With the gardening season upon us (or at least close) what tips or tricks do you use to save money, time, and effort? I use old fencing for trellises, save pots to re-use year after year for seedlings, save seeds, swap seeds, and take cuttings. I thought that if we had one discussion area about inventive, frugal gardening, it might be easier to pick up new ideas for the coming season. So what do you do?
dr is building me a greenhouse out of glass he bought at a yard sale last fall. He's building it on an old welded trailer that we got from another place. It won't be pretty, but it will be functional. It will all be built from used stuff, just like his shed. dooley
I enjoy making my own, no matter what it is. Everything has a use sooner or later. My hubby is always asking ,what are you saving this for and I say, don't know yet. I save small containers for seeds, anything a plant will grow in, food scraps for worms and compost. Made potting table out of old gas grill ( my pride and joy). Won $100.00 for my idea. I collect coffee grounds from Starbucks and rabbit poo from the bunny farm. So frugal I am. Looking forward to everyones ideas. My $1.00 junk shop find. ( photo / image / picture from Donna S's Garden ) is now my pole bean pole ( photo / image / picture from Donna S's Garden ) this guy will be a trellis for something. ( photo / image / picture from Donna S's Garden )
Oh this is so easy to answer... I come HERE to see what everyone else is doing! I've always been a "scrounger" but I get so many nifty ideas here. And of course... there's always the mark-down plant tables. I can't resist those.
One of my longest reused items are metal fencing posts. Some are 50 years old or older and great if you have rockless soil. They have been used and reused countless times. I also love my barbecue potting bench. It is accompanied with old rescued metal shelving for pots. Both have scrap plywood shelving. Any wood posts I am always on the lookout for. They are great for garden division. New potting area ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden ) The cheapest and nicest potting bench I've made yet. I also love the old drain tiles I put to work getting the semps and sedums off the ground. Cement drainage tiles from old gray-water system ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden ) Tree branches from pruning and wind fall have been used to edge beds as well as river rocks and used bricks. I cut my bamboo yearly to use for fencing, stakes and anything else I can think of. Seed saving for perennials and my favorite plants as well as ground layer, and dividing plants for myself and others. My favorite was reusing the old sink out of the washroom. I was surprised to learn this 500-600 pound sink is actually made out of soap stone. I feel guilty about cracking it now, but much better than hauling it to the dump. The blueberries plants love growing in it. Old cement laundry sink with blueberry plants in each sink and a few flowers. ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden ) I still want to put together a washing sink for veggies so will be on the look out for an old fashioned sink. This will go out by the veggie garden of course. Am also going to make a pallet garden with garden cloth for a vertical divider between the patio and one bed. Lots of plans. Have to stay off Pinterest. They have somethings done with old doors that I hadn't even dreamed of but would love to figure out how to incorporate into the yard.
Jewell, I know what you mean about old doors! I am on the look-out for an old door, solid, or half panel, or whatever, to make a "garden door" to an herb bed. It won't be functional, just decorative since the herb bed isn't fenced.
Wow all those ideas look so great. I love the old door use. I just checked out pinterest. That is a site I could look at all day. But I did see something I plan on using in my garden. They took old pallets and placed them in the garden, filled the pallet with soil and then planted veggies or flowers in the spaces between the pallet boards. Wow what easy raised beds that would make. Plus it would keep ones veggies clean and out of the dirt. Now I will be on the hunt for old pallets.
Learn to forage. Forage for something every day. Are those little red berries on the fence row asparagus berries? Lumber (or leaves) out at the curb on trash day?
