Economy gardening tips for this year please

[Newt]

As a life-long dumpster diver, I can also heartily recommend just keeping an eye open for handy things. Especially while people are Spring cleaning. You'd be amazed how often you'll see stacks of perfectly useable plastic plant pots and other useful materials just dumped. Yesterday I was only walking the 15 minutes to the allotment to check on it, and came across a stack of brand new, small, stacking mushroom crates someone had piled up next to a public bin. Perfect for carrying a tray of seedlings to plant out, or for harvesting, or when doing small-scale weeding, or for drying veg on. If you're willing to get creative with how you pot up your plants, you may well be able to get more items to increase growing space without spending more than the cost of some compost.

[Lumpy]

Lumpy, I've tried growing in cardboard boxes - it didn't work! Once the cardboard gets soggy, it disintegrates and the bottom falls out when you try to move it.
Perhaps try putting a binbag inside the box to hold the compost and lifting the bag out to plant the seedlings, cutting the bag away once in the container?

Ta VC but plans are afoot as I thought I would line with bread bag and then cut the bottom off so healthy (as if) plant can slide gently into its hole.

I'm going to have a go and see what happens if not theres always next year.

[Lumpy]

Freecycle...............brilliant as it can have everything from pots to plants and water butts to greenhouses. Just don't tell Cad if you spot a compost bin.

[bramble]

I live near two cemeteries and regularly get pots, and all type of containers that people throw away.
I also find bulbs that have been discarded after flowering because people are not bothered to take them home and plant them for the next season.
Another thing to watch for in the autumn is blackberries and crab apples growing wild.
Makes great jam and jelly with only the cost of the sugar to take into account.
Go to the library and get some books on growing your own.
Good luck and enjoy the experience.

[Welsh76]

Raps, you're in Cardiff, I believe? If you want some seeds, pots and cuttings, I'm sure I can find you some. We can arrange a meet up somewhere in our beautiful city.

If Raps is in Cardiff I could also donate some seeds, cuttings (thornless blackberry, grapes) and some pots

[veggiechicken]

We should have a little get-together.

The Seedswap at Chapter should be next month. I always go there but am happy to meet up anywhere.

Just looked for info on this year's Seedswap and found a video from last year. I'm in it several times

https://youtu.be/mQ_Vy-cXw40

[Mark_Riga]

A couple of Autumn fruiting raspberries would be good as I generally pick 2 crops a year. New canes fruit in Autumn and then again in the spring after which they are cut down. And the little ones would soon be big enough to enjoy helping themselves. I've got two varieties one is smooth stemmed but don't know its name.
Hopefully they should be obtainable for free from a local source nearby allotment may be - I've given loads of raspberry canes away - but Swansea is a bit far for me.

[veggiechicken]

We're closer than Swansea, in Cardiff, Mark - where the sun always shines.
I have raspberry canes to share too.

[Jimmy]

Well for my two penneth
Grow what you like
Grow what's expensive in the shops
Grow what's easy.
I grow french climbing beans, yellow courgettes, salad, cherry toms.
I tried things like butter nut squash but the effort and space for only 2 squashes seem a bit fruitless. Better to buy at Aldi or Lidl when on offer.
Also there is much more to gardening than "Econmey".
Jimmy

[ESBkevin]

1, Grow what you eat. Put your strawberries in one of those hanging planters, for the output they give strawberries take up too much space all year.
2, Use height to maximise output (runner beans or climbing beans).
3, Grow things that have long production seasons or can be used in a planned succession through the season.
4, Plan to start seedlings ready to plant on in the beds as soon as the previous crop is finished.
5, Gather organics from wherever (leaves, grass cuttings, cardboard, etc) and make your own free compost and fertiliser like nettle, seaweed or comfry tea.

For no money at all I would recommend looking at Charles Dowdings gardening chanel on you tube, you can do it indoors on a dark evening and he extholes the virtues of no dig organic close succession productive gardening. In addition there is another american chanal called 'One yard revolution' with Patric Dolan and his cat, they harvest good organic produce year round from a small suberbun garden. You won't have a perfect garden in year one, indeed none of us ever have a perfect garden since nature traines us a little bit each year. Give it time and learn the lessons. You don't have to spend money to do this well and some planning (which I generally lack by the way) will make even the smallest plot productive.

There are lots of ideas available so just pick those you fancy and give them a try, there is no absolute right way for most of this.

P.S. All sorts of things in my house have dual lives. Yogurt pots make plant pots or store my surplus rasperries and a frozen pulp at the end of the season. Toilet roll centres make great seed starters as degradable plant pots. You can soak newspaper and form plant pots. plastic food trays make small seed trays. etc.

[Rapscallion]

Thanks all, so much great information. Apologies for the long reply…!

So i have the following on my possible growing list: -
- Salad leaves, radishes, spring onions (in containers or direct in grow bags?)
- Tomaotos in grow bags in the greenhouse
- Peppers in pots in the greenhouse
- Runner / french beans along the fence.
- Carrots in buckets / containers
- Beetroots in buckets / containers
- Sweetcorn and dwarf french beans in the raised bed (we are not courgette lovers….)
- Once the sweetcorn and dwarf beans are finished, plant broad beans / peas / onions / garlic
- salad potatos in pots
- cucumbers in pots
- sprouting broccoli
- perpetual spinach
- herbs in pots (i have a lot of herb seeds…)
- Autumn fruiting raspberries - (where to plant?)

I already have the ‘grow all you can eat’ book so will be dusting that off soon to have a good read.

Some more questions!
- Nobody has suggested potatos in those large bags you get, are they not a good idea?
- What size containers would be best for the salad / radishes / spring onions? I have not been religious in watering last year so those plants in smaller pots suffered......
- The strawberries, despite only being productive for 6 weeks or so are a real hit, so loathe to turn the over anytime soon (this will be their second full summer so should be procductove for another year or two)
- what wall baskets do people use for planting in? looking on amazon they seem quite small and expensive?
- Is it worth getting an electric seed propagated?
- Regarding salad leaves, when is the earliest i can plant out?
- I have quite a few seed packets, will go out to the garage later today and list the seeds i have (I went a bit spend happy last year!)

Todo list
- Read up on the timings of planting all of the above and make a plan for the year.
- Go to morrisons and get those bucket size pots
- keep an eye in morrisons / lidls for cheaper plants, especially fruit, make sure they are dwarf varieties.
- put wanted add in local groups / free cycle for plant pots / hanging baskets etc
- speak to the local allotment people to see if they have anything that will be wasting this year.
- keep an eye on freecycle for gardening bits
- look at when wild fruit is plentiful and go picking
- go to the seed swap in chapter in Feb
- Subscribe to Charles Dowdings gardening and One yard revolution' with Patric Dolan channels on youtube
- look at getting more stuff to put into my compost bin (any ideas as to likely sources?)


PS - i am in Cardiff. Welsh76, Veggiechicken Would be brilliant if a group fancied a meet up one evening for a coffee or beer. Would have to be 8ish or later as putting our two boys down to sleep is a two parent job!
Also on the allotment waiting list, may be offered a place there this year..

Newt - thanks for the offer - but to let you know i went a bit spend happy with seeds last year so have a LOT, especially herbs..

[Small pumpkin]

Some more questions!
- Nobody has suggested potatos in those large bags you get, are they not a good idea?

I grow lots of things in them. Last year I actually used them for what they were designed for, growing spuds. I thought they were brilliant. Personally I wouldn't put more than 3 seed potatoes to a bag.

[Snoop Puss]

The thing about spuds in my view is they're not that expensive to buy... That said, if you're up for it, growing first earlies or even second earlies is worth it as new potatoes tend to be a bit pricier and the taste is beyond compare. First earlies would be out of their growing medium early enough for you to feed the compost and get a second crop such as beans or salad.

[bikermike]

you'll find it very difficult to beat shops for price on bulk items (especially when you factor in the cost of your time).
What are you like at cooking? (and will your little ones eat it?) Do you have a freezer?
the other problem with GYO vs Shop is gluts and seasonality, so your ability to use and store will make a big difference to the value you get.

I would think that you are unlikely to beat basic price per lb of eg "potatoes". What you will do is have certain times of year when your produce knocks the best the supermarket can do into a cocked hat.

FWIW, I would aim to use it to eat better for about the same cost, so concentrate on the veg you like the best. (I can still remember growing my first carrots - I didn't realise carrots smelt of anything. Properly fresh carrots taste so much better). Also herbs (nothing lifts a dish (or the chef's ego) like just cutting some fresh herbs straight into cooking) and things you eat raw or lightly cooked (carrots, salad leaves, peas/beans etc)

I suspect the biggest savings will come because having grown it yourself, you are dang well not going to waste it...

It's definitely worth it, but food is ridiculously cheap to buy (a quote from a shelter advert - that if food had gone up like property process, chickens would be £50 each) and available at silly times of year. OTOH, the cost is in taste and freshness.

[Guest]

- Tomaotos in grow bags in the greenhouse

Just make sure they have enough soil. I struggle with grow bags. I remember someone on here cutting them in half then using the ends as ready to go pots.

- Autumn fruiting raspberries - (where to plant?)

They will grow fine in pots and will tolerate shady spots.

- Nobody has suggested potatos in those large bags you get, are they not a good idea?

As already mentioned bulk spuds are cheap to buy and I don't think there is any difference in taste.

- What size containers would be best for the salad / radishes / spring onions? I have not been religious in watering last year so those plants in smaller pots suffered......

You can grow them on the windowsill in fruit/ veg punnets so is great for succession growing, although your salad leaves like this are more micro veg. There is a Veggiechicken thread somewhere (I will try and find it). If they are on the windowsill you might water them more often.

- what wall baskets do people use for planting in? looking on amazon they seem quite small and expensive?

Try your freebie sites (freecycle, gumtree etc), carboots, cheapy shops (wilco, aldi, lidl etc). Or just get creative - rumage through your recycle bin. Baby formula tins - with an inny tin opener cut the bottom turn over, then a hole either side, thread wire through and you have a hanging basket. Milk bottles cut bottoms off, thread a length of wood and support on a couple of brackets, various butter pots, yogurts pots etc just on a rigged up shelf, soft drinks bottles cut in half - funnel put inside bottom fill and plant and you have a self watering pot (fabric wick improves the watering) Just g00gle or look on pinter$t for ideas.

- Is it worth getting an electric seed propagated?

I thought you were on a budget? It really isn't necessary, especially at this point

- Regarding salad leaves, when is the earliest i can plant out?

When is your last frost date? First and last frost dates for towns and cities in the UK and USA and make sure plants are hardened off first.

- look at getting more stuff to put into my compost bin (any ideas as to likely sources?)

Do you mean compost bin? once you start gardening you will generate lots of material. Kitchen waste, grass cuttings, prunings, spent plants, old newspapers, egg boxes, junk mail (nothing glossy though) and some wee wee to get all the microbes going. You can usually get spent coffee grounds from cafes.