Your favorite frugal gardening tip
gardenfaerie
20 years ago
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Comments (145)
gardnpondr
16 years agoauntnete
16 years agoRelated Discussions
cheap. gardener.. wants vegetable garden
Comments (30)OK, cheapskate: from a "value for the dollar" angle, I think a garden is one of the best investments you can make. I'm one of those over-analytical types, and last year I kept a harvest record in Excel from a "return on investment" perspective. I kept the costs in one column and the value of the vegetables we picked in the other. (It meant I had to weigh everything, of course, but I didn't mind the extra chore too much.) At the end of the summer I checked the totals. I spent approximately $100 on our small garden and got more than $800 in fresh veggies. I used grocery store prices...a couple of bucks for a pound of tomatoes, etc...and I realize that's not entirely an "apples-to-apples" comparison, since I grow organically. So ballpark $800 but probably a good bit more than that. Point is, though, that an 800% return on investment in six months is something any stockbroker would give his eyeteeth for, and it's enough to make a cheapskate like me very happy indeed. A flaw in that kind of analysis is obviously the time spent scrabbling around out there, but since I chalk that up under "play" instead of "work" I don't bother with it. Yeah, I could have made five bucks an hour flipping burgers or whatever, but given the choice... Ed...See MoreAnyone else gardening in middle TN? Tips & Favorite OGR's?
Comments (7)Lilyfinch & Susan, Great to "meet" you both :) I am a member on HMF- and I ran across Jean Harrison's list of disease resistant roses the other day and put it in my "clippings". I think I may have drooled on my keyboard after reading that list of what she grows, If I can develop 1/10th of her gardening skills I will be thrilled :) Lillyfinch- I have had my eden for 3 years now, and it has outgrown the largest trellis I could find. I need to get an obelisk to weave it through, it is a stunner come May, even just at 2 years old and 4' tall. Not a great cut rose but there is such a sweet quality about it's blooms and it is great for the back of the flower bed up against the house. I will take photos sometime this spring for you. I *had* some really great climbers but had to rip them up because of RRV- I'm just glad that Eden survived the shovel pruning I had to do. Every rose in the backyard had to go, but a few in the front were sheltered from the outbreak. Photo attached of what used to be my back fence. Hoping to get back into rose gardening without going through that experience again anytime soon- It is still a couple of hours away, but Petals from the Past is in Alabama and they have OGR's, I've wanted to make a trip down there but just haven't found the time as of yet to make the trip, link included below for their website. I'm a facebook fan and they also do fun seminars that I'd like to attend around the blueberry and blackberry season. I can't wait for Spring! Here is a link that might be useful: Petals from the Past in Alabama...See MoreFavorite Gardening Tips 2
Comments (1)I have several gardens at my farm far from the camper and garden shed. I look for old mail boxes to mount in the gardens and use to store hand tools, gloves, a pen, note book, and mosquito repellent. I have two in gardens currently and am always looking for one or two more. It sure does save trips to the shed for small tools. My husband even put a little love letter in one of them for me last year!!!...See MoreFavorite tips to make gardening less work...and more fun :)
Comments (30)These tips are all great! I use the "pack 'em in" theory of gardening to cut down on the weeds as others do. It also cuts down on the chore and expense of mulching. I used to deadhead, but the goldfinches and other birds really appreciate the seed heads, so now I do lots of my garden clean-up in the spring. Actually the plant material is brown and dried up at that point and I've found usually I can rake an area and the dead stems come right up. As opposed to clipping back in the fall when I have to cut each stem. There simply seems to be "less" plant material to get rid of after a winter since it's all dried and shriveled up, if that makes sense at all. I am really learning to settle down about getting it all done. This summer I haven't worked too much in the garden (because of the heat) and it has been so enjoyable finding other fun things to do (like the beach, etc!). The thread about garden seating pushed me to add adirondack chairs to the backyard and lately after work I come home and read a magazine out there instead of weeding. Much more enjoyable. What LL said is true. If people aren't gardeners they won't even know they're weeds and I really think that most gardeners going through a garden that has weeds think to themselves "PHEW! I'm SO glad to see that they have weeds too!!" Let's face it, ALL gardeners fight the weed battle and can appreciate weeds in any garden. I still have not learned to garden the size I can take care of. I'm only on phase 3 of my yard and have another 2 or 3 fairly sizable areas to work on. However, I have learned to pace myself and work for about 5 years on a certain phase of building an area before moving on to another area. During that time I think a lot about the next phase (plant material, design, most especially how will it be watered, etc....) So far we've been OK with the amount of space we've gardened. I'm wondering in which phase I say "Uh Oh, now I've bitten off more than I should have!" I know someday that will happen but for now I'm going to keep my phased approach and hope for the best. Unfortunately, once all the phases are done, I'll be 15 years older and at that point will be looking at how to pare down the garden!! LOL! Pfmstin, I've never heard of that material and it sounds very interesting. I'm definitely going to check that out. Xantippe, what type of edger to you have? Do you have a machine? So far, my DH is my machine! We're (OK, really HE) is edging many new garden beds and anything we (HE) can do to reduce time/energy would be great to know. You see, the less time he spends on edging, the more time he'll have to help me with other things! LOL!! Gardenweed, Amen to planting more fall plants. The garden season for those of us in northern climates can be extended into November with flowers and color. There are so many great fall plants and shrubs out there that are worthy to extend the season. You know, I've heard many times about cardboard and newspaper under mulch and have "thought" about doing that for weed control. But some of you brought up a very good, important point with that tip in that the worms love it. I hadn't thought about that before so thank you for mentioning it. I am going to use this tip in the backyard where it's a new area and needs to be covered....See Moresunny631
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