Sustain-a-ville

It might be a tad early, but this week I started my seeds indoors for the vegetable garden I’m planning this year. Last year was very much a learning year for me and hopefully some of the things I learned can help you get your own veggies off to a good start this spring.

Seeds vs seedlings

A great way to save money on your garden is to start your plants as seeds. For Christmas this year my father-in-law bought me a cute little seed tray and a bunch of Burpees seeds. This month I started putting that gift to use and have already started my seeds indoors with some potting soil. But you don’t actually have to buy much of anything to get your vegetables started!

In addition to the seeds my father-in-law bought for me, I saved some from vegetables I bought at the grocery store. That’s right – the seeds that you either eat or end up in your compost from the groceries you buy can be saved and used to plant in your garden. So far, I have used seeds from poblano and jalapeño peppers – they were easy to harvest from the vegetable since you usually cut around the core anyway. Then I laid them out to dry on a dish cloth and stored them in little paper envelopes I had on hand leftover from our wedding. And voila! Seeds all ready to be planted.

Whether you harvest the seeds from your groceries or end up buying seed packets from your local nursery, either way is a great way to save some money on a vegetable garden! Last year I was limited to what I could plant, not just because I wanted to start small but because I wasn’t prepared to spend hundreds of dollars on seedlings that were already well on their way to becoming full grown plants. This year, I’m planning to have even more variety by spending way less money.

You also don’t really need a fancy seed tray to plant in. In addition to the one I got for Christmas, I’m also using an egg carton to plant some seeds. I have also seen where you can use toilet paper rolls with one of the ends folded in to make a flat bottom. This option has the added benefit of being a singular container that’s biodegradable so when your seedlings are ready to be planted in the ground, you don’t even need to remove them from the container – just plant the whole toilet paper roll right in the ground because it will eventually break down in the dirt. All with things you already have on hand at home and no purchases necessary.

Raised beds vs in-ground vs pots

Every gardening magazine and instagrammer will tell you that raised beds are the way to go if you have a yard big enough for gardening. And they do have a lot of benefits including minimal weeds, fresh soil, and it’s an easy way to keep your plants separated and organized. Raised beds, however, can be quite expensive. Even if you’re crafty enough to build them yourself, you still have to buy all the soil needed to fill them – and let me tell you, dirt is expensive! Before choosing which route I was going to go last year, I bought a soil test kit from the hardware store. It tested for pH, phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium and came with a handy little guide to explain what levels of each were needed depending on what type of plants you want to grow. Luckily, the levels were all in a good enough range that I could safely consider the dirt in my own back yard for growing vegetables rather than needing to buy fresh soil.

Growing in pots is a great option if you rent or live in an apartment with a balcony but still want to grow some veggies. You still run into the same cost challenges because you’ll need to buy the pots and soil to fill them, but it’s better than no veggies at all! Plus, look at your local thrift store for some pots or other containers that can be made into pots and check your local buy nothing group for anyone with extra compost or an old bag of potting soil they’re trying to get rid of. These options can help save you a ton of money when planting.

Compost, compost, compost

Have I mentioned compost? 🙂 Compost is truly nature’s gold when it comes to gardening. The minerals that are stored in compost can help level your plants up from surviving to thriving. Compost can be used for anything from flowers to your vegetable garden helps provide essential nutrients to your plans. And the best thing about compost? If you have an at-home compost bin you can get compost soil for free.

Watering

Another lesson I learned last year is that the plants don’t really need to be watered as often as I think they do. I was in the habit early on of watering the garden almost every day. And I was stressed when we went out of town for almost a week without any rain in the forecast. I was sure we’d be coming home to shriveled up little plants. Not only were they not shriveled, they had grown to twice the size they were when we left! That’s not to say your plants don’t need water, but keep an eye on them and water when they start to look dry and the soil around then is dry to the touch.

Rain barrels are another great way to save some money (long term) on your garden. Some municipalities offer rain barrels in the spring for free or at a discount. But even if you have to purchase one, it will be worth it in the long run. Rain barrels hook up to your outdoor gutter system and catch rain water runoff from the roof of your home. Not only do your plants get a nice little drink while it rains, but your rain barrel will save some of that rain water for you to use later, during a dry spell. How does this save you money? By not using your hose to water the plants, you reduce your water bill significantly!

And the best part about all these cost-saving gardening tips? The end result will be home-grown, organic vegetables fresh off the vine. Meaning healthy, tasty veggies and less things to add to your grocery list. Is there anything better than that?