Most bang for buck with seed saving options for new garden?
l pinkmountain
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (21)
robert567
4 years agodaninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRelated Discussions
What is your best 'bang for the buck' plant? ie, zuccini...
Comments (20)There's different kinds of "bang" for the buck. From a pure compared-to-supermarket-prices perspective: shallots. I've seen shallots go for a buck each around here. I bought a bag of sets for 16 bucks years ago and save some back for replanting every year, so my cost per shallot goes down every year even as my crop size grew. As the numbers are currently working, each shallot I grow this year will cost less than two cents. Plus they are terrific to have in the kitchen (especially when they are cheap) and offer long storage with no special effort. From a nutrition-per-square-foot perspective: potatoes. A ton of food from small spaces. Also superb in the kitchen, especially new potatoes, and interesting variety available. And also offer long storage without canning or freezing. From a gee-whiz-in-the-garden perspective: Swiss chard. Grows from spring to fall, is hardy and likes cool weather yet also yields in summer heat, yields all season from a single planting, is easily grown and rarely bothered by pests (in my garden anyway) AND is best thought of as two vegetables culinarily (leaves and stalks)...whew, that's an impressive list of credentials for a leafy green! Collards come close, but I find chard easier to care for and more interesting in the kitchen. But my overall champion has to be: tomatoes. Easy to grow. Prolific plants. Great compared-to-market value. Almost mythical quality when garden ripened. Tremendous variety to choose from. And, for me, without a doubt the most versatile vegetable in the kitchen. They can find a place in breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They can be raw or cooked a million ways. Consider the number of cuisines they are at home in, and the number of roles they play in those cuisines, and the number of ingredients you can marry them to - it's amazing. So for me they are an unbeatable combo of money bang, garden bang, and culinary bang....See MoreWhat gives you the most bang for the buck?
Comments (7)Well you HAVE to grow tomatoes if you like eating them fresh. The supermarket tomatoes are not only overpriced, they're completely unripe and flavorless (picked barely yellow and gassed into redness). Basil and rosemary ought to be grown because they're only good fresh, and far too expensive in the grocery store. Likewise cilantro. Most other herbs are decent in their dried form, or have acceptable dried seeds or substitutes. But not those two. I grow Hungarian sweet paprika for both the quality and cost. It's better than buying those pricey tins of Pride of Szeged. Fruit-bearing vines and bushes are absolutely wonderful. They're more FAR flavorful, practically free, and you can get all sorts of varieties you'd never be able to get in grocery stores or even farmer's markets! Currants, gooseberries, raspberries, grapes, mulberries, blackberries, raspberries, black raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, loganberries, huckleberries, keriberries... The list goes on and on! Do you research and you'll be able to plant varieties that ripen in a staggered pattern, so you'll have fresh fruit from June to October! A gallon of berries for practically nothing, or $3.00 a pint at the grocery store. Hmm.......See MoreInsulating an old home bang for the buck
Comments (5)someone needs to get into your attic and look around. the best scenerio would be to hire someone who can advise you as to your best options for your specific home. there are many energy raters in florida, you could make some calls and hire an independent third party. I don't know how it works with BPI, but as a Resnet energy rater we do inspection & testing for air leakage into the house, and duct leakage. there are two seperate testing dates, prior to any upgrade, and once upgrades are completed. the first to establish a baseline for your house, and advise on upgrades. the last is to verify that house leakage, duct leakage and any issues that were addressed accomplished what they were bid to do. as your house has both cinderblock and stick frame construction, and age of house I would suggest that you have considerable leakage. blower door & duct testing would measure and pinpoint the leakage areas, so that they can be addressed. a couple of cases of caulk can do wonders to reducing air leakge into the house. as can mastic sealing of ductwork. trying to heat and cool a leaky house is expensive. if you make the house tighter and reduce the duct leakage it is a good investment. when replacing a unit as old as yours with a more efficient unit could cause problems for ductwork in a vented attic. your existing ductwork's r-value is somewhere between R-2 & R-4. with new variable speed equipment the low speed of the unit will be colder than high speed. ductwork in a vented attic in our hot humid climate condensates. installing open cell foam to fill the roof rafters to full depth, and to cover the faces of the rafters is a good investment. this would make mastic sealing of ductwork viable as compared to upgrading ductwork to R-8. it would also put ductwork in a conditioned space as the attic is now unvented. if you can get a foam company that has worked with hvac contractors..or visaversa..you will be dealing with like minded people. it makes a difference. most of our house leakage is from the living to the attic space. moving the thermal (insulation) barrier to the roofline with foam also moves the air barrier to the roofline. so the recessed lights don't suck air from the attic. cost of foam is higher, and you should keep in mind that you still need to meet code. this is not the 3-4" average fill bid. R-values for La. are R-30 for attics we meet the cathedral attic code with 6-7" get several bids and ask to visit an ongoing or previous install. understand that while the depth is increased that once they are on the job and set up its a matter of spraying more product. it doesn't double the price. as to where it leaks in the walls of the house, the blower door test will pinpoint these areas for you. location of the leaks depend on construction of house. each house is different. best of luck....See MoreBang for the buck?
Comments (44)Look at Virgil's first post above, then worthy's. By the way, they are both great posters and I respect them both, so no knocks at all. Keep up the great work folks. :-) I love the 2 viewpoints. From Virgil: Starting the design of a house in the proper way: with a strong understanding of the land, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of various building sites, orientation, views, access, relation to usable outdoor spaces and the like. As jannicone said, this is "free", and it influences in a very positive manner all of the thinking and development which follows. In my experience, this is definitely not "free", and actually both difficult and expensive. Without a doubt, in my experience, a well-executed (i.e. layout), *modest* home in a good location yields the best results in terms of enjoyment and resale. With a large budget, I would add into the mix a good view, garage and heating. Everything else is cosmetic. lol...See Morefloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agol pinkmountain
4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agol pinkmountain
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agodaninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agol pinkmountain
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agodaninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoJohn D Zn6a PIT Pa
4 years agostevie
4 years agonancyjane_gardener
4 years agocactusjoe1
4 years agol pinkmountain
4 years agostevie
4 years agocactusjoe1
4 years agol pinkmountain
4 years agol pinkmountain
4 years ago
Related Stories
LANDSCAPE DESIGN6 Ways You Can Save on Your Garden Renovation
Find out how to spend wisely without compromising on style — and what to splurge on for big impact
Full StorySAVING WATERWater-Saving Strategies From 5 Earth-Friendly Gardens
Get ideas for setting up a rain garden, installing a water cistern, mulching garden beds, growing native plants and more
Full StoryEDIBLE GARDENSThe Most Productive Fruits, Veggies and Herbs to Plant Right Now
These crops offer the best bang for the buck, earning their keep with plentiful harvests
Full StoryFARM YOUR YARDHow to Navigate a Seed Catalog
Seed catalogs can help you discover what to grow in a garden — once you learn how to decipher them
Full StoryPRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: Space-Saving Multipurpose Furniture
Get more bang for your buck — and more space for other things — with furniture designed to work extra hard
Full StoryGREAT HOME PROJECTSHow to Replace Your Lawn With a Garden
New project for a new year: Lose the turfgrass for energy savings, wildlife friendliness and lower maintenance
Full StoryEARTH DAYGrow a Beautiful Garden With Ecofriendly Greywater
Reducing home water waste means lower bills and a healthier planet. Here's how to set up a greywater home irrigation system that can help
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNGet Along With Less Lawn — Ideas to Save Water and Effort
Ditch the mower and lower your water bill while creating a feast for the eyes with diverse plantings and gathering places
Full StoryFALL GARDENING5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
Improve your soil and yard the organic way with a valuable garden booster that grows on trees
Full StoryGARDENING FOR BIRDSBring the Beauty of the Prairie to Your Garden
Achieve a naturalistic look in your landscape with a beautiful mix of perennials and grasses planted in drifts
Full Story
inmomx3