Cheapskate Garden Tip 10

Cat + Fly + Screen
Originally uploaded by zebble

Hi All,
Warning to cats: don't try this at home!
In case your cats rip a window screen, or the screen ages to the point where you must replace it, consider cutting the screen to sizes to fit in the bottom of your garden pots.
Set in the piece of screen before filling with potting soil.
This is an ideal way to let water drain out while preventing soil from falling out the bottom of the pots.

This tip is very green since it prevents torn screens from ending up at the city or county landfill, and costs us cheapskate gardeners zero zip nada.

Cheapskate Garden Tip 9

Save Money By Growing Your Own Produce vs. Store Bought
Here is a big encouragement to grow your own fruits and vegetables: it can save you money.
Experts say that one square foot of garden yields about $1.00 worth of produce, so a typical 15 foot by 20 foot garden, or 300 square feet, can yield $300.00 of produce.
The average gardener spends about $70.00 on a 600 square foot garden. If your garden is that large that could be a savings of $530.00 on produce.
For beginners, I advise you to start small.
A four by six foot vegetable garden is an easy and manageable way to begin.
For apartment or condo dwellers, even five or so large pots on a sunny balcony or patio, filled with herbs, tomatoes, zucchinis and strawberries can yield quite a lot.
So get out there and grow veggies and save some bucks.

Cheapskate Garden Tip 4

Seeds, yes, seeds.
Seeds are so cheap compared to plants. I bought some seeds half price last week, for 79 cents a pack, from a major company.
For a wider variety of seeds you will probably pay full price, which is often under $2.00 a packet.
I bought some Botanical Interests seeds, Baby Round Zucchini and a Kohlrabi and Sugar Peas, for a total of about $6.00, and which will produce a bounty of vegetables, or that is my plan!
For sure fire results I find that the most reliable sprouting is from large seeds: zucchini, bean, pea seeds are big and packed with nutrients so are very dependable in sprouting. Carrot, radish, lettuce, mustard and Swiss chard have tiny seeds, yet are dependable too. I grew the Bright Lights Swiss chard from Burpee pictured here and it really has gorgeous stems of yellow and pink and red.

Cheapskate Garden Tip 3

Our New Bird Bath
Originally uploaded by tassiesim

To encourage birds to visit your garden add bird baths. I have a standard classic style concrete bird bath, completely covered in smooth pebbles, standing on a pedestal.
Then I decided the birds need another bird bath, so I bought a large ceramic saucer that is made to set under a big ceramic flower pot. The large glazed saucer only cost me $3.00.
Set it on an old clay pot, fill it with water and there you have it, your very own $3.00 bird bath.
Of course you can find a large saucer for less at a thrift shop or garage sale, or you may already have an unused plant saucer.

One key element for bird baths is that they not be too deep, 2 or 3 inches deep is best. Remember this is not meant to be a swimming pool! If your container is deep, put a brick or ceramic frog in the center for the birds to stand on.

This second photo is such a clever use of recycled parts, apparently a garbage can and lid, that I include it here for inspiration. Look around your yard and see what you can find to create a water source for your garden birds.