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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Cheap Raised Beds from Scrap for Under $50
You don’t need a trip to the lumber yard to build raised beds. Scrap wood, cull boards, cinder blocks, and a little scrounging can get you a solid 4×8 bed for well under $50. Here’s how I’ve done it, including the mistakes.
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Pollinator-Friendly Plants That Actually Show Up
Tomatoes that don’t set fruit, squash flowers that drop off, zucchini that just gives up. Often the problem isn’t your plants, it’s the lack of pollinators. Here are the easiest, cheapest plants to grow that will actually bring bees and butterflies to your garden.
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Vertical Gardening: Big Yields in a Tiny Space
If your raised beds are packed and you’re out of ground space, look up. Vertical gardening lets you squeeze serious production out of a tiny footprint, and most of the best trellis setups cost almost nothing to build.
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Victory Gardens: Growing Food for Self-Sufficiency
Growing food for self-sufficiency doesn’t require a farm or a big budget. Here’s how to start a practical victory garden this April in the Pacific Northwest, with crops that actually feed your family.
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Spring Watering and Mulching Before It Gets Hot
April in the PNW feels too wet to think about watering schedules. But every year, the dry heat sneaks up fast and I’m scrambling. Here’s how I get my spring watering and mulching sorted before it actually matters.
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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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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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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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Don’t Throw Away Your Thinnings
I threw away handfuls of baby lettuce for two full seasons before my wife pointed out that people pay good money for microgreens. Thinning your seedlings isn’t a chore, it’s an early harvest. Here’s what’s worth eating and how to actually do it.
