Cheap Seed Starting Containers: What Actually Works
Yogurt cups, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons. You’re probably already throwing away the best seed starting containers you could use. Here’s what actually works and what has let me down.
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No Seeds Started Yet? It’s Not Too Late
Haven’t started your garden yet and feeling behind? You’re not. Here’s a quick, cheap plan for Pacific Northwest beginners to get growing in April with seeds and transplants you can grab this weekend.
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Free Herb Garden from Grocery Store Basil
That grocery store basil bundle is basically a free propagation kit. Propagating plants from cuttings is easier than it sounds, and one $1.99 bundle can turn into 6 to 10 plants with just a jar of water and a bright windowsill.
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Cheap Cut Flowers: Sunflowers, Cosmos, and Zinnias
Sunflowers, cosmos, and zinnias are three of the cheapest, easiest cut flowers you can grow from seed. One packet of each is all it takes to have fresh bouquets from July through October. Here’s how to get them started in April.
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Free Herb Plants from Kitchen Cuttings
Grocery store basil roots in about a week if you just stick it in a glass of water. Same with mint and oregano. Here’s how to turn kitchen herb scraps into free plants before the growing season kicks in.
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Last Frost Dates and When to Transplant Seedlings
Knowing when to transplant seedlings outdoors in the Pacific Northwest is part science, part weather-watching, and part learning from the flat of tomatoes you killed in late April. Here’s how to time it right without losing your whole spring to one cold night.
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Direct Sowing Cool Season Crops This April
Cool season crops like peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes want to go straight into the ground this time of year. Here’s how to direct sow all of them in April in the Pacific Northwest without spending much or overthinking it.
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Hardening Off Seedlings Without Killing Them First
I killed a flat of tomatoes once by putting them straight outside. Full sun, first day, two hours. This is how to not do that. Hardening off seedlings takes about ten days and a little patience, which is the hard part.
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Hardening Off Seedlings Without Killing Them
I lost a whole flat of tomato seedlings to hardening off once. Not to frost, not to slugs, just to one overconfident afternoon in April. Here’s how to do it right, cheap, with whatever you already have in the garage.
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February Is Brassica Time (Don’t Sleep On It)
February feels too early to start seeds, but for broccoli and cabbage it’s exactly right. Here’s how to get brassicas going indoors in the Pacific Northwest without spending much or messing up the timing.
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Starting Peppers Indoors in January on the Cheap
Peppers need 10 to 14 weeks indoors before transplant, which means starting them now in January if you’re in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s how to get a solid cheap grow light setup going without spending more than you have to.
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Starting Onions and Leeks Indoors for Almost Nothing
Bought onion starts last year and half of them melted before they hit the ground. This year I started my own from seed for less than the cost of that bundle, using a salad clamshell and a shop light. Here’s the whole cheap setup.
