Sunday, December 26, 2010

Save Money on Spring Planting

Thanks to Kathy Fictorie in Iowa for these tips she gleaned from a magazine.

Packing peanuts make great filler in flower pots especially larger ones.  Fill the bottom of your pot to reduce weight.  Water can drain through but not your soil.

For really big planters, fill in the bottom with crushed cans or plastic bottles.  Once again they will let water through, save on weight and you don't need to use as much potting soil.  Recycle old wash tubs, farm boots, baskets and fruit boxes as unique planters.

Place several layers of newspapers or broken down cardboard boxes under your mulch instead of expensive gardening fabric.  It will break down and enrich your soil while preventing weeds.

Get together with gardening friends and split up your perennials and trade instead of heading to the garden shop.

Compost!
 
GARDEN IN A BAG This is a great tip on growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc. in any location, especially if you have poor or hard soil. Buy a bag of good top soil or potting soil. Make a few slits in the bottom of that bag and a hole or two in the top of the bag, depending on which plant you want to grow. Lay this on top of the ground. It could be in the flower bed or garden. Just plant in the holes, water and watch them grow. You can group several together and mulch around them with leaves or grass clippings if you do not like the look of the plastic. If you check the home stores and garden centers, you can usually purchase bags of soil that are already damaged with small holes for half the price. The bags will usually last a year or more. ~ Darlene J. in Tennessee  www.stretcher.com - Used by permission from The Dollar Stretcher
 

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