dried bamboo can be used as stakes. When cleaning fish tanks use the waste water on your plants. Also when replacing fish tank gravel it makes a great ammendment to the soil providing faster drainage. Craigslist and freecycle are great. Also make friends with local individuals to swap with. Swapping through the mail is not always the best way to get plants(it is great for collectors of rare plants or for people who complete large trades). I paid a total of $35 shipping 3 banana trees, some seeds, and some cannas. I also use some biodegradable items as filler in my raised beds. I pile leaf litter in the bottom of my raised beds. Also sometimes I buy bags of large rocks or gather large rocks instead of using soil in the bottom of my raised beds. I find that bags of rocks fill more space and are less expensive than garden soil. All natural decoration... Use sticks and vines to create broom facimiles. These can be used as a broom...lol But since regular store bought brooms are more practical these can also be used a decorations hanging from trees. Cats are great when it comes to pest control so house a cat rather than buying chemicals when it comes to mole/vole or other rodent problems. Coffee cans are great to make bird houses with. Maybe I can get creative and think of more later. |
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| I visit my local carpet store. They have an everlasting supply of new carpet off-cuts left over from installations. I use the carpet as a weed mat under any raised beds I'm establishing. Also use it between garden beds as a weed / grass supressor & walkway. Needs replacing every three or so years. My dogs also have a regular supply of New & Clean mats on which to sleep.. Also have a mushroom farmer down the road who grows mushrooms in bags. He's always happy to part with his spent compost at a reasonable price. Great natural fertaliser & increases humus! |
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| By the way. What is DH short for? I've always used it as a replacement for Dick Head. |
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- Posted by desertdance Sunset 13 (My Page) on Mon, Apr 26, 10 at 10:27
| Here is my tip! My cuttings from UC Davis were too long for my planting bands, so I cut tips with 2 buds each, marked them with the UC Davis tag, and laid them in a 1.5" trench covered with loose dirt, outside in the garden areas. These were grapevines, figs, and pomegranates, all assorted varieties. No fear! I had them marked!! So, I discovered 4 little grapevines peeking out of the dirt after about 3 weeks, and then the drama began! The ID tag had either washed off or faded in the sun, so now I have mystery plants!! After researching the web, I found that you can cut an aluminum can up into tags, punch with a hole punch, emboss the plant's ID into the aluminum with a ball point pen (I found this is easy to do with the aluminum laid on a mouse pad), and some wire to hang the tags onto the plant. The embossing will last forever. It will not fade! The tags are so lightweight, they won't hurt the plant. Best thing is, FREE!! Drink the pepsi, and then use the can! Whee!!! |
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- Posted by hellesbelles86 5 (My Page) on Fri, May 21, 10 at 0:12
| @akarosco DH usually stands for dear (or darn or d@mn) husband but I like your version This is a great read!! My frugal tip? plant things that reseed themselves in areas where you don't want to do a lot of work. Let them take over and you have a nice simple timesaving bed. I did this with spearmint in a bed that was all weeds and now its all mint in just a year. |
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| hellesbelles86 - I do this every year with petunias. I make sure the seeds are sprinkled in the pots they've grown in at the end of each season and then next year - like right now - I've got tons of babies that come up on their own. Usually too many for the pot - so I just dig them up and start new pots with them. Its a great time and money saver. |
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| Chickens. Specifically, bantam hens; mine are golden seabrights and old english; they are really cute, easy to keep (the trick is protecting them from varmints, otherwise, easy. And btw, I have three cats and they have never even looked at the chickens funny, but everything else will kill them if it could) they eat ALL the bugs, and give the greatest manure you could ever use. If you want larger laying hens get barred rocks, they are quiet, tame, disease free and the chicks are easy to find. there are great websites out there for starting with chickens (backyardchicken.com for instance) Get at least two, but don't get too many. I had a huge problem with snails and slugs, after one year with chickens they are GONE. I had a constant battle with my poor soil, now I have all the manure I can use for the entire yard. I quit tilling -the thin topsoil is so rich I just keep topdressing. Just about every other bug is gone or is hiding out of sight trying to escape them. |
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- Posted by dancinglemons 7+ (My Page) on Tue, Jun 1, 10 at 2:24
| At my favorite thrift store they almost always have vinyl or aluminum blinds and mini-blinds for $1. I get one and cut the slats for plant markers. I use a grease pencil from Wal**Mart which usually cost $2 and last for years. I am still using the mini-blinds from last year and the same grease pencil from 3 years ago. In my yard magic-markers fade in a few months but the grease pencil markers from last year can still be read very clearly. I do not save the markers but toss them in the recycle bin. Why pay $5 or $6 dollars for the plant markers in stores. DL |
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- Posted by kathi_mdgd 9 S.Ca (My Page) on Wed, Jun 2, 10 at 20:32
| I also use the grease pencils,picked them up at a yd sale,3/.25,can't beat that price.Markers never work for me,they always fade out really quick. Another thing to mark with is the little bottles of Scribbles paints in the craft store and wal mart.They have a pointed tip,and never fade away. I also take the rest of the bar of soap,put it in the foot of a knee high nylon hose and tie it outside near the water spigot,makes it so much easier to wash your hands outside and you never have to look for the soap. |
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- Posted by homegrown54 z6 SE Ohio (My Page) on Sat, Jun 5, 10 at 13:38
| Great thread! Here's my two cents' (frugal!) worth. I always start plants too early, and lots of 'em. I save all my tin cans (top was removed with one of those handy 'no jagged edge' hand can openers)... I take a big nail and a small hammer and on the SIDE (not underneath so the water can get in if I water from the bottom) about 3-4 holes. Masking tape tag on side when I put a happy plant in there. By the time it's time to put outside, I have one heckuva root system. (in the bottom of the can I put the coarse stuff I sift out of potting soil, crushed eggshells, and some tiny bits of newsprint. Works fantastic. And for tomato ties, I cut old T-shirts in strips across the bottom and work up. I loop one end and tie, put the tie around the plant, stick the free end through the loop for a cradle. Tie to the stake or fence in a way I can 'free' it as the plant grows and needs to be 'brought up' a bit. Work great. AVOID hosiery I've found... they never rot and will mess up the tiller in the second garden that I do till. Other garden is never tilled. In that garden each year I have volunteer mustard greens, dill, lettuce, you name it. I harvest as June comes to make more room for the plants... never have to buy seed for 'em! I'll stop now!!!!! Happy growing to all... "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed." - Francis Bacon |
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| Well, it's an old thread, but here are some of my favorites: (1) It's been mentioned before, but Craigslist is great! My best find ever was a lady who'd just bought a house with lots of boxwoods and wanted them gone. My husband and I dug out 50 ten-year-old suffructicosa and 8 really big sempervirens in an hour (before she could change her mind!), which I used to build a Williamsburg-style, boxwood-edged parterre garden. I never could have afforded that if I'd had to buy the boxwood. You can also post "wanted" ads and come up with some great things. I posted that I wanted grass clippings, and someone wrote back saying she owned a goat farm and offering aged goat manure instead - free! We got an entire trailer load and the promise of more later. And just today I picked up 20 thirty-pound bags of used coffee grounds from a local business, also advertised on Craigslist. All are going into my lasagna garden this fall. (2) Yahoo! garden groups or other garden groups in your area. I've swapped a lot of things and scored free divisions from generous gardeners in our area. (3) When buying perennials or even some shrubs, look carefully at the base of the plants and choose ones that can easily be divided into two or more before planting. Then you can plant 2 or 3 for the price of 1. I've recently learned that some suppliers deliberately plant some shrubs in groups of 3 in a pot to make it look like one bushy plant. Look carefully and choose the one that will give you the most plants for the money. (4) Stockpile perennials in the fall when they're 50-75% off and if you can't plant right away, winter them over in their pots buried in a mulch pile until you can get them planted. That's the only good thing about the stores starting to stock Christmas stuff earlier and earlier -- the big box home improvement stores have to move the stuff out quick by late October/early November. Keep the tips coming! |
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- Posted by bettyd_z7_va (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 11 at 4:47
| 1) Pour your leftover 1/2 cup of morning coffee into your watering can. Your plants will love it. 2) As your plants mature, divide them to start new flowerbeds for free. 3) Make gardening fun so your children & grandchildren will grow to love helping you garden. 4) Grow flowers that are host and nectar plants for Butterflies. Not only will you enjoy the plants, but you will get hooked on the beautiful flying "flowers". I love this thread. Keep those $$$ saving ideas coming! Betty |
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- Posted by aharriedmom 8B (My Page) on Wed, Jul 25, 12 at 6:45
| Bumping up this thread to say 1) it's a terrific thread, thanks! and 2) If you eat hummus, the containers that it comes in make perfect 5-1/2" clear drip saucers. All you have to do is remove the stickers. |
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| Love this thread, found some awesome ideas I had never heard about, thanks everyone! I reuse potting soil as long as there is no sign of fungus or disease. Different blends for different plants in containers or the garden depending on the type of drainage needed for the plant. I also have created an under the counter rooting center in my kitchen. I took clearances to 90% off led white Christmas lights and Velcro light clips intended for outdoor use and used them to make hidden (mostly).lighting, originally cause I just wanted more light but it works great for cuttings, footings and untimely transplants. I take all the cuttings, footings plants and seeds that people want to give me and sometimes it ends up being a plant that for whatever reason the owner just says take it, I do and quickly, lol, so they can't change their minds. Y'all have a great day! |
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- Posted by gardenfaerie z5b Michigan (My Page) on Sun, Sep 23, 12 at 10:19
| I just found out about growing veggies in straw bales, which seems economical and easy. Am going to try it next year. :) |
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| I just got lots and lots of seed packets at our local Dollar General stores in September (I'm in SW IN). They are regular price 2/$1 or $3/1. They put the garden stuff on clearance in September. We paid $0.02, or $0.03, or $0.05 a packet for seeds! Yippee. Got lots of vegetables and even more flower seeds. Way more than we can plant. But, my kids really enjoy gardening, and I'm not great at it. So, I figured, it won't cost me much for us to try and fail with all these. I'm planning to let the kids help me trying them different ways, like inside, winter sown outside, planting after the frosts, starting in the greenhouse. I figure we'll probably learn a lot and if I keep track of it okay. Then, the year after that I probably will make better use of the money I spend on gardening, cause I'll have made lots of mistakes with my super-discounted seed collection! PS. I fully intend on searching for more seeds next year, too. But, the awesome prices I got will help me have the willpower to wait til September not waste $$ paying full price when the displays start popping up in early spring! :) |
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| Last winter I saw big tables at our local Big Lots that we're filled with roses. They seemed to have several varieties, and the most expensive prices I saw were $6. (I didn't look super close though.) Later, they discounted them and the cheapest price I saw was $2. I didn't buy any, but I have a planter in my front yard that I need to clear stuff out of. Then, I want to plant climbing roses in it. I'm planning to try Big Lots first when I finally get it ready. I think I first saw the tables with roses in January. |
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| I make plant markers using the boxes from my wife's hair color. I use my printer to print the marker, it doesn't fade. I cover both sides of the marker with shipping tape so it's waterproof. Pics later. |
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| Let's see if this works.
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| Maybe one last tip...I live in a suburban neighborhood with curbside recycling and trash pickup. Once I got over looking "funny" to the neighbors, I have found plants, various poles for various uses, fencing, compostable materials, pots, and my favorite: the plastic buckets with lids that kitty litter comes in. Those have been so useful for innumerable things! They have handles, are about 5 gallon size, can be used with or without the lids for storage, planting (with holes drilled for drainage) and carrying. No, wait, my REAL favorite was the papa-san chair that I lined with weed block fabric (which I happened to have since I bought it before I learned that newspaper was better), filled with soil, and use for my herb bed. |
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- Posted by pghgardengirl 6b (My Page) on Sun, Dec 30, 12 at 21:54
| Half way through the Spring season, I noticed that there was a rather large accumulation of empty plastic flats under the display from annuals sold and asked the grocery store manager if I could have them. He was more than happy to give them to me since they throw them out. I think I have several hundred flats now. I just make newspaper pots and done...sometimes you gotta just ask...you never know. |
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- Posted by amalgamate 7 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 21:18
| I worked in a grocery store bakery last year, and we went through lots of plastic buckets that frosting comes in. We rinsed them out and gave them to whoever asked for them. They make geat storage or containers for gardening. |
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- Posted by SlipperyPencil 6 (My Page) on Wed, May 22, 13 at 2:29
| "Buy a $3.00 mini-blind at Kmart" Buy? I thought this was a frugal forum ;>) |
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