No rule says that seed starting requires fancy flats or trays. For the frugal gardener, spending money on pots and containers is a definite no-no. The smallest portion of your gardening budget should be allotted to containers. Why? Because they’re so easy to find for free or cheap! Including plenty of DIY options to…
seed starting
Seed Starting on a Budget Series: Get Your Timing Right
When January rolls around, the seed catalogs start to arrive in the mailbox. Then, as soon as February hits, I get a constant flood of seed starting photos popping up on my Instagram feed. It gets me excited for the gardening year ahead, but I’ve also learned to slow my roll. Just because someone…
Seed Starting on a Budget Series: Indoors vs. Outdoors
I recently polled my social media followers to find out what kinds of questions they had about seed starting, and a common source of confusion is figuring out which seeds need to be started indoors. You don’t need to dig out all your seeds and start everything indoors before the last frost date. Why Not…
Seed Starting on a Budget Series: The Importance of Labeling
It’s almost time for me to start my very first seedlings of the season. I’ve been busy gathering supplies, cleaning out my grow room, and sanitizing trays that I plan to re-use. I’ve been organizing my seed packets, and I’m thoroughly excited to try a few new varieties this year. I’m also shifting my…
Seed Starting on a Budget Series: The Importance of Biding Your Time
My first serious foray into indoor seed starting began with a bang. My husband helped me set up a makeshift grow shelf, and I purchased soil mixes, trays, and pots. I was so ready to get started that I assumed it would be better to get things going sooner rather than later. I quickly…
Cheap and Economical Humidity Dome Alternatives
If you grow your plants from seeds then you probably know what a humidity dome is. (If not, don’t worry, we’ll go over it briefly below.) Just like with all of your other gardening supplies, you can buy humidity domes from a variety of different sources. However, you can also DIY them. Here are some…
Do Pre-Packaged Seeds Grow Faster Than Fresh Seeds?
It’s that time of year when the seed catalogs start arriving in the mailbox. Getting new packets of seeds from a seed supplier is a real treat. Knowing that those carefully harvested seeds will eventually grow into food or flowers is so exciting. It’s just as satisfying to sort through personally harvested seeds from…
Troubleshoot the Seed Starting Process
While every other region seems to be experiencing a thaw, it’s still mostly frozen here. My starts are happily enjoying their spots under the indoor lights and this weekend I’ll be starting another batch of plants like kale and Chinese broccoli. I happened upon a sale and purchased two additional plastic shelving units to hang…
What Are the Different Ways to Germinate Citrus Seeds?
I always have lemons in my fridge. The bright acidic quality of lemon juice adds a fantastic oomph to food that you just can’t get with other kinds of acids. Lemon also pairs well with pasta, chicken, and roasted veggies. I also often have limes on hand because they’re perfect for brightening up Mexican and Thai…
Seed Starting with Recycled Materials
There’s no need to use fancy equipment to start seeds. You have plenty of perfectly suitable materials lying around the house—probably about to end up in the trash or recycling bin. Seed starting with recycled materials is easy! Don’t spend a ton of money on trays and flats. Save your hard-earned money and reduce, reuse,…