Frugal Gardening Tips

[amandajane]

Hi Katherine and thank you for all the info, please do share more

I agree regarding the seeds, I wouldn't buy any that turned up in a $1. I get mine at a local hardware store and they are all guaranteed etc. Generally these packs sell or $2.50 - $3.00 but they have a sale on at the moment and they are $2.00. They have a long expiry date, I checked that in case it was a problem.

I'm trying out a container gardening project at the moment. I think I've gone a bit overboard and planted 70 containers over the last month. All but 4 large ones were from freecycle. I'm still learning and am a bit nervous as to how they will be once they've grown, my little courtyard is going to be lush, lol.

If you feel you could offer any advice I'd be very grateful. You can see what I've done here

[cheapskate]

I really like the mini-greenhouse idea with half gallon clear plastic milk bottles. It's eco smart and looks so fun.

[megRDJ]

As to saving your own seeds, unless you spcialize in heirloom species or are planting a huge number of plants the cost (time and water wise) of drying your own is more than you save buying a packet of seed. With the exception of squashes, this is especially true for plants that do not breed true so you have no idea what variety of the plant you will get in the end. Two examples come to mind.... potatoes and apples.

[amandajane]

Thanks Meg :0)

Luckily my water is factored into my rent so I don't pay more for heavier use and I have the time so it's all cool for me. It makes sense for those who are in a different position though.

[penny pinscher]

It's basically just sheet composting. I did it last year and it worked great - you could plant early because of the heat from decomposing materials. I just put seeds/seedlings straight in and covered with that fleece (for plants) material at night. (course, I live in Florida) Had no problems until my chickens got in there and raked it to pieces. Anyone else try this method?

[lilac]

Does anyone have any good information about how to grow peanuts? I live in a house with a SW facing garden with a Hardiness Zone of 8 according to this map: http://www.uk.gardenweb.com/forums/zones/hze1.html.

It's soo expensive here to buy peanut butter, if it's not too difficult to grow peanuts I'd love to be able to make some myself! Or at least give it the old college try :P

[jkuo13]

If you have loose soil (i.e. not densely packed clay), peanuts are really easy to grow. Way back when, I used to help an elderly neighbor with his garden, and he grew them as a way to add nitrogen into the nutrient poor sandy sail. I lived in FL, so there was plenty of sandy soil around. We had one heck of a time harvesting all the peanuts. Inevitably, we'd miss a few and find more volunteer peanut plants the next year.

My guess is that you could probably just buy some raw peanuts, de-shell, and just plant them.

[lilac]

Originally Posted by jkuo13

My guess is that you could probably just buy some raw peanuts, de-shell, and just plant them.

Ooh, that is exactly what I wanted to hear! Thanks for the tips. I can't plant anything in the ground (renting, d'oh!), but I have been planning on making a container garden anyway, so no worries about the soil. Thanks again!

[lucille]

Sams club has the black plastic composting bins for $39. I saw them today when I was in town. A similar one was $119 at Lowes last year. I will be picking one up next week when I do our big shopping trip.

[lucille]

Originally Posted by megRDJ

As to saving your own seeds, unless you spcialize in heirloom species or are planting a huge number of plants the cost (time and water wise) of drying your own is more than you save buying a packet of seed. With the exception of squashes, this is especially true for plants that do not breed true so you have no idea what variety of the plant you will get in the end. Two examples come to mind.... potatoes and apples.

We had luck with pumpkin seeds in the past and I saved some cantaloupe seeds from a locally grown melon I purchased at the farmers market. So we will see what I get out of those.