Just wondering what ideas you might have for saving on flower and vegetable gardening?  What have you found works really well that stretches the dollar?

Plan in advance: buy your garden seeds discounted in September and October for the following spring. I got almost all my seeds that way; I spent about $10 for $100 worth of seeds, esp. corn seed which is more expensive than others. If you keep them over winter in a cool dry place or a jar in the refrigerator they should germinate fine.

Also try to purchase heirloom or non-hybrid seed so you can save seeds from the plants from year to year. We saved melons, pepper, squashes, and Indian corn seed for planting this spring. We also have our own seed potatoes from those leftover shriveled potatoes from last year that have begun growing eyes down in the basement.

You can also exchange with friends and neighbors. Usually our church as well as my local Curves gym has a plant exchange in the spring: you bring some of your extras and get something different.

 I agree with buying seeds the fall before and with using open pollinated seeds so you can save your own. If you have to water, either use drip irrigation (an old hose you can punch full of holes works fine) or use 2 liter bottles or something like that and bury them in the ground every foor or so along a row, or two for each large plant. Poke holes in the bottoms of them and fill them with water. That will get the water to the roots where it's needed. You might want to water overhead now and then if it doesn't rain to get the dust off the leaves, but you won't have to worry about watering otherwise. 

We have tried growing several vegetable crops with alot of failure in our extreme northern climate due to our soil. But many variety of berries grow like crazy, so we switched to all berry crops & trade with friends who have only vegetable gardens. We always get enough corn, potatoes, green beans, onions, pumpkin, tomatoes & cuc's for freezing & canning. Not to mention bushels of apples & plums. Some people have crop failures one year & double their bounty the next, (30 dozens ears of corn) or find something to give us (meat, flour, sugar). Be careful who you trade with, one gal alway promised produce if she could get 2 gallons of strawberries & 1 gallon of raspberries. I got a small lunch bag of green beans that weren't edible. She now gets 1 pint of each berry for her family to enjoy & I retained our freindship.

 Trading is a really good idea! Your experience shows a very good point: be prepared to be disappointed with some trades. Not everyone sees it the same and we have to decide before hand to take our losses and go on. We can't let it ruin friendships or family relationships. 

Another way is to trade work for produce. I canned several pints of baby corn (from suckers) for a widower one time and he gave me about half of them.