Hi, Caren - Thanks for posting. I, too, am interested in cheap and "organic" ways to grow violets. I think we all need to learn how to garden in accordance with Mother Nature. Also, violets are an inexpensive hobby to begin with, and keeping costs down helps to make them available to all - which is as it should be! Having said that, I see a few problems with your approach. There is a reason why most people who grow a lot of violets don't bring in dirt and stuff from the outside to plant violets in. The reason is BUGS and DISEASES! Since I don't use toxic pesticides, my only protection against pests is to ISOLATE my new violets from dirt, cut flowers, new plants, etc. for several months before mixing them in with my regular collection. To try to get more to your point, if I were going to try to fertilize violets using homemade methods, I would try to create an organic compost to plant them in that contained lots of good stuff -- like rotted alfalfa, composted manure, worm castings, blood meal, fish meal, etc. If I was collecting this stuff from my yard, I would compost it well (which kills a lot of things) and then bake it in my oven to sterilize it before using on indoor plants. This can make a stink, and I haven't even tried this in many, many years. However, it can and has been done. Another problem is that like many people who grow lots of violets, I wick water my plants. This is by far the easiest way to keep them, I think. Anyway, wick watering requires a very light potting soil with 1/3 to 1/2 perlite mixed in. The above-mentioned compost would need to be mixed with a lot of perlite in order to be light enough for this watering method. The only way I know to get perlite is to buy it. I don't think that using homemade compost is likely to save you any money if you count anything for your time, electricity to heat the stove, etc. If you can hook up with a violet club, you might save money by going in with other members to buy soil ingredients (perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, dolomite lime) in bulk, mixing it, and sharing the mixed soil among you. You could add some of your own sterilized organic compost to this mix to feed your plants. However, it would be easier to buy a small amount of African violet food for a few dollars. Most of the time, you will want a fertilizer that has 3 balanced numbers -- like 14-12-14. I even use Osmocote timed release flower food, which is 14-14-14. 1/4 tsp. feeds a 4" pot for 4 months. The cheapest way I know to grow good violets is to go to a violet club, buy a bag of their pre-mixed wicking soil and some violet food, plant your leaves, and watch 'em grow. That way, you can get started for probably less than $10. Enjoy your African violets! Barbara

Hi Gayle - thanks for your thoughts. :-) I'm a "less steps" person, so I really need solutions that don't require taking trash or anything from one room to the other...ie, bathroom stuff stays in the bathroom until it goes outside, kitchen stuff stays in the kitchen until it's disposed of, etc. I do need those visual reminders out and "in my face", or I forget. Too much other stuff going on, I guess. I want my compost crock on the counter so the stuff in there *can* start to rot/mold before it goes out...it will be better food for the worms that way. So I did buy a crock with a filter in the lid that will look nice on my counter, because I want the compost materials sitting out (I would have had to buy something anyways...we don't drink coffee here, and don't buy anything that comes in a plastic container large enough to make a good compost collection bucket). If I don't see it, I won't use it, with the exception of the metal and plastic collection cans under the sink (because they'll be right by the garbage can, so if I go to instinctually throw something away, those bins will be right there. I put all food scraps down the disposal now, so the crock will remind me not to do that anymore. :-) Stuff that can't be composted in the bathroom includes toilet paper wrappings (the plastic outter wrap), bandaids, gum, q-tips (plastic "stick" - we'll buy differently next time), cotton ball bags, used razor blades, nail polish bottles (no glass recycling here), and items used to remove nail polish (sponges rife with nail polish remover...don't want that in my compost). And yes, I really am too lazy to carry that stuff all the way to the kitchen garbage - less steps equals less time spent shuttling "stuff" through the house. I'm all about making things as easy on myself and efficient as possible. :-) My magazines and "leftover" paper will be recycled, but a lot will be shredded for the compost pile. I have that pretty much figured out though - a box in a kitchen cabinet right under where we go through the mail. I will be emptying it regularly though...I have a different box for papers "to be filed" or that I might need. I'm a catalog junkie - and we do get a lot of junk mail, plus the paper daily. I'll probably need to do two paper boxes...one for the compost, and one for the recycling, so I can add the paperboard to the compost box (our recyclers don't take paperboard). All paperboard boxes (like the ones we get holding cases of cans from Costco) will be broken down and composted, so that's no big deal. I don't buy much processed foods either - but the costco canned fruits/veg all come in paperboard. I think I'll just get a smaller trash can for the bathroom to label "compostables" for the bathroom counter (there's a good spot for it right under the medicine cabinet), and then two more bins for under the kitchen sink for collecting cans and plastics, respectively. That should take care of it, I think...won't know until I try it for awhile. It's a lot to get used to - not throwing out a lot of stuff that we normally would, but infrastructure makes all the difference for me with new habits, so I just want to make sure I have a good basis to work from. :-) Does anyone out there have those triangular bins that fit four in a square, and pull out from a kitchen cabinet? I've been thinking that might be a good way to organize my collection bins under the sink...

Great use for Re-Cycled 25 gal. Molasses Tubs. Each tub has a 7 gal, water reservoir built into the bottom with 4 Polyester wicks bringing water up into the soil media planting area by capillary action. Even have them hooked up together with 1/2" dripline hooked into a 5 gal. bucket with a horizontal float valve so the reservoirs stay full 24/7

I have seen someone else do this but in reverse. The part with the screw cap is on top, that way you can take off the cap and let the plant get acclimated (or provide some fresh air). Or use the bottle top to cover a rooting in a plant pot, kind of like a cloche. Use one gallon bottles for big pots, one liter for small pots, etc. All good ideas!