Dirt Cheap: The Best Frugal Gardening Ideas on the Internet

Heirloom seed costs can add up if you want to try a whole bunch of new things…BUT…you can save the seeds your plants produce and never have to buy seeds again! Also, check your local library; they may offer a seed ‘swap’ where you might get seeds for free. Ask your neighbors who garden; they often have seeds enough to share especially if they save their own. One advantage to that is chances are the plant will be well suited to your areas weather soil and pests. Container gardening is great if you don’t have a lot of room. Used food buckets from local bakeries and restaurants can be had for free or minimal cost. And if you match the bucket/container size to the growing needs of the plant, you can grow just about anything!

Hi Daisy, I’m an avid follower of yours, but I didn’t see anything on sprouting. I’ve been doing sprouting indoors – without soil — for the last 7-8 yrs. (also as a teenager cuz we were going thru hard times). Advantages: controlled environment; no soil; no disease or insects; cheap; nutritious; and unseen by nosey neighbors; steady production, etc. I’ve tried many different varieties of legumes: incl., [beans] pinto, black, red, white, navy, lima, pink, soya, mung, chick pea (or black eye peas), green peas, garbanzo beans, etc. But my favorite are legumes. They are small; grow fast (harvest in 4-6 days); nutritious; and very versatile — salads; side dish; soup; baked bread, etc. Anyway, I think it’s worth a mention in your long list of other days to garden. Blessings, John

I’ve been enjoying watching videos from David the Good on his YouTube format. This year I am making Biochar to provide longterm benefits to the health & productivity of the soil in my raised beds, hugelculture beds & recycled livestock mineral tubs & old water tanks that are my container gardens.

I learned about Biochar from David’s videos about it. I substituted plain hardwood charcoal for the burnt wood, as my husband can’t be around smoke. I took an old trashcan, put the charcoal in,added fish emulsion, powdered kelp, alfalfa cubes & some left over composted manure, covered the dry items with water & left it to work for 6 weeks. The charcoal turned into a slurry that I bury in my ‘gardens’ before planting. So far the potatoes, onions & parsley all seem to have vigorous growth. David had commented on the improved taste of vegetables grown with biochar as an amendment.

I do no till gardening, using a lasagna gardening approach to all the beds/ containers. I also mulch heavily for weed suppression as well as moisture control. I have several rain barrels that I use for watering the garden.

It’s been a long time to put all this together. And sometimes everything grew, others very little made it to harvest…. multiple hurricanes, severe windstorms, local wildlife or just poor quality seedlings. After several years of trial & errors, I personally can grow a killer cherry tomato, sweet potatoes & redskin potatoes. In a good summer I can add various lettuces or spinach varieties, cucumbers, Seminole pumpkin squash, green beans & banana peppers. In the fall I can grow turnips, carrots and snow peas. Anything that grows is one less thing that comes from the grocery store.

Ok. Here’s a big one that nearly everyone who grows organic (and is experienced) does but rarely talks about with newbies because of the ewwww factor….we save our urine ( yes, our pee) and use it as Major source of the nitrogen part of fertilizer. It also helps accelerate your compost breakdown tremendously. Do some research so you don’t over do it and get too much nitrogen. Caution too on people taking certain meds.
Easy to look up. Easy to do.

So, you can totally make your own pesticide out of a combination of garlic, dish soap and vegetable/mineral oil. Its messy, but I’ve heard it works.

Also, freecycle and estate sales can be good sources of inexpensive garden equipment. It might take a while to find what you need, but they price should be right.