Beautiful Cottage Gardens With Almost no Budget
Karri Curnow tells us how she finally got her seedstarting greenhouse.
Pearl, Ever since I read your Pond ideas, and you respondedso quickly to my emails, I have been inspired to get all I can from easy cheap finds, and products I have in the house.
Here is a tip for you. You may already have it, but here it goes....
Every year my husband spends upwards of $30 on his tomato plant starts. We usually have a nice crop for ourselves, friends, and neighbors. But this year, because of our job situations, I have constantly been looking for ways to save. "Richard's" garden is an important part of our home and of our landscape. Something we enjoy as a family. But starting his tomatoes from seed? It was an idea he was unsure of because of our Idaho climate and lack of "greenhouse space."
I have a small house on 5 acres, and someday I hope to have a small greenhouse. But for now, I have to start my plants around inside my home. This was also of concern to Richard, as there are already vases, bottles, and little pots of houseplant starts all over. (I swap starts with a friend, and by mail with my mother in New Mexico.)
Recently our friend Sue (plant swapper) had a birthday. I made a big dinner for her and a few other friends that night. I was pressed for time, so her birthday cake was a cute store bought sheet cake (Wally World deli/bakery cake). You know the ones, they come in those plastic deli trays with the clear plastic snap on lids. I saved it because I thought it would make a good form for homemade stepping stones.
I washed it all up, and set it on the kitchen table near some wandering jew starts while trying to find a place to store it till I was ready - THEN IT HIT ME! I HAVE A MINI GREENHOUSE!
I looked on ebay for some peat pots, etc., to plant seeds in. Then I was struck again! We save egg cartons for our neighbor.
POTS - Since the bottom of the cake tray had maze-like depressions, I put some water in them - cut the lids off the cardboard type egg carton - filled with potting soil - and had a greenhouse that fit on the table in front of a north facing window.I was in a hurry to see if it worked, so I planted 4 Hollyhock seeds that my 11 year old son harvested from our "pump house flower garden" mostly to see if they would germinate so I was not disappointed if I had a bare spot where the Hollyhocks were supposed to be this year. (I usually buy seeds) It worked!
Within a few hours, you could see the light condensation on the plastic lid. It's been a week and I have Hollyhock sprouts! I just planted another egg carton with heirloom better boy seeds off ebay.
The mini greenhouse holds two 1 dozen egg cartons perfectly. I'm so proud of myself! Is that frugal or what? I was actually thinking of buying a mini greenhouse for about $30! I'm sure glad that I found your site! It gives my mind a challenge to do things right, do things fun, and do things frugally! Hope this is something you can use! Thanks again for the inspiration!
P.S. I just built my first bird house from old weathered pallet boards we use to stack horse hay on - roofed it with small log kindling I swiped from a load of wood Richard just cut for another friend. It turned out like an old miners shack! My next project is going to be topiary animals.
Finding decent quantities of Sphagnum moss without spending a bundle is so far the hardest part. Any suggestions on that one?Take Care, Karri Curnow
* Actually Karri, why not just use moss gathered fromyour walks in the woods?? That's what I plan to do formy living wreaths - plus it's FREE & it stays green witha spritz of water!
Pearl, Ever since I read your Pond ideas, and you respondedso quickly to my emails, I have been inspired to get all I can from easy cheap finds, and products I have in the house.
Here is a tip for you. You may already have it, but here it goes....
Every year my husband spends upwards of $30 on his tomato plant starts. We usually have a nice crop for ourselves, friends, and neighbors. But this year, because of our job situations, I have constantly been looking for ways to save. "Richard's" garden is an important part of our home and of our landscape. Something we enjoy as a family. But starting his tomatoes from seed? It was an idea he was unsure of because of our Idaho climate and lack of "greenhouse space."
I have a small house on 5 acres, and someday I hope to have a small greenhouse. But for now, I have to start my plants around inside my home. This was also of concern to Richard, as there are already vases, bottles, and little pots of houseplant starts all over. (I swap starts with a friend, and by mail with my mother in New Mexico.)
Recently our friend Sue (plant swapper) had a birthday. I made a big dinner for her and a few other friends that night. I was pressed for time, so her birthday cake was a cute store bought sheet cake (Wally World deli/bakery cake). You know the ones, they come in those plastic deli trays with the clear plastic snap on lids. I saved it because I thought it would make a good form for homemade stepping stones.
I washed it all up, and set it on the kitchen table near some wandering jew starts while trying to find a place to store it till I was ready - THEN IT HIT ME! I HAVE A MINI GREENHOUSE!
I looked on ebay for some peat pots, etc., to plant seeds in. Then I was struck again! We save egg cartons for our neighbor.
POTS - Since the bottom of the cake tray had maze-like depressions, I put some water in them - cut the lids off the cardboard type egg carton - filled with potting soil - and had a greenhouse that fit on the table in front of a north facing window.I was in a hurry to see if it worked, so I planted 4 Hollyhock seeds that my 11 year old son harvested from our "pump house flower garden" mostly to see if they would germinate so I was not disappointed if I had a bare spot where the Hollyhocks were supposed to be this year. (I usually buy seeds) It worked!
Within a few hours, you could see the light condensation on the plastic lid. It's been a week and I have Hollyhock sprouts! I just planted another egg carton with heirloom better boy seeds off ebay.
The mini greenhouse holds two 1 dozen egg cartons perfectly. I'm so proud of myself! Is that frugal or what? I was actually thinking of buying a mini greenhouse for about $30! I'm sure glad that I found your site! It gives my mind a challenge to do things right, do things fun, and do things frugally! Hope this is something you can use! Thanks again for the inspiration!
P.S. I just built my first bird house from old weathered pallet boards we use to stack horse hay on - roofed it with small log kindling I swiped from a load of wood Richard just cut for another friend. It turned out like an old miners shack! My next project is going to be topiary animals.
Finding decent quantities of Sphagnum moss without spending a bundle is so far the hardest part. Any suggestions on that one?Take Care, Karri Curnow
* Actually Karri, why not just use moss gathered fromyour walks in the woods?? That's what I plan to do formy living wreaths - plus it's FREE & it stays green witha spritz of water!
posted by Pearl | 7:17 PM
1 Comments:
Great tips! I love to hear stories from folks who have actually *tried* creative garden strategies at home. Somehow it seems more doable than reading suggestions from a book!
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