Gardening on a budget - Money saving tips

[henless]

We have a well, so water will not be a problem. I use it for the garden, yard and chickens.

I'm starting a new garden, so went to Lowes yesterday to purchase some composting manure. I buy the cheap brand and they let me have 17 bags at half price due to the seams being busted. Most of the bags where full, so I got a good deal on that!

I get my cardboard free. I'm a florist, so I use the boxes we get our vases and flowers in. Lay these down on the ground to prevent weeds/kill the grass and put the manure on top then mulch it all.

I wish I could get some free tree trimmings to put on top for mulch but haven't found any. I'm using leaves that I've raked up in the yard for my mulch. Also, getting leaves from family/friends and along the curbs to use.

I do deep litter with my chicken coops/runs, so next year I shouldn't have to buy any/very little manure to put on my garden.

 

[Smart Red]

After purchasing DH a 55 inch TV to replace the non HD dying set he couldn't see from his chair, I hid the huge box for covering weeds in the garden this spring. Alas, my BFF2 was bemoaning that her granddaughter needed a large cardboard for a project her school 'team' was working on. I let the cardboard walk. . . with the admonition that I get it back when they're through. Not holding my breath on that one, though.

I do have the carpet we tore out of the master bedroom. Just need to cut it up into 5 foot by 10 foot strips (3 of them) and use that. At least three beds will be weed free come planting time.

 

[Ladyreneer]

How about:

1. Grow your own seedlings.

2. Split a seed order amongst friends and share.

3. Make your own potting mix.

4. Sterilize & Re-use your pots.

5. Gather rain/gray water for your garden.

6. Have friends/family save you scraps & leaves for your compost.

7. Get manure from animal farms in exchange for veggies.

8. Lay recycled cardboard as a weed mat.

9. Save your own seeds .

10. Trade your seeds with online friends.

11. Buy, re-use insect cloth to save money on organic insecticides & damage from pests.

12. For flowers make your own Miracle-Gro

13. Winter sow seeds in recycled water/milk jugs to get a cheap & easy head start.

14. Build an overwintering/cold frame bin.

15. Propagate when possible

16. Grow "green manure" over winter

17. Make your own organic pesticide spray.

18. Use a rain barrel collection system off of your roofs & gutters.

19. Use free city mulch for flowers, & add pretty mulch on top.

20. Study & use Korean Natural Farming fertilizers/methods using nature. (Organic)

 

[ducks4you]

@Ladyreneer , Kinda elaborate. Thanks!

20. Study & use Korean Natural Farming fertilizers/methods using nature. (Organic)
I run a dehumidifier in my garage (old one, DH's idea.) I empty the water and use it to water whatever is small/struggling. I think I gave my two new roses a good head start by watering them every day for a good month in this way.
I also have been using one of my two 100 gallon horse water tanks to water my Montmorency Cherry Trees, Both of which shed all of their leaves this summer.
The older tree has grown back quite a few leaves.
I unscrew the plug until it has a slow drip. As you might know, even when you use a dropline hose a lot of it gets evaporated. I have this slow dripping on the "drip line" (underneath the spread of the tree's canopy) and the other tree has also grown back some leaves.
The added benefit is that I don't have to remember if I turned the hose off, the Bane of the Horse owner!
When I attack 1st year burdock, I mow with my bag mower and use it to mulch, like 3-4 inches thick, making good use of a nasty weed, although the leaves are actually Good for your skin.

 

[Ladyreneer]

Have you grown Comfrey for a fertilizer? I just got some going this summer but a little late. It's supposed to be an awesome fertilizer and regrow fast.

As far as the KNF goes, there's a video online showing how quickly the fertilizer can be "grown". It looks pretty straightforward. You find some forest or mulch fungi, the kind that is a lacy, stringy white kind. Add some nutrients to grow the beneficial fungi & other soil conditioners. I'm going to start late this year or early in the new year.

 

[baymule]

A chicken coop with just a few hens, which can be done in most towns and cities, is a great garden asset. Deep litter the coop and run. Pick up bags of leaves put out for the garbage truck, in the fall. Dump them in the coop and run, the chickens will enjoy pecking and scratching the leaves to bits. In early spring, dig out the coop and run, spread on the garden for humus and fertilizer.

 

[ducks4you]

Have you grown Comfrey for a fertilizer? I just got some going this summer but a little late. It's supposed to be an awesome fertilizer and regrow fast.

As far as the KNF goes, there's a video online showing how quickly the fertilizer can be "grown". It looks pretty straightforward. You find some forest or mulch fungi, the kind that is a lacy, stringy white kind. Add some nutrients to grow the beneficial fungi & other soil conditioners. I'm going to start late this year or early in the new year.

Please post the link.

 

[ducks4you]

A chicken coop with just a few hens, which can be done in most towns and cities, is a great garden asset. Deep litter the coop and run. Pick up bags of leaves put out for the garbage truck, in the fall. Dump them in the coop and run, the chickens will enjoy pecking and scratching the leaves to bits. In early spring, dig out the coop and run, spread on the garden for humus and fertilizer.

DD's who are about to take down the massive, dying tree in the backyard, have a plethora of leaves every Fall. Best bet is to run the mower over them before bagging and redistributing them as fertilizer. They still have 2019 leaves in several places that haven't broken down.

 

[flowerbug]

DD's who are about to take down the massive, dying tree in the backyard, have a plethora of leaves every Fall. Best bet is to run the mower over them before bagging and redistributing them as fertilizer. They still have 2019 leaves in several places that haven't broken down.

from what i can tell, if you're doing deep litter you're not too concerned about leaves breaking down or not as eventually either the chickens will get at them or they'll get scooped out and used in the gardens anyways. making extra work if it isn't really needed by having to spread out leaves and then run them over with the mower or to even bother with a shredder just seems kinda pointless to me if it isn't needed.

i had some friends that used to shred the leaves when they were bagging them and i mentioned to them that i really didn't need them shredded at all which saves them a lot of time and effort (and noise), as long as they had enough bags to put the leaves in. the added benefit was that if there was a candy bar wrapper or some other item in there that didn't really belong then not having it shredded to bits made it much easier to get it back out of there when i was using it in the gardens (or would find it later after the worms had done their magic).

alas, i don't think i'm getting leaves any more from them.

 

[ducks4you]

It may seem pointless but there are a LOT OF LEAVES every Fall. They live on a 1/4 acre+ (corner lot) with very old and tall city trees that dump lots of leaves every year.
A kind neighbor mowed their lawn and leaves a few years back and that REALLY helped.