Frugal Gardening Tips

Gardens:

To save room try square foot gardening to get the most of your space.

Try planting in pots to save room

Start your own compost, put in left over peels of pototoes, carrots, egg shells, coffee grinds, leaves, ask the neighbor down the road that has rabbits for the manure, offer to pick it up or try a Ranch, farm, pet shop, race track near by?

http://www.howtocompost.org/  or http://compostinstructions.com/ 
You could also watch a youtube on it at http://www.youtube.com/compostinstructions

Start a community garden-Back in the old days they called these Victory gardens

Look for unexptected opportunties like landscaping businesses that are going to throw away old grass or sod/mulch

Plant what you need only otherwise it might be a waste and costly

Plant what you need that you will have time for otherwise it will be a waste if you cant weed and harvest it. I have seen so many gardens over grown and wasted cause the people didnt have time to take care of it.

Create cold frames to get started easy 

Go into your local Ag office and ask them about classes or free broshures.

Plant edible plants this will help you use what you have to save room

http://www.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible.html

Plants:

• Plant Exchange: Swapping bulbs and plants with friends, neighbors and family is a great way to garden with little or no expense. You can trade plant clippings, bulbs and other plant material. Just clip a small part of your plant to trade with your friend or  neighbor.

Buying plants in bulk or separating one large plant into smaller portions 

• Purchasing plants: Nurseries aren't the only place to purchase your plants. Most local grocers, farmers markets, and flea markets are excellent places to find great deals.

• Nurseries saless: Shop end of season sales at nurseries and garden departments because they often get rid of current stock to make room for their new plants and shrubs in season. Plants are marked down significantly at end of season sales.
Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed. Be friends with the workers they will help you with the best deals.

Shop at the end of the season for a plant

Start by seed

Divide and transplant your existing plants

Nurseries going out of business: We have gotten some great deals from nurseries going out of business and they have either sales or auctions. 

Pots and accesories:

• Old wheelbarrows, tool boxes, wagons and various other items that you have lying around your home make excellent planters. Simply drill holes in your container and add some pebbles or stones before adding any soil to insure good drainage.

• Recycle items that you already have on hand, an old baby changing table, a spring twin bed can be turned into a potting table for your gardening materials and tools. All you need is a new coat of paint and water sealer for it. Unused rocks and/or bricks make attractive flower bed edges. Dig a narrow trench around your flower bed and place bricks diagonally along the edges. And don't forget that leftover paint you have in your basement or garage can decorate pots and containers.

Get creative with things you love or that are going to be thrown away, old boots, shoes, tea pots containers, you name it!

Fencing:

• Need a fast cheap fence. Try looking for those Pallets they use for moving things and stand them up right to each other. Most the time you can find them for free or laying about at business that dont need them. Put chicken wire around it to secure it even more.

Use chicken wire

Use your imagination anything that would look good as a fence probably will just coat it so it wont rust.

Seeds:

• Save seeds from year to year.

Trade Seeds with friends and Neighbors

Join a seed club

Links-SEEDS:

Yahoo Groups-

A Seed Exchange http://groups.yahoo.com/group/a-seed-exchange/

The Garden Seed exchange http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thegarden_seed_exchange/

Seed Exchange boards:

Blossom Swap- http://www.blossomswap.com/cgi-bin/seed/atl.cgi

Back Yard Gardener- http://backyardgardener.com/seedexchange/wwwboard.html

Seed Swappers- http://www.seedswappers.com/default.asp

Links to How to Gardening sites:

HGTV tons of gardening tips and how too-http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gardening/html

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Guide to Composting http://www.compostinstructions.com - Learn how to make compost, and why improving your soil is the best thing that you can do for your lawn and garden.