Okay, so this one isn't a 100% "I don't buy". I do still enjoy going to a greenhouse once a year or so and picking up a new perennial or so and then I will often buy a few pansies and maybe a couple of peppers if mine didn't do well. For most of my plants however, I start my own. When you want around 50 tomato plants and bunches of peppers and various herbs it just makes a lot of financial sense to start your own plants!
When you start your own you can also have more variety and have fun growing all sorts of heirloom tomatoes and things like that.
The first step in starting plants is having seed. I buy most of my seeds from Fedco Seeds but I am also gradually saving more and more of them too.
Next you need some pots (you can recycle all sorts of things for this- like milk jugs) and some dirt. Usually I buy potting soil but this year I actually sterilized soil from my compost bin to start my seeds in. One more way to save a little money and not buy anything. You will also want to have either a nice sunny window or a grow light and a good place to set your plants.
Plant them according to directions (usually 4-8 weeks before garden planting time) on the packet and then water them regularly. You will also probably have to turn them now and then if you are growing them with the light from a window and they grow toward the light.
A week or so before planting time it is good to start hardening them off by moving them outside for a while and then back in overnight. Increase there time out each day. I am usually horrible about doing this scientifically but I try to do it some anyway.
Plant them carefully in your garden and wait for them to grow and produce!
It is always fun to get started planting inside before we can do it outside.
Do any of you all start your own plants? Do you have any tips to share?
Let me know if any of you have any questions.
I am linking this to Frugal Friday at
Life as MOM.
What do you mean by sterilizing soil? I am now wondering. :)
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to make my own potting soil since I read, I think and amish story, when I was a kid and they did it. But I never really think about it at the right time and I didn't have any more details than that book to go on.
ReplyDeleteYour plants are looking really nice!
Getting involved in politics is very overwhelming. I am glad you guys are willing.
~Anna
Tracy,
ReplyDeletePotting soil that we buy has been heated up to a certian temperature in order to kill weed seeds and also make it so that it won't get mildew. I found some directions in order to do the same thing with my soil in my oven. It gives our house a "nice" earthy smell when I do it!
Anna,
I was hoping to maybe plant my plants today but it is raining now and though that might work well for the plants I am not sure if I feel like working out in it. Also I am not sure but I might have a piano student coming so I better not get too dirty.
I'm way behind on my garden this year, which is too bad since spring started so early and its SO hot here (abnormally so). But I've been busy with my kids and especially the baby. I did start some tomato plants and thats all I did inside this year. I will be planting more outside but so far its going slow.
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