There's an article on Dollar Stretcher this week about frugal gardening. I agree with most of what she says, except for Dixie or styrofoam cups to start plants. Paper cups would be OK if you could get them free because you can cut the bottom out and put the whole thing in the ground. I make containers from newspaper and plant the whole thing. 

Other ideas she had are good: saving seeds, composting, etc. Gardening can be expensive if you don't make an effort to do it frugally. Since we're soon entering into serious gardening season, what frugal methods or tips do you have to share? I'm all for saving every penny I can!

Newspaper pots are wonderful! I wrapped them around playdoh cans when the boys were little; they are the right size, and if you leave a lip on them and plant them up above the ground a little, it keeps cut worms out.

Since then I purchased a Soil Blocker for around $20 and it punches out perfect little squares to plant the seeds in. Some plants like tomatoes I'll transplant into larger containers before putting in the ground. But most are fine started in the blocks of soil. I think you can get 2 different sizes of Blockers. I still wrap the stems in strips of newspaper to keep out cutworms.

Any ideas how to get rid of slugs? This is the first place I've been at that has slugs.

 Pie pan full of beer and place near the plants. They will crawl right in and drink and die. Babs

 

babs:

 Pie pan full of beer and place near the plants. They will crawl right in and drink and die. Babs

I've heard that over and over, does it really work, Babs? I have slugs too and I'd love to get rid of them.  

I have heard of  starting seedlings in egg shells, filling a half of an eggshell with soil and planting a seed in it. Then you can plant the whole thing in the garden.

Beer does work, just don't leave it too long because it is totally disgusting with beer and dead slugs.

 Pat, I have only used it one time but the pan was full of slugs. My mom had tomatoes and they were covered with slugs. The beer did the trick for them. Babs

Thanks! I will try it, then. I hate to reach for a tomato and touch a slug on the underside of it.  They really do gross me out, as the kids would say.

Great idea! Can't wait for my Baptist pastor to see me buying beer in the store and I'm telling him it's for my slugs! Like the friend that told me to buy some wine for my milk goat so she would let down her milk. I was looking for another church anyway......

Yep, the slugs get all over my tomatoes. The first year I had hay mulch around all of my plants so I couldn't catch what was doing the damage because the slugs came out at dusk and then hid under the mulch when it started warming up.

 

Cinnamonhuskies:

Can't wait for my Baptist pastor to see me buying beer in the store and I'm telling him it's for my slugs!

 

You're more courageous than I. I've been trying to think of someone I can get to go buy beer. LOL  

LOL, First time, I made the SIL buy mine, then DS turned 21 and would go buy it. My DH is the pastor so you can imagine the talk in a small town. More Recently, DH buys is for me. Buy the cheap stuff it works just as good as the expensive. I make beer bread too. It is one of our favorites and so easy to make, Babs