Cheap Spring Pest Control for Slugs and Aphids
April in the Pacific Northwest means slugs, aphids, and something chewing your seedlings overnight. Here’s how to handle the most common spring garden pests without spending much money.
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Cheap Spring Garden Bed Prep With Compost and Mulch
Spring garden bed prep in the Pacific Northwest doesn’t have to cost much. Free city compost, wood chip deliveries, and shredded leaves can get your beds ready for planting without spending a lot.
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Slug Season: Winning the Slime War for Cheap
April in the Pacific Northwest means the slugs are back and hungry. Here’s how to protect your spring garden from slugs, aphids, and cabbage worms without spending much more than a few minutes and a little dish soap.
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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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January Seed Catalogs: What to Order (And What to Skip)
January catalogs are dangerous if you don’t have a plan. Here’s how to figure out what to actually order before the glossy photos talk you into six kinds of squash you don’t need.
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Starting Peppers Indoors: Cheap Grow Light Setup
Peppers need 10 to 12 weeks of indoor growing before transplant, which means January in Redmond is the time to start. Here’s how to set up a cheap grow light system that actually works without a sad windowsill and without spending serious money.
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Cheap Frost Protection That Actually Works
First frost in Redmond usually shows up late October, but that doesn’t mean the garden has to be done. Wire hoops, a roll of row cover fabric, and some old bedsheets can buy you weeks of extra growing season for under $20.
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Keep ‘Em Coming: Succession Planting Cucumbers and Beans So You’re Not Drowning in July and Starving in August
One planting of cucumbers or beans gives you a three-week sprint and then nothing. Here’s how I fixed that with three simple sowings and a paper calendar my daughter draws cucumbers on.
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The Vine Truth About Tomato Cages
Store-bought tomato cages fold over by August and cost way too much to do it so dramatically. Here are the cheap alternatives that actually hold up, including the one made from concrete reinforcing wire that costs about $2.19 per cage and lasts forever.
