Questions to Ask Before Ordering Bulk Soils. Five Ways to Save Water in the Garden. Plants to Attract Wild Birds to Your Garden. Prevent Damping Off Disease on Seedlings. Crop Rotation for Healthier Food Gardens. Grow Food in Fall and Winter. Vegetable Gardening Planning Tools. Warm Weather Vegetable Gardens.

Four Vegetables for Containers. Fava Beans. Herb Garden in a Hula. Lemon Verbena. Lettuces and Salad Greens. Mustard and Spicy Greens. Pansies Edible Flowers. Patio Tomatoes. Indoor Herb Gardens.

Growing Sprouts Indoors. Herbal Vinegar Craft Project. Vine Wreath Craft Project. Digging in — help share the workload to reap rewards. Not only will you provide an extra pair of hands and a much needed community service, but you will soon pick up loads of excellent free gardening tips and advice.

Local gardening clubs, seed saver groups and Permaculture groups are always welcoming new members, sharing knowledge and plants. Seed Saving group busy at work processing seeds — everyone gets some free to take home.

Even some produce from a supermarket can still be grown back in your garden. Here are a few ways you can grow your own food plants :. A pineapple top can be replanted to produce a new plant.

If you chop the shallot above the white base and replant the roots, you will find it re-shoot quite quickly. Rather than ending up in your bin, shallots and spring onions that still have their roots attached can be grown by burying these in some compost leaving the tip just below the surface.

More plants for free! Not only that, but as you pick the stems from the outside, these great value tasty plants will re-grow again in the centre so you can continue to harvest. Much the same as for shallots, spring onions can also be regrown if they are planted with roots.

You can plant out or dry and save peas for your own free pea plants. Or try veggies like tomatoes and pumpkin which will more than reward you for your efforts.

One plant or fruit has more seeds than you will need to use at once or most likely that whole season or year! Nature is extremely generous and prolific! Pumpkins are one of the most generous veggies often supply hundreds of viable seeds for replanting. Learn simple techniques for processing dry herbs like dill — just one plant provides hundreds of seeds.

Self sown tomatoes are volunteer plants that are often welcome freebies in the garden. These seeds may have already been present in the soil or compost, brought in by birds or animals or just general gardening. Want to pick up some plants dirt cheap? So check out the following ideas for more ways to save money on plants:.

Seedlings direct from growers — you can mix and match what you want rather than buying a whole punnet of the same variety. Buying plants direct from growers at markets is a great way to save money.

Newspapers can be a treasure chest of plant and garden bargains. Volunteers at a community garden nursery help propagate new varieties and have access to locally grown plant stock. Most gardeners love to help others out when they have excess in their own garden.

If you have some plants already, this is a great place to offer to trade plants. Another free site you can request free plants is on FreeCycle. Retail Clearance Racks — Large retail chains with garden sections almost always have an area where they have plants marked down for sale.

This may be due to their slightly less saleable appearance, being pot bound or a genuine clearance of overstocked plants. End of season sales at nurseries can be a good time to pick up a bargain.

Or, they may have new season plants arriving and need to clear the room. Whatever the reason, you can often pick up a bargain especially if you are prepared to give a little TLC at home to a plant that is looking a little droopy or under the weather.

Free Plants from Council — Most councils offer residents a couple of free native plants each year if you bring your rates notice in on specified dates in the calendar. There is usually a good range of plants available and this is one great offer to take advantage of to build your garden for free!

Buy from Wholesale Nurseries — There are more and more wholesale nurseries selling direct to the public and a lot of plants are available to purchase online via catalogues.

Nurseries often will discount if you buy bulk and buying smaller tube stock will also save you money. Buying small plants saves money — some nurseries specialise in tube stock. Well, those are my top ideas for getting plants for free and picking up some bargains.

What are your tips? How have you saved money in the garden? For more Frugal Gardening tips , check out these thrifty ideas to make your own garden toolbox out of recycled materials — Containers, Seed raisers, Labels, Watering Cans and Sprayers. All rights reserved. Can volunteer in my farm,I wanna change it to a flowering n fruitful amazing garden ,with birds singing ,bi have enough water n good soil there…can u pls come to india n volunteer, i can take care of ur accomodation, food, local guide as i stay in Ajanta, and also for good quality herb!!

I wish you all the best with your endeavours and feel free to soak up the free knowledge on my website. Cheers Anne. Hi, I love ur Articles. Please add me to your e-mail address to get more planting ideas.

I have moved to new house and would like to grow herbs and vegetables for my routine use. Hi Mandy Thanks for your feedback. I have added you to my newsletter mailing list as requested. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for joining our gardening community.

I am so happy to read your article on planting. Hi Gina, so glad you enjoyed the article. I hope you enjoy them and look forward to sharing more ways to grow good health soon. Am I missing some thing that will help re-seed my tomatoes? Do they need to be Heirloom tomatoes?

Hi Lon, I am not sure which climate zone or country you garden in, so this may possibly play a role in how suitable the growing season is. However, I only use heirloom or organic tomato seeds to start with and that may be your problem.

I also take some tomatoes from healthy plants and toss them in the compost or into pots and allow them to germinate when ready. I also allow my edibles to flower and set seed.

Then I either collect and save them or allow them to be wind blown around the garden and find their own new spot to self sow. I have to dig quite a few lettuce seedlings out of our lawn today as they have taken root in a nice moist semi-shaded spot and I just have to transplant them to a more convenient location.

There are many hybrid tomatoes on the market plant breeders and horticulturalists often like it this way so they can make more money! Hybrid seeds e. F1 are also more expensive than heirloom and cert organic because the plant breeders have spent time combining 2 parent plants to obtain one with certain characteristics.

However, there are always compromises when you mess with nature. These hybrid tomatoes will NOT grow true-to-type. Whilst there is some level of diversity in non-hybrid seeds, you can be confident you are getting the same plant each time.

You can also grow heirloom tomatoes by taking cuttings off the parent plant and then it will be a clone identical. You can read more about different kinds of seeds in my article on Saving and Sourcing Open-Pollinated Seeds.

If you want a truly resilient garden — one that will grow on its own with safe food to eat — I always recomment you start with certified organic or heirloom seeds.

Then you can save money by saving seeds from these and they will self-sow in your garden more readily. Because they have adapted to your micro climate and soil conditions.

Grow New Plants From Cuttings Turn Trash Into Rich Compost Grow New Veggies From Kitchen Scraps

Free gardening tips - Look for Garden Giveaways Grow New Plants From Cuttings Turn Trash Into Rich Compost Grow New Veggies From Kitchen Scraps

Gardening Tips. Organic Growing Methods and Unique Plants for the Backyard Gardener. Most Popular. Growing Organic Fruits. Fig Trees. Read Article. Goji Berry Update. Goji Berry Plants. Growing Vegetables. Growing Okra. Digging Root Vegetables. Growing Shallots.

Recent Articles. Home Gardening Ideas. Making a Great Display of Culinary Herb Plants. Even herb varieties that are typically borderline hardy here in Fall Vegetable Gardening. Growing Winter Lettuce to Produce Early Spring Harvests. Are the costs of starting a garden putting you off?

Are you as broke as broke can be but want to grow your own vegetables? No worries. One of my favorite tips I often see suggested is to save seeds. From where? Your non-existent garden? Or, they go on to say, have a friend or neighbor save seeds for you!

And what if your neighbor is growing hybrids, or they have more than one variety of open-pollinated species growing in their garden? Sometimes, I barely had two nickels to rub together. Nearly all the stuff at your local garden center is unnecessary.

Most of what you need can be found around your home, borrowed or donated from your social circle. But I can say with certainty that if you do ask for it, most gardeners will help you in spades. Pun intended.

Pick four or five vegetables you would like to grow. Tomatoes are always a popular choice. If you eat a lot of salads, this is a great way to save some cash.

Lettuce is easy to grow. How about peppers, peas, carrots, basil or beans? If you have a yard, even a small one, your least expensive option is to grow directly in the soil. I mean all of them , not just close friends and family. Even if you only end up with one person on your list, as a gardener, I can tell you we love showing off and sharing our knowledge.

Come, my little sprout, let me impress you with all of my gardening know-how and unload all the extra stuff I have floating around my garden shed. If you know you need something, keep your eyes open for substitutions around your home. Often, we can find a solution right under our noses or by asking a fellow gardener.

A lot of articles will tell you to start seedlings to save money. It requires extra materials to get started. Only things like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and herbs will need to be started indoors.

Ask sooner rather than later. Most seedlings come in a starter pack of four. A lot of people will list their extra seedlings for free.

The key is to start looking a couple of weeks before your last frost date and check listings daily. When it comes to seeds, again, hit up your list of gardeners.

Ask if anyone has extras they can spare. You can get them at the dollar store. If you need to start seeds, I suggest doing so with whatever you can find around your home—plastic cups, empty food containers that have been washed out, toilet paper rolls, all of these will work just fine.

However, you will have to pay with sweat equity to get it started. The sooner you do this, the better. It will make that first dig a little easier. This is why we start small; this part is hard work. Pull out rocks as you find them. Let your newly dug garden rest for a day or two, then go back and give it another once over with a shovel and rake.

That kind of soil takes work, so we have to pay for it. When it comes to sourcing soil for your garden, grab the big bags. Shop around and look for the best price. Hi, Walmart! This is where you get creative. Will it hold dirt? Can you poke a hole in the bottom for drainage?

Then you can probably grow vegetables in it. Will it be pretty? Save a milk jug. Nearly all plants prefer to be watered at the base. With a milk jug, you can water your plants right where they need it while conserving water. If you want a fancy sprinkling version, poke some holes in the cap.

Video

Free gardening tips - Look for Garden Giveaways Grow New Plants From Cuttings Turn Trash Into Rich Compost Grow New Veggies From Kitchen Scraps

Please add me to your e-mail address to get more planting ideas. I have moved to new house and would like to grow herbs and vegetables for my routine use. Hi Mandy Thanks for your feedback.

I have added you to my newsletter mailing list as requested. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for joining our gardening community. I am so happy to read your article on planting. Hi Gina, so glad you enjoyed the article. I hope you enjoy them and look forward to sharing more ways to grow good health soon.

Am I missing some thing that will help re-seed my tomatoes? Do they need to be Heirloom tomatoes? Hi Lon, I am not sure which climate zone or country you garden in, so this may possibly play a role in how suitable the growing season is.

However, I only use heirloom or organic tomato seeds to start with and that may be your problem. I also take some tomatoes from healthy plants and toss them in the compost or into pots and allow them to germinate when ready. I also allow my edibles to flower and set seed. Then I either collect and save them or allow them to be wind blown around the garden and find their own new spot to self sow.

I have to dig quite a few lettuce seedlings out of our lawn today as they have taken root in a nice moist semi-shaded spot and I just have to transplant them to a more convenient location. There are many hybrid tomatoes on the market plant breeders and horticulturalists often like it this way so they can make more money!

Hybrid seeds e. F1 are also more expensive than heirloom and cert organic because the plant breeders have spent time combining 2 parent plants to obtain one with certain characteristics.

However, there are always compromises when you mess with nature. These hybrid tomatoes will NOT grow true-to-type. Whilst there is some level of diversity in non-hybrid seeds, you can be confident you are getting the same plant each time. You can also grow heirloom tomatoes by taking cuttings off the parent plant and then it will be a clone identical.

You can read more about different kinds of seeds in my article on Saving and Sourcing Open-Pollinated Seeds. If you want a truly resilient garden — one that will grow on its own with safe food to eat — I always recomment you start with certified organic or heirloom seeds.

Then you can save money by saving seeds from these and they will self-sow in your garden more readily. Because they have adapted to your micro climate and soil conditions. It may take a while, but if you build your soil and keep it moist especially with mulch , you are likely to have much greater success.

Saving seeds also enables you to grow your favourite foods and have food security for when seeds get too expensive to buy or become unavailable. Hope this helps. I have scanned through your article and it looks absolutely wonderful.

So far I am very impressed with the layout and the wonderful pictures. Being a passionate gardener myself I think it is a great concept to introduce the younger generation into the magical world of gardening, especially when there is just so much you can grow yourself and so easily.

I look forward to reading with interest your article in depth and would love to further comment. Stephanie Alexander would be very proud of you I am sure.

My Granddaughter aged 9 made home made pizzas at school using ingredients from the veggie patch, and then of course they had lots of fun eating their pizzas. I think it makes it very special when they have done it all themselves and can see when they plant, water and watch the veggies grow, at the end they can create something delicious to eat.

I am certain as I read your article I will learn so much that I can put into practice myself. Good luck I wish you all the very best, you a doing a wonderful thing, keep it up. Thanks so much for your positive and encouraging feedback!

Glad the article is useful. I have a love of colour and photography and find so often a picture tells the story far better than I can! Whereabouts are you located? I have been involved with a school garden program here on the Sunshine Coast that got a grant from the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.

They built a school kitchen as a result as well as a pizza oven and the gardens have expanded incredibly. The bonus is going off to the kitchen to prepare a mouthwatering cook up! I have plenty more ideas on Frugal Gardening that I will be sharing as well as more on Gardens for Kids very soon.

What a fantastic section Frugal Gardening is. Thanks heaps for widening my horizons and helping me so much. Thanks Rosemary — more ideas on the way soon for ways to save money on homemade fertilisers, pest management and more!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Frugal Gardening — How to Get Plants for Free! Related Posts. How to Mulch Your Garden for Free. May 4th, 0 Comments. June 18th, 0 Comments. Easy Food Gardening Guide for Beginners. May 18th, 4 Comments.

January 16th, 4 Comments. January 29th, 6 Comments. Frugal Gardening — 5 Thrifty Recycling Ideas - The Micro Gardener July 7, at pm - Reply. Gaurav Firodiya December 17, at pm - Reply. Anne Gibson December 19, at am - Reply.

Tania October 18, at pm - Reply. Anne Gibson October 18, at pm - Reply. Hi Tania Thanks and so glad you enjoyed the article.

Mandy April 19, at am - Reply. Anne Gibson April 19, at pm - Reply. Gina September 15, at am - Reply. Hi: I am so happy to read your article on planting.

Sincerely, Ms. Gina Cavallo. Anne Gibson September 15, at am - Reply. Lon June 9, at am - Reply. Or, they go on to say, have a friend or neighbor save seeds for you!

And what if your neighbor is growing hybrids, or they have more than one variety of open-pollinated species growing in their garden? Sometimes, I barely had two nickels to rub together. Nearly all the stuff at your local garden center is unnecessary. Most of what you need can be found around your home, borrowed or donated from your social circle.

But I can say with certainty that if you do ask for it, most gardeners will help you in spades. Pun intended. Pick four or five vegetables you would like to grow. Tomatoes are always a popular choice. If you eat a lot of salads, this is a great way to save some cash.

Lettuce is easy to grow. How about peppers, peas, carrots, basil or beans? If you have a yard, even a small one, your least expensive option is to grow directly in the soil. I mean all of them , not just close friends and family.

Even if you only end up with one person on your list, as a gardener, I can tell you we love showing off and sharing our knowledge. Come, my little sprout, let me impress you with all of my gardening know-how and unload all the extra stuff I have floating around my garden shed.

If you know you need something, keep your eyes open for substitutions around your home. Often, we can find a solution right under our noses or by asking a fellow gardener.

A lot of articles will tell you to start seedlings to save money. It requires extra materials to get started. Only things like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and herbs will need to be started indoors.

Ask sooner rather than later. Most seedlings come in a starter pack of four. A lot of people will list their extra seedlings for free. The key is to start looking a couple of weeks before your last frost date and check listings daily. When it comes to seeds, again, hit up your list of gardeners.

Ask if anyone has extras they can spare. You can get them at the dollar store. If you need to start seeds, I suggest doing so with whatever you can find around your home—plastic cups, empty food containers that have been washed out, toilet paper rolls, all of these will work just fine.

However, you will have to pay with sweat equity to get it started. The sooner you do this, the better. It will make that first dig a little easier.

This is why we start small; this part is hard work. Pull out rocks as you find them. Let your newly dug garden rest for a day or two, then go back and give it another once over with a shovel and rake. That kind of soil takes work, so we have to pay for it.

When it comes to sourcing soil for your garden, grab the big bags. Shop around and look for the best price. Hi, Walmart! This is where you get creative. Will it hold dirt? Can you poke a hole in the bottom for drainage? Then you can probably grow vegetables in it.

Will it be pretty? Save a milk jug. Nearly all plants prefer to be watered at the base. With a milk jug, you can water your plants right where they need it while conserving water.

If you want a fancy sprinkling version, poke some holes in the cap. These are easy. Put your caveman thinking cap on and look for simple tools around your house. Hit up your kitchen drawer. You know that one nylon spoon you accidentally set on the burner while it was still hot, but you never threw it away?

Boom — garden spade. An old plastic cup, an empty plastic jug with the bottom cut off, or an empty coffee can, all of these can be used for scooping and digging in the soil.