Gardening – Page 9 – The LadyPrefers2Save

How To Garden On A Budget, Part I

Hello, savvy savers! With Spring but a few short months away, I wanted to start blogging about my upcoming garden! I know that many people are on the lookout for cheap, economical ways to eat organic, fresh produce on a dime, and I am as well. This year, I will be gardening myself, canning, and living off of what I can grow; I hope to accomplish this using simple, time-tested natural gardening methods! In addition to this, I will be keeping a running tally of all my gardening costs and expenses, so that you at home can see what growing yourself might cost, compared to buying in-store produce! So, I thank you all for starting this journey with me!

So, my first post will be about the basics, and my basics, I mean just that, the basics.

Step 1: Plan what you will grow. Sit down and plan what you would like to eat; while doing this consider how much space, time, availability of materials you will have at your disposal, will you have help in gardening, and what you will do with the produce once you have it.

-Check-

I’ve made my list, which I will post later this week.

Step 2: Purchase a Farmer’s Almanac, and look at your growing zone and see when you will need to plant.

-Check-

I purchased my almanac at my local Dollar Tree for $0.50!

Step 3: Seeds. This past week, I spend several hours researching seeds, seed cost, seed quality, and seed availability in my area. I spoke to friends and family who all suggested that heirloom seeds, although expensive, were the way to go. After researching this idea, I decided on another method. I stopped by my local dollar Tree and purchased both my vegetable seeds, as well as my flower seeds; I purchased both the both shade and flower bed mixes as well as packets for my veggies and flowers!

For $15.00, I was able to buy 48 packets of flowers and veggies, all at $0.25 a packet, and then three boxes of seed mixes for flower beds and around trees. As seeds range in price from $1-6.00 a packet at Walmart, this is a steal in my opinion! Add to this, of the 48 packets purchased, I was able to buy ten different herbs including Sage, Oregano, Lavender, Parsley, and Thyme! I am supper excited about this purchase. As well, I would encourage those wanting to plant to buy seeds at the Dollar Tree early as my local manager said that many stores were sold out by March last year!

Keep in mind, I was not able to buy certain starters such as berries, vines, potatoes, garlic, and onion sprouts yet, I am working on a cheap fix for this as well, and will be blogging on this topic in the weeks to come!

In the meanwhile, I am fifteen dollars into my garden, and feeling very satisfied!

Until later, I’ll be tilling around gardening ideas in my head!

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Gardening Update!

Hello again, my frugal farming friends! So, this morning I wanted to post about the updates that have been going on in and around my yard and garden this week.

First, the tulip trees are in bloom, and are gorgeous! They received their first feeding treatment of the year, which as I previously posted is my homemade blend of soaking egg shells in water for one week, straining, and using one cup of this concentrate to one gallon water. How affordable is that? Also, I am starting to clean out the flower beds in front of my home; all deluge goes into my compost bin, and the decorative pine cones that fill my front window boxes in the fall and winter, are used in the fire pit on my patio! I am always on the lookout for new ways to cut costs on kindling and fire wood, and keep your eyes peeled for a later post on just that in the months ahead!

As for the garden itself, I am done seeding the first two tiers, and the butterfly garden seeds have been laid; the square bed in the center of my top tier. I found a mix at my local Tractor Supply Sor under $3.00, which works well for my envelope savings system! I also found new bird feeders at my local Walmart, for only $1.50 each, which as pictured as well!

Onto the garden itself, as I am starting actual seeds indoors this year, I am in the process of writing up a post on this topic, which I will publish this time next week, and in the meantime have a challenge for those who want to start gardening, or are following along with my gardening progress this year with their own. This week, do the following:

-Buy a Farmer’s Almanac from your local Dollar Tree

-Look online here to find out your specific climate zone.

-Create a list of what you want to plant.

-Decide where you garden will go; actually walk the area off and map this out!

-Once you have decided what you want to plant, map out where ceratina beds will lay in your garden; map out areas for melons and spreading plants like pumpkins, designate areas what will receive full-sun for corn and taller pole beans and tomatoes, figure in areas for hanging containers and potted plant containers, and decided if you will have areas for herbs and long-term seeding plants like garlic and asparagus.

With all of this in mind, keep a look out for next weekend update, because seeds will be planted and my homemade seed starting system will be posted!

Happy gardening!

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Gardening: Reusing Autumnal Hay As Grass Seed Blanket Update!

Hello, again savvy savers! Today I wanted to share in my first of two gardening posts of the day, the progress being made on my backyard grass reseeding! If you remember, from my post here, that I used last years Autumnal hay, stored in my shed, to reseed my backyard. The grass has been watered daily, using a fine mist hose attachment, other than the days it has rained.

Here is the backyard upper tier two weeks later:

The germination process is slow, but steady, and its going to look great this Spring! Also, last years mums are starting to spring-up. Remember with mums, to pluck any flower heads that form until September, so to prevent the bushes from flowering, and eventually going to seed too early; I check for flowering buds weekly! As you can see from the photo, the previous owners left exposed, and poorly patched, cement on part of this bed, but I plan to cover this up with English Ivy from another part of my yard!

Another update is that several new varieties of crocuses and lilies are starting to form in one of my flower beds, and will look awesome this Spring once my new birdhouses are installed!

So, there’s the progress on my backyard thus far! Keep in mind I am starting eleven new projects this coming Spring and Summer, and will be posting updates as well!

Stay green!

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Homegrown Saving: How To Create An Indoor Greenhouse!

Good afternoon, fellow gardeners! Today, I wanted to bring you the second installment of my Homegrown Savings Series, How To Garden On A Budget, Part II! If you need a to take a look at part I, click here. Today, I am going to show you how I started my indoor greenhouse area for my seedlings, which will make up my various summer and fall gardens this year; this series will span 16 weeks so please check back each Sunday!

Step 1: I purchased my green shelves from Walmart for 12.98 each! The shelves are simple to put together, and are light enough I can carry them loaded with plants by myself. The shelves are placed in front of my dining room windows, without any window coverings to maximize light and promote seed germination. As a side note, I am redecorating my dining room and that’s why it looks so empty!

Step 2: Install Lighting. I add greenhouse lighting by hanging fluorescent under cabinet light strips, purchased at Walmart for $5.98 each, by 4 inch s-hook, below each shelf. I plug each light into a surge protector, which is plugged into the wall. The seedlings will needs the light strips turned on for 16 hours a day, turning them off at night, when I go to bed, and back on in the morning when I begin my day.

Step 3: Creating mini-greenhouse stations. I find that growing my own seedlings works best for both my desire to organically produce frosh pesticide-free produce for my family, as well as my need to stay with my budget for my envelope savings system monthly budget. With that said, I produce my own garden plants by creating mini-indoor greenhouses! I start by using disposable covered baking pans from the Dollar Tree, which come in a 2-pack for $1.00.

Step 3: Create seed pots. I use newspaper to create my seedling pots, which is an awesome savings, as seedling pots cost $3.98 for 12 at my local Walmart, and I make mine for free using recycled newspaper; as well, my local newspaper uses soy ink, so the ink will not be toxic to my germinating seeds. Below I will show you the steps to create my pots.

First, gather a sheet of newspaper, laid fully flat, on a flat surface.

Next, split your sheet of newspaper in half, along the crease.

Then, tear the half sheets in half again, creating quart-size pages.

Next, fold an one inch section, away from you, of the quarter sheet; be sure to crease the page once folded over.

Next, fold the sheet in half, lengthwise again; again making sure to crease your line. Then flip your sheet over and fold the uneven edge one inch up, away from you; be sure to crease that fold as well.

Now you will need a can; I use a small aluminum can. Take your sheet, place you can on one end of the sheet, making sure to align the end of the paper, one inch down the can, with the crease in the fold, and then roll the paper around the can. At this point, secure your can roll with a piece of tape, along the lose seem, and I used packaging tape; it was a couponed freebie!

Now, you will need to flip your can over, and secure your seedling cup bottom with another piece of tape. Now, invert your can and in a circular motion, loosen your cup away from the can, sliding in a spiral motion down, until the cup comes fully away from the can. At this point, fold a 1/2 inch section of the top rim of the cup into itself, creating a smooth, rimmed edge.

Repeat these steps, creating a total of 12 cups. Take the 12 cups and place them into the cake pans.

Step 4: Planting Your Seeds. For this step you will plant your seeds for germination; I used seeds from my local Dollar Tree, which to my surprise were non-GMO seeds, and many varieties were heirloom quality as well. You will need to purchase a potting soil mix, or make your own; I will be posting this week a recipe to make your own, but for this tray I used a commercial blend soil. When filling your cups, you will then fill your cups with a basic, light potting soil mix, leaving 1/2 inch space from the top of the cup.

Next, take a sharpie marker and punch holes in the soil of each cup, making sure to go 1 inch down. Then place on seed in each hole, in each up, then re-cover with soil mix.

Step 5: Watering your cups. You will then need to saturate the cups. You will do this by placing 2 cups of lukewarm water in the bottom of each tray; the water will be absorbed within 5 minutes. The water will be absorbed up the newspaper cups. This is very interesting to watch! Also, do not be concerned of mold or rot, as the water being poured into the tray will help keep the seeds moist, but not damp.

Next, move your tray to your shelving unit. Next, using a clean spray bottle, mist the tops of your cups, with an even mist for 30 second, or until thoroughly wet. A tip is to tilt the plastic cover top, backwards away from the shelf, at an angle, to prevent the mist from touching your lighting. Then place the packet cover, indicating which seeds you planted, on the side of each tray, and then firmly secure the plastic cover to your tray. Condensation will form on the tops of the trays, but this is normal, and precisely what you are aiming for; remember you are recreating the greenhouse effect, indoors!

Step 6: Repeat the above, until all of your shelves are full. As well, please note that seeds will need to be misted daily, for a full 30 seconds a tray.

Please stay turned as next Sunday I will unveil my full shelves, and the next steps towards my budget-friendly gardening system!

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Homegrown Saving: How To Create An Indoor Greenhouse, Week 2

Calling all my frugal gardening friends! For this weeks Garden Update, I wanted to share with you this weeks progress in my Indoor Garden Greenhouse set-up! This first week has seemed to fly by, and the seedling are off to a fantastic start! They have grown taller than their lids, so they are no free-standing under the grow lights for 16 hours daily; they are also being misted daily as well.

Take a look at the seedlings so far:

Here the seedlings, both the container green beans and yellow squash, are up close:

In addition to the container green beans and squash, this week I also planted rye, barley, and catnip seeds in a cute, coffee cup pot for my cats, which can be seen here:

The garden is coming along well, and next week all of the shelves and lights will be up, as well I will start showing you all the progress in the outdoor garden, tilling of the garden, and we start the selection of pots for the upper patio container-variety of plants for this summer.

Here’s to growing!

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