Thrifty Tips for Early Garden Starts

By the author of the FREE online course Growing Self-Sufficiency: The Whole Picture

One of the most important ways I save money is by growing a lot of my own food. Over the years, I have gotten better and better at seed starting and saving money on my garden by developing certain habits. As I turn my head to the afternoon sun streaming in my glass door, I can see a half dozen contented cabbage seedlings and a dozen or more pepper seedlings basking in the sun.

Was I an overnight success at this? Heck no! Over a decade ago, I lost most of my first crop of seedlings by overwatering them. I hope this article will encourage you to give it a try…realizing that this is a skill set you learn over time. I am going to share my best thrifty tips on how I get an early start on my garden without spending an arm and a leg. And honestly, who would ever want to spend an arm and a leg for anything?

Starting What I Can at Home

I am quite sure that the price of seedlings, like everything else, will be higher than you would believe this spring. Even in previous years where I was not experiencing sticker shock at the grocery store about the cost of a pound of butter, buying a bunch of seedlings did add up.

If you’re like me and don’t have money to drop on expensive plants, why not start a few at home? This year, I’ve pared back on the variety to cut seed costs, but I’m still growing cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, hot peppers, green peppers, and three types of tomatoes!  As I prefer to eat plants grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, seedlings like that sell for a premium price and may not even be available locally. So, I am saving on my seedlings, as well as an expensive drive to the big city.

Planting Last Year’s Seeds

OK, maybe I’m more relaxed about this than other gardeners…or perhaps more thrifty??? I have great success with seeds that are not from the current year. I do have a few ideas for how to plant these in a thrifty way, too. For older seeds, I don’t count on 100% germination. So, I plant two at a time in one space, and I plant extra spaces. This way, even with a 50% germination rate, I should have a plant in every space. And if some of the seedlings aren’t as healthy or strong, I will still have my planned number for my garden, plus some to donate to the local community gardens.

Some of you might want some numbers: This year, 1 year old Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper seeds had a 100% germination rate. My 1 year old green pepper seeds were somewhat lower, with closer to 50% germination and one stunted seedling that wasn’t viable. Will I make my pepper quota this way? You betcha! I only plan on planting 2 – 3 in my own garden, so I still have 2 or 3 to give away.

Reusing What I Can

I like to start seeds in small black plastic flats that come with clear plastic domes. These are quite inexpensive at the local discount store, but I still reuse them from year to year. To make them suitable for my uses, I actually drill holes in the bottom of them for drainage. I sit them in a similarly sized aluminum roasting pan. This prevents leaking and also allows me to water from the bottom if I prefer. Kept out of the direct sunlight outside, which warps them, these trays will last for years.

My little “grow op,” as I fondly call it, also has some grow lights. These are reusable from year to year and cost virtually nothing for electricity. I have desk lamps with adjustable necks that allow me to move the light as close to the seedlings as I need to. Our local hardware store sells grow bulbs that fit in a standard light bulb socket for less than $5! Each year, I try to add one or more lights to the setup. Over several years, I have collected more than enough for a minimal output of cash.

Newspaper Pots Save the Day (and some cash!)

I used to fuss with a whole bunch of plastic pots, six-packs, and trays of varying sizes for transplantation. These took up tons of space in my shed, and when I gave plants away to various causes, I would not always get my pots back, leading to my needing to lurk at the end of people’s driveways, picking through their recycling for more pots. Now, I make my own pots out of newspaper by rolling a double sheet around a pint jar. Extra length is folded down to make a stronger bottom. I might not need to tape them if I was better at it, but I always do. It helps them stay more upright in my aluminum roasting pan before I fill them.

Another benefit of these newspaper pots is that they have good depth for root growth. Many of you have likely had the experience of pulling out a plant from a standard nursery six-pack to find a root-bound mess.

If you would like to see pictures of my flats and newspaper pots, check out my website here. If the article about my spring garden isn’t already up, you can subscribe down at the bottom of the page to make sure you receive it.

Seed Saving and Swapin’ with Friends

I am fortunate that I have friends who also love gardening. As spring approaches, we are often seen giving seeds to each other. “Hey, here’s an extra packet of pea seeds I found. Would you like it?” or “Hey, I know you like Calendula…these are kind of old, but you could still throw them in the garden.”

Just this week, I brought over a bunch of my Russian Mammoth sunflower seeds that I saved from last year to my good friend. He’s bound to bring me some marigold seeds like he usually does.

I have had very good success with saving tomato seeds. I have a wonderful heirloom beefsteak that is now in its third or fourth generation. People rave about how “beefy” it is! I have had zero success with saving any kind of pepper seeds. Well, actually, I have 100% success with saving them and 0% success with germination. Why do I keep trying? Because I value skill development, and it will be good to know what I can and can’t save should there ever be a seed apocalypse (and I hope there won’t be!).

Patience is a Virtue (and a money saver!)

After all of the effort to grow, nurture, transplant, and harden off my own seedlings, I still like a good deal when the garden centres are having their clearance sales! Why is that? Well, I can fill in any holes in my garden with some inexpensive extras. As well, sometimes I suffer early losses for various reasons.

By the time these places are holding their sales, I will generally know what has done well and what has not. At one hardware store in a nearby city, the young man working for the garden center did not have the heart to throw the remaining garden plants in the dumpster, as he was directed to by his boss. The result? A multi-day pick-up spree where I got countless plants for FREE and called all my friends to tell them about plants they could get. You never know! It’s always worth keeping an eye out!

If you still feel like you need some tips on seed starting mix and how to start seedlings, you can also check out this great article here.

Planting the Seeds of Savings

There are many ways to reduce the cost of a home garden. Could you see yourself trying any of the thrifty garden tips offered here? Do you have one you can share with us? Please tell us in the comments below.

About Colette

Colette is passionate about sharing her knowledge of thrifty living and self-sufficiency. She has developed her skills in self-reliance living in the suburbs, the city, and more recently, on her own Half-Acre Homestead. Colette lived five years completely off-grid and without running water in an eight by 24 foot tiny home while designing and building her own 18 by 24-foot eco-cabin. Her website, Half Acre Homestead is attracting followers from around the world who want to become more self-sufficient.  Colette invites you to stop by the Homestead and check out all of the great resources including the practical How To Guides, A Tiny Home Resource Center and her organic gardening stories on her blog. She shares her wholistic model (body/mind/spirit) for achieving self-sufficiency in her Free Course, “Growing Self-Sufficiency: The Whole Picture.” Stop by the Homestead today to register free of charge!