How to Have a Frugal Gardenby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 01 Apr 2009 11:27 AM
My husband's biggest concern is prepping an area for a garden. Because of our location, we would need fencing to protect a garden from deer, bunnies and other critters who would love to have a free lunch. For this end, I am putting all of my feelers out for free fencing. My plan B would be to use the screen on our porch, nailed to some lumber, after we replace the screen with a newer one (this has to be done anyway). His next concern is for the cost of soil in a raised bed. I simply pointed out all of the rich, dark soil in our two acres that has been laying under years of leaves. A raised bed could be made out of scrap lumber, if need be. Next comes the cost of the plants themselves. There are a few ways to get plants inexpensively. You can start your plants from seed. Seeds are much less expensive to purchase than are seedlings. Also, if you plan well, this year's garden can yield your seeds for next year's garden. You can trade for plants. Save any good plants that result from your thinning of your garden or purposefully plant extra seeds. Then trade these seedlings with others to have a well-rounded garden. How do you garden frugally? Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right. Favorite Deal Websites: Related Articles: Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife 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) 01 Apr 2009 06:24 PMOne of the most frugal things you can do is to have your soil tested. Yes, it will cost you a small amount of money upfront, but getting your soil properly balanced with nutrients and with the right pH will do more to raise your yields than anything else you can do. Most areas have soil deficiencies that require specific amendments, and unless you test your soil, you won't know what it needs. Also, look for free gardening classes through your county extension office, your county's master gardener program, or local plant nurseries. You will get plenty of local know-how for free (again, increasing your yield), and you can make friends who might have seeds or seedlings to spare which they will share with you. The last thing is to plan your garden properly. Be aware of the water needs of different plants and group plants with the same watering needs together. Give the plants the right amount of room to spread or climb as necessary, and make sure your shorter plants aren't shaded for half the day by your taller plants (i.e. know which way the sun tracks across your bed through the day).  Mary Ann Romans (27200) 02 Apr 2009 05:51 AMGreat ideas. What do you think about home testing kits for soil? StBridgit (322) 02 Apr 2009 05:45 PMI think they are okay, but they aren't comprehensive for every area. There is a slightly higher cost with local testing, but you also typically get a "package" test that will test your soil for nutrients that are known to be lacking in local soils. Mary Ann Romans (27200) 03 Apr 2009 08:29 AMThanks for the information. How do you research getting a local tester? Should you just look in the yellow pages or get recommendations? StBridgit (322) 07 Apr 2009 08:39 PMYou should be able to find local testing companies by contacting your county extension office. They can usually refer you to a local analytical chemistry lab that will perform soil testing. AuntJamelle (125) 08 Apr 2009 06:04 AMIf you can, the best thing to do is talk to other people who garden in your area. Ask around at work, at church, at PTA meetings, whatever. Often you will find folks who will go in on seed orders - alot of times you don't plant ALL of the seeds in a package anyway - so it is nice to share the cost. Also, you may be able to find out about local gardening clubs that routinely share "extra" plants - this can be especially valuable if you are talking perrenial veggies like asparagus or rhubarb or certain herbs that are hard to start from seed and do better as a division from an already established plant. One local garden club sets up on a street corner on Memorial Day - catching people out for the parade. I'll add other comments for the other things I've learned over the years - making gardening frugal has been an ongoing goal for me!!! AuntJamelle (125) 08 Apr 2009 06:16 AMIf you want to start seeds indoors the best thing to do is research, research, research! You'll learn more every year of course, but you will have better luck going in armed with as much knowledge as you can get! If you don't have lots of sunny, warm windowsill space you'll need a grow light. We use a regular florescent light fixture with regular florescent bulbs - research ahead of time uncovered that the fancy "grow light" bulbs for the higher $$ are not necessary. I also bought a plastic Jiffy "dome" products - basically a black plastic rectangle tray with a clear lid. On sale I think they were about $7 each. Treated gently it will last years. This year I invested in a seed warming mat - $25 at Rural King but should also last for years. It helps raise the soil temp to help the seeds along - I'm hoping to get stronger seedlings because of it. I have both light and warming mat on a regular light timer so that they are only turned on during daytime hours - saving $$ and mimicking the natural conditions outdoors during day vs. night. Peat Pots are typically used for starting seeds in - I buy mine at the end of the gardening season for pennies - or you can use other types of recycled containers - some people do. Bottom line - the start up costs and work for a garden can be daunting - but patience, creativity, networking with other gardeners and doing internet research ahead of time can make a huge difference!  thequeenofthecastle (483) 18 Jun 2009 10:39 AMI have young children and keeping up with a garden can become a little daunting, then if I kill the stuff I've spent money buying, planting, fertalizing, ect... I end up losing money on a garden. But, there is one thing I have planted every year and every year it's thrived and I've been SO grateful, and that is HERBS. Having fresh herbs on hand can dress up even the simplest and frugal meal. I grow mint, cilantro, basil and my sister in law grows lavendar and thyme. We always have fresh herbs on hand and it really makes meals pop. I also have discovered by having a community of friends who garden too we can swap what we have so when I have 40 tomatos one week in July I can trade some of them for squash with my friend who has squash coming out her ears. Community Tags frugal living, frugal garden, gardening Discuss this article
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Every year when I talk to my husband about gardening, he gets that look in his eye and says, "You know, it isn't going to be cost effective." This is because although growing our own food could in fact cut our grocery bill, all that is entailed with actually starting a garden from scratch could cost money. So in dedication to the love of my life, I thought I would come up with some ways to have a frugal garden.
