Learning how to propagate - by seed, by cutting, by division. Make more of what you have and share (and trade) it with others.

A tip that someone gave me - make your own mini-greenhouse for a cutting by enclosing the pot in a sealable plastic bag (1 gallon or 2 gallon). It really works.

Collect the seeds from the fruits and veggies you eat. I know that most of them are not Open Pollinated and therefore no guarantee to produce anything like what you ate - but I've been pleased with what I've grown that way.

Compost! =)

Stay home. Not casually browsing the nurseries for entertainment does wonders!
Propagate from cuttings over the winter, layering,
and trading with friends.
Spread mulch from the county. $15 fills up the back of a pick up.
I do use round up, and lawn pre-emergent. Those are expensive.

Starting my own veggie seeds this year, looking for ways to propagate some of my other plants to save a few bucks. Reading and trying to "edumicate" myself a little more on ways to make more from what I've already purchased. And of course, some composting to enrich my soil. :-)

I agree with starting plants from seed. Instead of buying seed starting mix, I use regular potting soil (recycled when possible) and run it through a sieve it to get fine soil.

I've spent less than $20 this year and should end up with several 100 annuals and perennials.

Not really doing anything new but will continue what I have always done.....

start my own annuals and perennials from seeds

plant alot of reseeding annuals for future plants

grow most of our veggies (we will expand this year and do more freezing and canning)

recycle anything that will make a neat container

gallon milk jugs make great mini greenhouses for starting seeds and cuttings as do 2ltr bottles

get cell packs and trays from anyone and everyone to start my seeds in

surf the internet looking at other gardens, blogs, forums for inspiration - I will confess magazines still find their way into my shopping cart but the internet really does have all the answers

always look around the house and yard first for a substitue for some expensive garden ornament - example - inverted tomato cages make great obelisks - once a vine has grown you don't see the 20-30 dollar obelisk anyway .....

Lynne

Plant Swaps! Watch for them on the Carolina Exchange forum. Spring swaps are coming up. I have done so much for nothing or next to nothing. Mostly my time to divide, take cuttings, sow a few extra seeds. I would not have a lot of the plants I have if it weren't for generous swappers! Also rcvd' pots, yard art, etc...

We could all put that Exchange forum to a lot more use in this economy... few of us sow exactly the number of seeds we plan to grow. Swap your extras for other things you want with people that live close to you. If you're too far from one of the swaps, start one! Pick a local park, a date, post it, run your mouth a lot to advertise and go for it! Even if just one other person shows you have one person to swap with!

Look into strawbale gardening or lasagna beds if you have poor soil. Check out the Winter Sowing Forum, the Container Forum and the Frugal Forum which have some great ideas.

Seed sowing... Direct sow (I'm going to sow on top of the snow once it gets here) what you can and for stuff that needs closer watching I use regular potting soil and then a small layer of seed starting mix over top of it. A bag last a long time that way.

Compost everything you can get your hands on that's compostable! Starbucks saves their grounds, some restaurants have bags or boxes of salad veggie scraps, veggie stands will often have a box or two of over ripe stuff, shredded paper. Rethink every time you start to toss something in the trash, can it be composted or used to sow seeds/cuttings in, or as a cloche? You can use old pallets which are usually free if you'll haul away, to build compost bins.

If you keep a fish aquarium save your water changing water for watering plants. They love it!

Catch rainwater.

You can add color, texture and money saving veggies by mixing them into your flower beds. Remember (or heard of, if you're younger) Victory Gardens? Checked the price of sweet peppers lately? My sweet peppers did fantastic last year in a flower bed and were so healthy. The pollinators and other beneficial bugs are already there and the soils have been worked for several years (some were originally lasagna beds where I used layers of cardboard, leaves, etc...) so it's pretty good stuff for veggies. Hot peppers did not like it there, I think they like a little punishment to do their best, but the sweet peppers loved it. Tomatoes like it (I have a little grape size in one bed that I don't even need to plant anymore) and Zucchetta squash growing up an arch loved it. Try different things and see what does well with your flowers. I'm trying a smaller type of okra in one of mine this year and scattering in a few greens or anything colorful/edible I can come up with. I poke a few garlic cloves into large outdoor pots here and there or some colorful beans up a trellis. Aside from something like corn most veggies don't need to be planted in neat little rows or even squares. Put them anywhere you can squeeze a spot for them. Even if you don't can/freeze anything just having fresh will give your grocery bill some breathing room.

Watch for local Master Gardener groups that have spring plant sales. Get there early! Some schools and other local groups have plant sales.

Use freecycle. I've seen people ask for (and get) and give away pots, strawbales leftover from halloweeen displays, plants, bags of leaves, newspapers, cinder blocks. Last fall someone gave us still sealed bags of good potting soil, a plant shelf, plant hangers, etc.. thrown in with pots from someone who had lost a loved one and was cleaning out.

I think all gardeners have creative and frugal souls, we just need to tap into it.

Well, it may not be frugal but I'm determined to get my garden supplies from the small nurseries and garden centers because they need to survive or all we'll be left with is Lowes,Home Depot and WalMart.

I will second what Dottie is saying and I will add that virtually everything I'm out there looking for costs the same price at my favorite garden center so there is no need to shop the big box stores.

Besides saving seeds, I've started layering grass clipping and leaves in a pile in the back yard. After a year or two it's great for the outdoor planters instead of potting soil.

Freecycle - got two free glass storm doors and made a free cold frame by putting it on top of a raised bed. We harvested the last carrots and spinach today (March 1). Wintersown.org offers free seeds for a self addressed stamped envelope. If you are near Charlotte, NC, check out Renfroe's Hardward in Matthews - great old store, seeds in 1.00 packs along with seeds from Seed Savers, etc. Good free advice there as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: newstead growin' green....

Save your 2-liter bottles and make three rows of holes down one side with a hot nail. When you transplant things like tomatoes and peppers, dig the hole big enough to accomodate the bottle as well (which gives you a great chance to improve the dirt before you put it back in the hole). Position the bottle so the holes are facing the plant. Take the end off of your spray wand and use it to fill the bottle. No bending over and no wasted water. It all goes where its needed, next to the plant roots. The bottles can be saved and reused for years.

Swaps and Seed Trading.

If I buy a pack of seeds I make little paper seed envelopes and split my seeds up before I plant them. I can sometimes get several little seed packs to trade for something else besides getting enough to plant my own out of the same seed pack.

newstead..Renfrow's is great ( I have a house in Matthews)and they start all their plants they sell and have lots of the old varieties of seeds. This is the kind of place you support rather than going to the big box stores. It always cheers me up to drive by in summer and see what looks like a size 60 pair of mens denim overalls hung flying over the sidewalk. Real farmers goods. Huge selection of cast iron cookware, baby chicks, packages of ladybugs etc.

Supporting the smaller garden centers means we can get the odd and unusual and the organic and the non-hybrids.