Garden Scrooge

Nonna.PapaVino 2/10/2011, 2:08 pm

What's the cleverest way you've found to augment your gardening for the least or no cost? Besides, say, saving seed, plant swaps and the like. I'll start it off: once I submitted a gardening idea to Rodale Press, they used the idea in their book and sent me a free copy of the book. The idea: I told the appliance guy who was installing our new washer that I'd like to keep the old pierced enameled drum. To foil moles and the mice that use the runs and devour tulip bulbs in this area, I sank the drum into the ground, filled it with good soil and tulip bulbs and finally have been able to grow tulips that live to bloom another year. Since then, Stan's Appliance has gifted me with two more drums, both being used as very large above-ground planters. Now: Your turn.

**Furbalsmom** 2/10/2011, 5:55 pm

Nonna, what a clever idea. cheers

And to have the idea published means that others thought it very clever too. winner

Nonna.PapaVino 2/10/2011, 6:54 pm

Thank you, Furbalsmom, you are kind. It's my belief that if I save money on accouterments for gardening, then I'll have more to spend on seeds and compost. So we'll all enjoy learning where others have found ways to save, like salvaged lumber used to build a greenhouse, salvaged pipe for supports, etc. (I've also used throw-away CDs to hang in the cherry tree in the hopes of discouraging birds--it kinda worked, but they caught on eventually. So I painted a "pupil" in the center of one and hung it on the house window, and it did cut down on the number of birds who mistook the reflection on the window for the sky.) BTW, I envy you your trip to Territorial Seeds, and will be looking forward to your report on the grafted tomatoes. Inquiring minds want to know! Nonna

Lindacol 2/11/2011, 9:30 pm

Nonna, great idea with the washer drum. Wish I had a couple of those.

I have trouble with gophers so must line the bottom of all beds. I've been thinking that a old security screen door would be great for a base. Has anybody tried that? It would last a lot longer than chicken wire, would be easier to use since it indudes a frame and can probably be found cheap or free.

Nonna.PapaVino 2/12/2011, 2:20 am

I like your idea of using a discarded security screen door to line the bottom of a growing bed. What kind of mesh do they have? I'm thinking about visiting a metal salvage place for scraps of expanded metal, like that used in applying rock facings to concrete walls. I have some strips left over from a neighbor's building project, but not enough. To really foil moles and the mice that use mole tunnels, we have to use rabbit wire under the growing beds--regular chicken wire having holes a bit too big to keep mice out. The pierced metal strips mentioned above works well when wired together to make them big enough. Perhaps you can find a contractor who would trade you some for, say, tomatoes! Nonna

Nonna.PapaVino 2/12/2011, 9:01 pm

Discovered another freebie with good uses in the garden: broken arrow shafts from an organized archery shoot. So far, I've used them for garden plant stakes, I've driven them through the openings of concrete blocks into the ground to stabilize the blocks, and driven them into the ground at an angle and tied lines from trellises to them to help hold the trellises, also used them to form "stakes" for plant information at the front of rows. Then I ran out of shafts. Hubby no longer goes to shoots 'cause of bad shoulder. What to do! Anyone got ideas for substitutes? Nonna

Sponsored content

Garden Scrooge

Garden Scrooge

Re: Garden Scrooge

Garden Scrooge

Re: Garden Scrooge

Garden Scrooge--saving money

Garden Scrooge: saving money

Re: Garden Scrooge


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.