Green Gardening On A Budget

Tomato Seedlings Growing In The Kitchen

Do you like to eat good organic produce? Organic is expensive, but when you use every part of the plant to your advantage, the cost goes down.  There are approximately 65 different items in the produce section that can be re-grown from the root end of the vegetable you have just cooked with. The only real cost is the first year, when I buy good organic dirt and compost and mix it up. Future compost comes from my compost maker where I put only organic produce scrapes and the scrapes from my own garden produce. 

Personally, I mainly a large garden in contaiiners of all sizes and kinds. I find a lot of discarded pots that people no longer want, old galvanized wash tubs and ice holders, old parts of charcole bbq's people throw out and the list goes on.  Anything that can have holes put in the bottom and did not have poison of somekind in it, makes a good pot. I try to not use plastic, though I have some. 

These tomatoes were nothing but a couple slices of heritage tomatoes. I placed in the pot and covered with dirt. When the seedlings come up, I thinned them out so that I can transplant them easily into hanging pots when they are ready. I grow one seedling in each hanging pot. 

Green Onions Chillin In the Pot

This pot came from a bunch of green organic onions that we cooked with but did not use the root end. We cut off about 1 or 2 inches and put these ends in water for a couple of days and then planted. We also use the regular organic onions but they are handled differently. You cut off the root end and place in water until roots appear and a little growth, and then plant in a pot. You will not get the yellow bulb onion that you started with, rather, you will grow a green onion plant. I put about 3 to a pot. I use a lot of green onion, so I usually keep at least 5 pots of onions. Just cut them off the plant, but leave a least an inch or so and they grow all year. 

A Purple Cabbage Rooting In Water That Is Ready To Plant

If you closely at the picture above, you will see the start of a new cabbage plant. I will now pot in dirt and I will get a second head of cabbage from my head of organic cabbage. We like to use the big cabbage leaves for vegan roll ups. We fill with veggies, add Balsamic Vinegar, and roll. We often cut the leaves before a hard head develops, as it is easier to work with. As long as you don't pull off the whole plant, it also will keep growing. 

Cilantro Growing In A Bag

Sometimes we grow kits for the children. Since we rarely throw the plastic away with the dirt, we re-use for another planting. When your cilantro bolts, let it flower and put a paper bag over the plant when the seeds are ready to harvest. You will have seeds galore to replant. I often plant several pots spacing them out, so I always have cilantro. When you cut them off, leave some and they also will keep growing. 

Peppers And Green Beans In Miniture Green Houses

We love those little organic sweet pepers that are yellow, orange, green, and red. When we cut and remove seeds, we put on the counter for a couple of days to dry and then plant. We will keep in plastic until the seedlings appear and then thin and let get hardy and then plant in larger pots. The seeds we do not use, we store in envelopes for future use or seed sharing in our garden groups. The green beans came from a couple of green beans that we did not cook, but rather saved the seed, let dry on the counter and then planted yesterday. In time they will be seedlings.

I have a large bag of last years plant markers that when I need to, I will place a marker in the pot with the name of the plant. I do not have a need when they are at this stage, as I do different things all the time, but only a few pots at a time.  I save the dirt from year to year and put in a wheel barrow and add fresh compust, thus giving new life to my dirt. It also prevents the same kind of plant from being in the same pot of soil year after year. 

By keeping the costs low, I can splurge on those seed packets and plants that I may not see in the grocery store on occasion. Gardening should be a fun experience. Be creative, include the kids, and enjoy your time in the garden.

 Enjoy creating new life on the homestead,

Happy Gardening,

 Marla Silva @floridagypsy   

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