Frugal Food Growingby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 18 Jun 2008 10:58 AM
Use the space you have. If you live in an apartment, see if you can grow some plants in containers on a porch or Windowsill rather than buying space in a community lot. Later, when you are experienced enough to get a huge yield from your garden, then go ahead and look for space elsewhere. I know someone who went out and bought a huge amount of potting soil when she had a perfectly good backyard full of dirt. If your soil isn't rich, then by all means add some homemade compost or even mix in some dead leaves. Manage your weeds frugally. If you give your garden some regular attention then weeds won't be a problem. Disturb the soil at least once a week and weeds can't take hold. Get the weeds when they are babies and they will be easier to control. Instead of expensive mulch, use black plastic bags and newspaper to control your weeds. Grow some surplus. If you plan for about 20 percent extra yield than what you think you need, you'll come ahead. Sometimes crops can fail, and the extra is insurance. It is also nice to have more than you need to barter or trade with others. Our town hosts a local farmers market where any gardener can come and bring extra produce to sell. Buy your fertilizer from a local farmer's co-op to save the most that you can. If there is no co-op nearby, check with your local garden center to see if you can get a deal. Finally, realize that not all plants need fertilizer. Smaller gardens can take advantage of free resources such as organic compost, horse manure and fish heads. How does your garden grow? Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don't miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles: Frugal lessons from The Amish: Growing Food Growing My Italian Kitchen Garden Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments StBridgit (322) 27 Jun 2008 10:00 AMA couple of other suggestions for frugality in vegetable gardening: 1) Invest in the proper tools. Hand weeding is tedious, and while it might be necessary when plants are just sprouting, it should be avoided after that point. Use a good hoe to remove weeds and save your back and your time. 2) Talk to master gardeners before planting your garden. Most counties have an extension office with a master gardener program. They can tell you what varieties grow well in your region, so that you don't go crazy buying random seeds at the store and then get nothing for your trouble. 3) Start from seed when possible. If you are in a short season climate, then you might have to buy starts for things like tomatoes or onions. However, next year you can find out from the master gardeners when to start seeds indoors, and have your vegetable plants ready to go outside after the last frost. It is far cheaper to grow from seed than from starts purchased at a store. 4) Work your soil very thoroughly before planting, and liberally amend it with compost. It will be easier to weed because it is soft, and your plants will grow better with the added nutrients from the compost. If you're planning a garden for next summer, cover your prospective garden patch with a thick layer of shredded fall leaves this autumn. Next spring you can just till those shredded leaves in, and voila, compost added for free! 5) Water your garden thoroughly. Vegetables need regular watering in order to avoid heat stress and damage to your crops. A good soaker hose or two, buried about an inch below the ground in the center of your bed, will work better than a top surface sprinkler. Try to avoid getting leaves wet, as this bothers some plants and creates conditions for several plant diseases. 6) Nip problems in the bud. If you notice insect damage or potentially diseased leaves, take it to a garden center or investigate online and treat the problem properly immediately. This will hopefully save your crops. AuntJamelle (125) 07 Jul 2008 10:33 AMSome additional frugal tips: - Check with your local city/county office, many have free compost available for non-commercial use. You have to go pick it up, but it costs nothing. We lined a flat bed trailer with a tarp and they piled it on for us. You will have to deal with some trash in the compost, things that have slipped through, but it has been a good choice for us. - If you want to start your own seeds using growlights, do not buy the fancy grow light fixture!!! Buy a regular florescent lightbulb fixture and then buy the fancy grown light tube to put in it. You'll save quite a bit and it doesn't make a bit of difference. amandapace (20) 11 Aug 2008 07:31 PMI highly recommend www.squarefootgardening.com. Some initial cost, but cheaper in the long run, and definitely easier.  Mary Ann Romans (26791) 12 Aug 2008 05:02 AMWhat amazing ideas! Thanks so much for all f the great tips. I am hoping to start a large garden next spring. I found my mentors! (You.) Community Tags cost of food, food prices, gardening, growing food, how to Discuss this article
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