Budget Gardening

Seed Starting on a Budget Series: Choosing What to Grow

December 9, 2024 by Steph Coelho Leave a Comment

Browsing a seed catalog or shopping at a local plant nursery can be overwhelming. Especially for a new gardener! I still have a tough time making selections. With so many choices, it’s hard not to go overboard. When I’m purchasing seeds, I try to consider my space and needs so I can maximize returns. I…

The Number One Tenet of Frugal Gardening: Plant What You Love

November 21, 2024 by Steph Coelho Leave a Comment

Apologies for the delay in posting this week. I managed to get mild food poisoning after a lovely brunch, and my stomach was in knots for nearly two days. The gardening season is definitely on its way, though! I love seeing photos of gardens slowly turning green and spotting hidden veggie beds in front or…

How To Get Free Seeds From The Government by Amanda Blankenship Seeds might seem like a small expense, but any seasoned…
Should I Use Enviro Ice On My Plants? by Kathryn Vercillo Every week, I receive food from Hungryroot. It's a great…
From Trash to Treasure: Transform Shredded Paper Into Garden Gold by Amanda Blankenship Should you use shredded paper as garden mulch? It might…
What Happens to Plants If You Use Enviro Ice on Them? by Amanda Blankenship About a year ago, I wrote our first article about…

How to Balance Leaves and Kitchen Scraps in Compost

Your kitchen scraps could be the secret to turning all those fallen leaves into rich garden compost, but there’s a catch. Tossing everything into a pile without paying attention to the proportions can leave you with a soggy, smelly mess instead of the nutrient-rich soil amendment you were hoping for. Fortunately, balancing leaves and kitchen…

The Best Brown Materials for a Fall Compost Pile

Before you bag up all those fallen leaves and put them on the curb, consider this: You could be throwing away one of the most valuable ingredients for your garden’s soil. Fall provides an abundance of free composting materials, and many homeowners don’t realize how much money they could save by putting them to work….

Stop Planting These 7 Trees So Close to Your House

That beautiful little tree at the garden center might seem like the perfect addition to your front yard, but planting it in the wrong spot could become an expensive mistake. What starts as a $40 landscaping purchase can eventually turn into cracked pavement, clogged gutters, damaged siding, or costly tree removal. The problem isn’t necessarily…

How to Make Leaf Mold for Better Garden Soil

What if the fallen leaves covering your yard could replace some of the expensive soil amendments you buy every spring? Instead of bagging them up for collection, you can turn those leaves into a dark, crumbly material that helps garden soil hold moisture, improves its structure, and supports healthier plant growth. It’s called leaf mold,…