Hunting for spring at our local nurseries
18.1 years ago Uncategorized
Since nothing is blooming in my yard and my wife convinced me that Northwest Flower & Garden Show would be a little too busy for our young girls (I know she was right, as usual) We decided instead to go on a nursery tour, I normally get my plants from our closest nursery or the local home and garden center but was curious what the other dozen or so nurseries in my area had to offer. We didn’t bring anything home (little too early for vegetable seedlings) but did get some pictures that spring was not too far away.
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, outdoor plants, vegetables
Using alfalfa pellets as cheap organic fertilizer for your lawn and garden
18.1 years ago alfalfa pellets, cheap, fertilizer, organic
We all know if you walk into a grocery store the organic produce is always more expensive than produce grown using non-organic methods. Using deductive reasoning it seems easy to determine that this would mean growing vegetables organically will cost me more than if I used non-organic methods. What is a cheap vegetable gardener to do?
One disadvantage (and advantage) to organic fertilizer is that it is not as potent as chemical fertilizers. So my 2 lbs of organic will not nearly go as far (at least short term) as the same amount of chemical fertilizer. One trick to being cheap is to purchase products that are not being marketed for your planned purpose. So to solve my expensive fertilizer issue I used this same logic to solve the problem of finding a location to buy organic fertilizer that was not marketed as “fertilizer.” After some research I determined a source from my local feed store. For $10 I was able to get 25 lbs of alfalfa pellets compared to 2 lbs of alfalfa meal at my local nursery for around the same price.
One great thing about using organic fertilizer is my kids can help spread it around, unlike chemical fertilizers. It also contains triacontanol which is a root growth stimulant along with plenty of organic matter to help boost some extra microbial activity. This not only helps the grass but also improves your soil at the same time. By taking a few cups of alfalfa pellets and mixing with water you can also make alfalfa tea, which I am planning on doing later but will sure to let you know how it works out. One more tip, make sure you distribute the alfalfa pellets before a big rain or watering, currently my lawn looks like some geese are using it as their bathroom.
Tags: alfalfa pellets, cheap, organic vegetables, vegetables
Harvesting seeds from the grocery store – Update
18.1 years ago garlic bulbs, growing challenge, potatoes
I definitely can’t complain about the current results of the garlic and potatoes I planted from my original post Harvesting seeds from the grocery store Every clove of garlic I planted has come up and seems to compliment the onions well and is supposed to keep the slugs away which I can always use help on. The potatoes have finished developing above ground just hope my soil is not too nitrogen rich and they keep growing foliage and forget to complete work below ground making some actual potatoes.
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, garlic bulbs, outdoor plants, vegetables
Harvesting your own seeds
18.1 years ago seed saving
This past fall I made my first attempt to harvest my own seeds. If you can’t tell from the picture I chose cilantro (or coriander if you eat the seeds) and seem to be worth the minimal effort. Just as a warning, if the plant you are dealing with happens to be a hybrid (parents of different species) what you get the next year may not be the same as it was the previous year. In the end this could be disappointment or a pleasant surprise so the risk might be worth it. This next year I am planning letting some of my other vegetables finish going to seed to save a couple bucks but also the flowers don’t look half bad.
Tags: cheap, cilantro, garden seeds, outdoor plants, vegetables
My Lettuce seeds have sprouted
18.1 years ago indoor seed starting
My lettuce seeds sprouted faster than usual this year, I expected to have some problems since I have saved the seeds for 3 years now. I don’t have a heating pad (yeah I’m cheap) so just put them on top of the refrigerator in a makeshift greenhouse out of an old strawberry container. They would have still germinated in my mid-60 degree house, but the extra heat gained from being on top of the refrigerator will allow my cucumbers to sprout about 10 days sooner.
I will have to give coconut coir my two green thumbs up, my only complaint is that it retains water a little too well. I would recommend 1 part perlite to 2 parts coconut coir
to let the roots dry out a little more. For now I am just watering from the bottom so guess I am doing some cheap hydroponics. I have also added them to my PC case grow box.
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, growbox, strawberry plants, vegetables
Strawberries in the PC grow box (UPDATE)
18.1 years ago indoor growbox
Well the strawberry plant seems to be doing great in the $20 PC grow box. Can’t wait to try it out on my recently planted seedlings.
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, growbox, outdoor plants, strawberry plants, vegetables
