The Cost of Growing Your Own Veggies - Part 2

We've already covered some of the costs involved in starting a vegetable garden and now we're going to discuss a few more. That way you’re going into this endeavor with your eyes wide open.

If you're going to be a gardener, you need some tools to tend the garden. You don't have to have every gizmo out there, just the ones you'll really use. Research some of the tools and pick what will work best for you and your situation. Tools are something you buy once, although garden gloves are a different story.

How to save: Look for sales on the tools you need, especially when it's off season. You'll get better deals at the end of summer rather than in the spring. One place to get spectacular bargains are at estate sales. Once you have the tools, you should take good care of them. Make sure you put them away somewhere where they are protected and store them clean. At the end of the season give them a good cleaning and add a coat of protective oil as directed. (Check the gardening section of our website for good prices on some recommended tools.)

Every year you need plants to stick into the ground, right? Not necessarily; some plants will over-winter so you don't have to start totally over. Other than that, yes, plants are needed.

Runner bean seeds (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How to save: It depends on where you live but take note of many herbs like rosemary and oregano that will come back the next season. Others might be mint, onion, garlic. 

How to save: Save your seed at the end of the season. Using your own seed is much cheaper than buying new plants. You'll find the seeds in the heads of the dried flowers. Store them in marked envelopes or bags for future use. You won't ever again have to buy onions, lettuce, cilantro, carrots and more. (Note: If you grew plants from hybrid seeds or seedlings, you won't always get good results if you save their seeds. Grow open-pollinated or heirloom varieties if you want to save seeds.) If you don't have seeds to save, buy packets of seeds and start them yourself rather than seedlings as this is certainly less expensive.

Watering your veggies can really cause your water bill to go up in the summer.

How to save: Water by hand, if possible, and not with a forget-about-it sprinkler that also waters your fence, sidewalk, and part of the house. Water in the early morning or evening (depending on where you live) so that you don't lose the water to evaporation from the sun. You could also set up a drip irrigation system, which feeds a small amount of water directly to the roots of the plants, and minimizes evaporation.

Also, consider planting things a little closer together so the leaves of the plants help shade the ground in the plot. This, and using a mulch to cover the bare ground can help conserve water by keeping the moisture in the ground longer. Of note - if you live in a dry, arid place, raised beds might not be the best solution for you as beds above ground tend to dry out faster.

Having your own vegetable garden is rewarding in so many ways. To help keep the costs down and make it worth your money to grow your own, consider the above tips.

Planning Your Garden On Your Desktop

Winter is a great time for planning your next garden, and strange though it may sound, computers make it easier than ever to plan out your garden.

It is easy to get exactly what you like for your garden by logging on to online garden stores and being able to choose your plants according to color, size, type, season and more.

You can even select plants according to the conditions they will be planted in in your garden, so for example, if you have a shaded area you will be able to select only those plants that prefer shady conditions.

Garden planning software.

This makes it so easy for even an inexperienced gardener to plan a garden and know what it will look like, and know that the right plants are in the best place according to the conditions.

It is also quite a lot of fun creating your own oasis and choosing the plants to suit your personality! You can easily modify and change the plan around until you get the best layout for your garden without ever having to spend money until you are completely happy and ready to go with the ordering of the plants or seeds.

As well as the convenience of the search functions on gardening websites, you will often find that due to the lower overhead of running an online business, you can save quite a substantial lot of money on garden supplies by buying online rather than at the local garden store.

One of the best ways to get ideas for your garden plans is to look at the galleries of other gardens on the Internet and base your own garden on one you like, customizing it to suit your requirements.

Once you have created a plan using these resources you can take it to a landscape professional to get some additional guidance and advice if desired, but in doing the groundwork online first you will stand to save a lot of money and time.

Garden Planning: Choosing A Theme for Your Garden

When planning your garden, it is often good to have a theme that you can follow throughout your garden,  and a selection of plants that will go along with that theme.

By having a theme to follow this will dictate, not only the types of plants that you will be buying, but also anything else that you put in the garden. This will include everything from sculptures and garden furniture, to the colors of the pots that you will choose.

While some people might think this is restricting their freedom of creation, it does in fact allow you to create a garden that has more freedom of flow rather than being disjointed with a variety of different themes that never quite gel together.

Cottage garden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes the theme of your garden will be determined by the style of the house that you have on the property, and other times it will be determined by the geographical location where you live.

If for instance you are living near a beach, you might want the theme to tie in with the beach setting. By doing this you are likely to get plants for your garden that are more appropriate and will endure the conditions that they will be growing in. Plants that are suitable for growing in coastal areas will be able to withstand the winds and the salt of the sea air that could quickly damage other plants that aren't suitable for those conditions.

Likewise it wouldn't look quite as appropriate to have a tropical garden with palms where a cottage garden would compliment the style of the house.

And tropical plants are not going to flourish as well in cold harsh climates so there are many factors that need to be taken into account when deciding on your garden theme.

But overall, a well-planned theme can ensure you have a healthy and beautiful garden that is both thriving and enjoyable to work and play in, and expresses your own unique sense of style.

Video - Starting Seeds Indoors

Starting seeds indoors successfully requires 5 things:

1. A good growing medium
2. A growing container
3. Good seeds
4. Sunlight
5. Water

This short gardening video from Iowa Gardening Magazine shows a few quick tips for successfully starting your seeds indoors to get a head start on your garden this year. (See below video for some helpful resources.)

Gardening in the Zone: Starting Seeds Indoors
Richard Jauron discusses how to start your garden seeds indoors to get a jump start on your garden.


Helpful Supplies For Starting Seeds Indoors:
   

Video - Helpful Composting Tips

Here is a video review of a few helpful organic gardening tips for getting your compost up and running well. As you can see, she has a lovely large pile that is getting going here, and she shares some ideas that you may find useful for building your own. And you can find some of the helpful composting tools she mentions listed below the video.

Composting : Garden Composting Tips
Composting requires you to take a few important things, like size and temperature, into consideration. Learn about garden composting tips with help from the operator of a small, organic nursery in this free video clip. Expert: Ali Reynolds Contact: O...


Helpful Composting Tools:
   

Video - Hybrid vs. Open-Pollinated Seeds

If you're interested in sustainable gardening (which you probably are if you're reading this blog!), you've probably heard of non-hybrid or open-pollinated seeds. Gardening sustainably means being able to sustain your gardening in a natural way, and for many people, that means saving your own seeds to plant the next year.

With hybrid seeds, this really won't work that well. Some hybrid seeds are sterile (meaning that the fruit they produce contains seeds that won't grow), and others simply may not produce fruit at all the second year, or they may give you a fruit you weren't expecting, which though interesting, doesn't really meet your needs as a sustainable gardener. So if you want to save seeds, you will need to choose a non-hybrid or heirloom variety.

If you're wondering what all the different seed types mean, this quick video gives a great overview of hybrid versus open-pollinated versus heirloom seeds - what they are, when to use them, and how to choose what is best for you and your garden.

On The Green Farms Organic Gardening Series - Part 2 (Hybrid, Open Pollinated, & Heirloom Seeds)
www.OnTheGreenFarms.com - What is a hybrid seed? Is it an evil word? Can I grow a 100% heirloom garden? In this video Jenny explains what each of the 3 types of seeds are and provides important information to help you choose the right type for your o...


You can find more information on non-hybrid seeds here: www.non-hybrid-seeds.com

Video - Growing Dwarf Fruit Trees In Containers

Here is another great one from Patti, The Garden Girl. If you think of fruit trees as something you can't grow because you don't have enough space, think again! Patti shows how she plants dwarf fruit trees in containers on her patio. It may still take a few years for them to start fruiting, but you really can grow some nice fruit even in a small space.

One thing that she doesn't cover in this video (although she does in another video), is that you must remember to drill plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of the container before filling and planting - otherwise your tree (or any other plant) will drown, so be sure to do this whenever you are planting anything in containers, if they don't already come with holes in the bottom.

Container Gardening: Bare Root Cherry Tree
Patti, the Garden Girl, puts dwarf fruit trees into her patio container garden. Check out my Container Drainage Video for more info. Subscribe to Patt's free magazine! Click here visitor.constantcontact.com Check out Patti's websites www.gardengirltv...


Grow Your Own Dwarf Fruit Trees:
   

Video - Flood & Drain Hydroponics System

There are a number of different types of hydroponics systems available for indoor hydroponics gardening. This video shows a demonstration of one type, called a "Flood-and-Drain" system, and describes some of the different things you can grow successfully indoors using this type of setup.

Have you tried hydroponics gardening? If so, we'd love to hear your comments and ideas below!

Hobby Hydroponic Gardening Indoors & Out
ProgressiveGardening.org | A lot of people are surprised that a full sized tomato plant can grow in a small pot without any soil! Carl Anderson of Virginia Hydroponics shows how easy it is to grow fresh cut herbs, tantalizing vegetables, and fabulous...


Examples of Flood & Drain (Ebb & Flow) Hydroponics Systems:
   

Gardening Products Make Great Gifts

If you're looking for a last minute gift for the special gardener in your life, it's not to late to pick up some great gardening products. Because gardening has evolved into such a popular activity, gardening products are not hard to come by.  You can buy gardening products in various stores or nurseries, or you can order gardening products from catalogs, or even order them online.  Gardening products can range from equipment to fertilizer to actual plants and shrubs.


You will obviously need the basic gardening products no matter what you are planting, such as a hoe, spade, fork, and maybe even a shovel.  You must have watering supplies, like a water hose and perhaps a sprinkler.  Other possibilities include a spade, a pot (if you are pot planting), and a pair of gloves for comfort, some secateurs, or a rake.  When first starting a garden you will definitely want some type of mulch or potting soil to get your dirt ready.  There are a few types of potting soil to choose from, including organic potting mix, seed starting potting mix, cactus potting mix, and root development potting mix, just to name a few. (You can easily find all of these online - for a one-stop shop, try http://www.newholisticliving.com/products.html#SGProducts.)

Once you have your garden planted, you must have gardening products so that you can add nutrients to the soil to ensure a healthy plant life.  Miracle-Gro is one of the most popular growing enhancements for plants.  There are many different types of Miracle-Gro to choose from and what kind you choose will depend on what you are trying to grow. For sustainable and organic gardening, of course you will want to look for the organic varieties. You will also want to add fertilizer, such as compost or manure.

If you are growing vegetables or herbs, you may need different gardening products than flower gardens require.  If you are growing tomatoes you will need a tomato cage and ties to protect the plants against the wind.  Many plants, especially vines, are designed to grow on something and you will need to have a fence or trellis of some sort.

Gardening products are not limited to just the gardening necessities; they can also come in the form of decoration.  There are decorative flower pots, sundials, plastic figurines, stones or bricks for a pathway or looks, and even lawn furniture.  Decoration will add to the charm and uniqueness of your garden and are an excellent way to give it a personal touch.


The winter months will bring a whole new set of gardening products to store shelves.  When the frost hits, the prime place to put your plants are in a greenhouse.  Mini-greenhouses are pretty easy to find nowadays, and can be relatively inexpensive to purchase (or very inexpensive to build, yourself). However, if you do not have a greenhouse, a tarp or row cover can be used to cover plants up at night.  You also might need a light source, like a heat lamp, to both keep plants warm and give them extra light.

New and upgraded gardening products are always popping up on the market.  It seems like every day there is some gardening product that claims to be bigger and better than the last.  While many gardening products are not a necessity, they sure make the job a lot easier and more enjoyable.

So why not grab one of these gardening products as a gift for your favorite gardener this holiday season? (Even if that gardener is you!) :-)   Just click on any of the links above for some great suggestions, or visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html.

Great Gifts for Gardeners

There is nothing nicer than receiving a gift relating to one's passion. If your loved one's passion is gardening, then show your thoughtfulness by giving a gift that will be truly appreciated.

There are so many great gardening gifts that the only constraint is your own budget.

If your budget is small...
Go for things like gloves, kneepads or even a shady hat. A pretty pot (or a watering-can) filled with a small bag of potting mix, a packet of bulbs, some gloves and a small trowel or other tool will be received with delight by most gardeners. There are many hand tools at hardware stores that are reasonably priced. And you can even find most of these things online on sites like Amazon.com at a great price. (On a personal note, several years ago my best friend gave me a pair of rubber gardening shoes. A small gift, but I can tell you I have worn them hundreds of times, and they are now an essential part of my gardening attire!)


But if you feel that is too ordinary, how about a subscription to a gardening magazine? A tiny bit more expensive perhaps, but it will give twelve full months of delight. A book on gardening is another idea, but make sure your recipient does not already have the one you choose. Books are often heavily discounted at Christmas time, so you may get a bargain. There is a huge range of gardening books and magazines on just about every facet of gardening you can imagine. (For some suggestions see below, or visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html and scroll down for some great gift ideas.)

On the other hand, a pot that contains a flowering plant is usually a welcomed gift. Be sure to choose a plant that is suited to your climate. Sometimes plants are sent from tropical to temperate zones and kept in artificial conditions in the store. These plants will not do well once taken from their environment. Shrub roses are hardy and attractive and grow in many climates. Tulips do best in a cooler climate.


If you have some room in your budget...
A more expensive tool may be appropriate. A pull-trolley is easier to use than a wheelbarrow and, like some electric tools, is still not terribly expensive. Small electric tools such as whipper-snippers can retail for as little as $20.00. Or if your friend has a hose but not a hose reel, then that would be a very useful gift that he would truly appreciate.

Automatic lawn mowers, electric cultivators, hedge trimmers and brush cutters are in the more expensive price range and you are the only one who can decide whether that is an appropriate gift. However, when the recipient realizes you have given a gift that complements his passion, expensive or not, it will certainly be a gift they will remember!

(For see below for a couple of suggestions, or visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html and scroll down for a number of great gift ideas for the gardener in your life.)


A Few Good Organic Gardening Books & Magazines:
   

Video - Hot Composting Step-By-Step

Here is a video with step-by-step instructions for making a hot compost. If you don't have a lot of space, you can use a series of compost bins or tumblers as shown - these are smaller but easier to turn and don't take up as much room - in fact, you could easily fit several of these on a small patio. (Some examples of composting tumblers are shown below the video.)  (Note: If video does not appear below, click the link to view.)

How To Hot Compost
Hot Compost. Composting is nature's way of recycling and hot composting is a method of accelerating the process by regularly digging through, or turning, the decaying matter.


Composting Bins & Tumblers:
   

Healthy Hands Are the Gardener's Best Tools

Here are the major reasons why one should consider getting a pair of trusty gardening gloves:

Gloves protect your hands from blisters, thorns and cuts while doing rough work like digging or pruning in the garden. Investing in one or more pairs of quality gloves is a good decision if you intend to garden on any scale.

A couple of my favorite pairs.

Here are some tips on how to choose the pair that will suit you best:  

1. Look for quality leather gloves with a cloth back; this will let the gloves breathe and keep your hands dry, cool and comfortable.

2. If mud bothers you, select rubber gloves with cotton lining.

3. When spraying pesticides or chemicals (which hopefully you're NOT doing!) choose gloves that are made from neoprene. Gloves made from latex or any type of plastic may not offer the best protection.

4. When pruning roses, use gloves that reach up to the arms.

5. If you usually operate large garden machinery, buy gloves in brown instead of red as the latter may dye your hands.

6. Light cotton or even fingerless gloves may be useful for transplanting seedlings. They will allow more dexterity and so help to prevent the tiny roots from being crushed.

7. And of course, make sure that the gloves you buy actually fit your hands. If you have small hands, try the children's gardening section. there's nothing worse than trying to garden is gloves that are too big.

Your gloves must be comfortable as well as give protection to best serve your gardening needs.

Gardening Gloves:
   

Video - Starting Your Spring Garden

If you've got spring fever, this short video might give you inspiration to get your garden started, even if it's not quite warm enough outside to get out there yet. The timely video will show you how to get a head start on the garden season, by starting some seeds indoors, using an easy and affordable garden kit. This one's great for getting your kids involved too! (See below for some resources like the ones shown in the video - at prices ranging from dirt-cheap to the premium model.)

Check it out, and get inspired!

Starting Your Spring Garden
Early Show contributor and gardening expert Ahmed Hassan spoke to Harry Smith about starting an outdoor garden for the spring indoors including using an indoor garden kit and lightweight potting soil.


Indoor Garden Starting Kits, from Basic to Super-Deluxe:
    

5 Pricey Garden Gifts (And Some Affordable Ones)

I stumbled across this funny article, and figured it was in keeping with the season! Please keep in mind this is here for humorous purposes only - I'm not suggesting you actually buy any of these things. (Though if you want to, don't let me stop you!)  I just thought it was amusing (and somewhat disturbing) that people pay this much for such items....  What do you think? Does it make you laugh? Cry? Angry? 

Feel free to post comments! (And there are some more reasonable gift ideas below, if none of these work for you.)  :-)

5 Garden Gifts to Give if You're a Multi Millionaire
The imp in me decided to change gears and come up with a list of garden gifts for those of you with cash to burn. The rest of us can just chuckle at the absurdity of paying $269 for a freaking watering can.
Publish Date: 12/06/2010 9:00
http://lifeonthebalcony.com/5-garden-gifts-to-give-if-youre-a-multi-millionaire/

 

Related articles on Gifts for Gardeners:

• 5 Green Holiday Gifts Under $45 (alternativeconsumer.com)
• Gift Ideas For The Avid Gardener (glenns-garden.com)
• Affordable Gifts for Plant-and-Flower-LoversGarden Party (apartmenttherapy.com)
• Gifts for Gardeners (eatdrinkbetter.com)