Are you making plans to become more frugal this year?

[melly]

I have decided to be more frugal. I thought I was doing a good job, but I do know that I can do better. I went grocery shopping today and got some things. The bill started out at $80 and I got it down with sales and coupons to $30. I am going to try this every other week.

[RobertaD]

Good job on the savings Melly.

I know for me part of being frugal is to then be able to afford to do a couple fun/ expensive things each year with the family still bringing drinks & food from home of course.

Roberta

[Joy]

I know that I am going to be forced to become more fugal this year as we will have extra medical expenses this year. Even with insurance there are always the deductables and expenses not covered that add up. My goal this year will to be fugal so that we can get our medical expenses paid as soon as possible and start setting some aside for future expenses.
I love hearing all of the ideas you have to help save.

[Joy]

Sorry for the BTB---

I can't remember who was planning on starting their own seeds, but I have done that for years and here are a few tips that work for me.
I think the two important things for being successful at starting your own seeds are light and heat.
My Dh made me a shelf many years ago (similar to metal shelving you can buy) that I have in the basement. He hung 4 ft long shop lights ( I use regular florescent lights, not special grow lights) on adjustable chains above each shelf so I could change the height of the light as the plants grow. I found keeping the light low to the plants help prevent leggy plants that are stretching to light. I also had heat pads (mine were leftovers from the farrowing house, but I have seen similar ones in gardening catalogs) on every shelf to help give the necessary heat needed for seedlings to grow. I think that heat pads are worth the investment as I had few problems with damping off and better germination rates using them.
I start seeds in larger containers and then transplant seedling after they have their first two sets of true leaves into individual pots. I place the pots in trays and then do all of my water from the bottom. This encourages good root growth and seems to help prevent damping off also.
Check your seed packages for their recommendations as to how early you need to start plants inside (also is it good to know how early your climate allows you to plant outside). Do not start plants too early. I have found that a small healthy seedling will take off and grow faster than an overgrown one that was in the house too long.
If you do have problems with damping off (when healthy seedling seem to wither and die over night) I have used a weak brew of chamomile tea to water with. I would start using the tea at the first sign of trouble and continue it for a few days. It did seem to work for me. I also believe that water seedling from the bottom makes a big difference in their over all health.
Another tip for re-using pots from year to year. I always wash all pots and trays every year with a weak solution of water and bleach. Knock off any remaing dirt in the pots and then place them in a sink or large container containing the bleach water. I usually let the pots soak for a bit before washing, rinsing and letting them air dry. This step is well worth the healthier plants you will have.

[simplysue]

Thank you for the information Joy
I've had a garden every year for the past 15 but have bought plants from the nursery or just planted the seeds directly in the garden when it was warm enough in the past. Last year we couldn't plant until the second week of June....a couple of weeks makes a huge difference so this year will start seeds indoors with the exception of a few that I will try the winter sowing meathod with.
I've been saving everything from yogurt containers to food cans to start my seeds in...of course it's going to be a bit of can opening to take the bottoms off before they sit on a tray.Probly should do that as I save them instead.

[RobertaD]

Last spring was awful for starting a garden, was too wet to till then too cold to plant, etc. I know it was almost the end of May before I got the garden in then we went on vacation the 2nd week of June and half of the seeds either never came up or were eaten.

My tiller stopped working so I'll probably end up having to buy a new one. At 18 yrs I think my little 8 lb tiller gave a good life.

Roberta

[Sammi1961]

Roberta, it was the same here too - a very wet spring so things got planted late. And then we got so much rain over the summer plants just didn't do very well at all. Let's hope this spring/summer is a better growing season.

[Joy]

Simplysue--You do not have to remove the bottoms of your containers completely, just make sure you have some good drainage holes in them. If you chose to water from the bottom the water will go up through the drainage holes.

We didn't have a great planting season last year either. I started a garden journal the first year I put in a garden and have kept it ever since. I note when I get the garden tilled in the spring, variety and planting dates and weather conditions throughout the season. I usually make some harvest notes and look back at the growing seaon to help evaluate my results. One of the biggest revelations these notes have shown me is that I can not grow tomatoes in my garden. I now grow my tomatoes in a completely different location and the results have been that I can get just as many or more pounds of tomatoes from about half the amount of plants. That certainly helps when trying to be frugal.

[kathymac]

Our big problem last year was critters! The squirrels, rabbits and birds made a feast of our garden. We are going to have to build some enclosures out of chicken wire to protect everything this year. Not sure what we'll do about the strawberries as they just grow all over the ground. Any suggestions?

Kathy

[seleach]

We did not have a good garden last year either. Cherry tomatoes did okay, but the other tomatoes did nothing.