I just got lots and lots of seed packets at our local Dollar General stores in September (I'm in SW IN). They are regular price 2/$1 or $3/1. They put the garden stuff on clearance in September. We paid $0.02, or $0.03, or $0.05 a packet for seeds! Yippee. Got lots of vegetables and even more flower seeds. Way more than we can plant. But, my kids really enjoy gardening, and I'm not great at it. So, I figured, it won't cost me much for us to try and fail with all these. I'm planning to let the kids help me trying them different ways, like inside, winter sown outside, planting after the frosts, starting in the greenhouse. I figure we'll probably learn a lot and if I keep track of it okay. Then, the year after that I probably will make better use of the money I spend on gardening, cause I'll have made lots of mistakes with my super-discounted seed collection! PS. I fully intend on searching for more seeds next year, too. But, the awesome prices I got will help me have the willpower to wait til September not waste $$ paying full price when the displays start popping up in early spring! :)

Despite the original posters overly extensive post, with certain questionable content, the central point is still quite vaild. We as a nation spend more money on grass than on any other crop. That by itself should be reason enough. Read up on the history of lawns and you'll find that they were orginally created as a means of demonstrating wealth (aka, I have this big area and I can afford to do nothing with it except grow grass I can't eat) Regarding the comments of junegem13 and zachslc, you might want to read up on the legal history of this movement. As it turns out, most weed laws (ones based on hight, not on noxious weeds) are unconstitutional. Nonetheless, if you are in a city or subdivision and decide to do a wildflower meadow where there is not an reasonable ordinance, then you should notify your neighbors and the city about why you are doing and the legal preceedants. The EPA has all this information. Regarding property values, that was the original complaint neighbors made against one landowner when she converted her lawn into meadow. When they were unable to demonstrate an actual decrease in property values, the city ordinance was ruled unconstitutional. Afterwards, the neighbors decided if they couldn't beat her that they'd join her and replace their own yards with meadows. Property values in that one neighborhood are now some of the highest in the city (Specific names and places, are available if you want them). Time and time again, lawn alternatives done correctly have shown to raise values, not lower them. In Charlottesville, VA local government is working on an ammendment to exclude native meadows from our weed ordinance. Other cities are doing the same very quicky, especially since the weed ordinance as written by many localites constitutes a legal liability to local governments.

Don't know about a tool maker but I took apart one of my Gillette Goodnews razors with three blades and used medical tweezers to fold the blades together and stuck them into the handle of an X-Acto handle forming a loop razor blade.The thinnest of the blades snapped in half but the thicker blades folded nicely. Still don't know exactly how you are using it but I use it to remove the interior woody material down to the cambium after removing the bud with a budding knife.Is this right, works better than my finger nail.

For early starting of non-hardy plants indoors use a nail to punch some holes in the bottom of margarine containers, individual yogurt cups, etc. for drainage, plant seeds in them. Or cut tops off of milk, bleach, etc. containers, punch holes in the bottom. Can cut off top, use bottoms of small packages which are like wax- or plastic-coated cardboard, e.g. single-serving milk containers. If you don't have a space where they can drain without problems, and have a container that can handle some drainage, (e.g. cookie sheet), put them on it. If there's a problem with the plant container standing in water, find something small that is expendable, or a short board, etc. to put under the pot to hold it above the drained water. Join a garden club, horticultural society, then trade seeds, slips, started plants, etc. (but if they hold a plant exchange, they'll probably charge a transfer fee to help cover the group's expenses). Check neighbours, friends to find fellow gardeners (though, gardeners, being inclined to talk about their hobby, you may well know who they are at present). Trade seeds, slips, ideas with them. Grow more than you can use of crops that grow easily at your space, then trade produce with neighbours who grow stuff that you don't or find hard to grow. Frugal forever! joyful