A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 I'm a Tightwad

Hey Bettina,I hope you are feeling better.
And welcome.Nice to meetcha.

You posted a great idea.Let's all share ideas about saving money in our gardens and homes too.

I'd say mostly I've saved money by collecting seeds and then swapping with other folks for things I'd like.
I'm an organic gardener so I use all the leaves,grass clippings and veggie scraps in my black gold pile(compost).What can I do with all those big coffee cans?
Any ideas?
And junk mail.....argggg
Sorry to be long winded,it's the coffee.

Peace,
Shari

I've been told that coffee grounds & orange peels will keep the critters outta' your garden. I put some down in the summer and the squirrels seemed to be drawn to it. So I don't know if that's true.

Coffee cans - all kinds of things you can do with them - collect pine cones, nuts, acorns to feed the squirrels - ha ha! They eat better than we do.

hi! and thank you, it is a great idea to not have gardening a financial burden, and to find ways of recycling, reusing, and renovating yer garden

so me..well..besides working in clients gardens, i take alot of time and pride helping neighbours in their gardens. i find that most people's perrenial beds are crowded, and we all could benifit from the dividing, seperating and lifting of certain plants. i have aquired MANY plants in this fashion..such as lillies, irises, hostas, bulbs of all types, and many others...too many to name. i also set a wee stand up by my driveway for people who would like some potted divisions such as these ones. who can say no to a free plant?

i am fully organic too...and i also have set up a great leaf sharing here..and have been busy for the last few days raking, shredding, mulching, and composting leaves.i have a whole pile for mulch..simply shredded leaves and some grass clipings, and this i will use for the most amazing addition to any bed. a very black and rich mulch..yummy! they help out my kitchen/garden compost too.

it is always great to make some interesting atraction for the hardscape of the gardens using crafts and objects from nature. the earth provides us with so much great art and beauty, that by incorporating some beautiful rocks, interesting driftwood, twig fences, and whatever else..we can create something completly original and meaningful...something that you cannot get from HOme-Depot type garden art. i have saved a bundle by not buying every cute ornament i saw in a store!

so..ya..any other ideas on ways to increase the beauty of our environments..without spending money? would love to hear some!

Hello, fellow Thriftyfolk!

Another fine way to save money is to cultivate garden friends. I find that the more I share cuttings with others, the more they share with me.

Oooh! And don't forget to make your wish list of plants or other garden items (like tools) you'd most like to have. It comes in handy around your birthday or other gifting times. Some friends may prefer to be creative with gifts, but others will be relieved to know what'll please you. Be specific, though! Some non-gardeners can't tell the difference between an azalea and a gerbera daisy! The best solution in that case is to ask for a gift certificate from your favorite garden catalog or local nursery!

Coffee cans make wonderful storage containers for almost anything.

I have found that they also make a good animal deterent around my small plants. I just cut out the bottom of the can, set it over a young plant. For some reason the rabbits, and deer will not reach down into them to get at the plant. However, if you live in snake country, always look into the can before reaching in!!!!!!

I also, go to construction sites (like big subdivisions) I use paint, and drywall mud buckets for temporary planters, or spray paint them and make them temporary. I find rock for landscaping, and old silt fence makes a great weed barrier, under the compost(and it does not breakdown). I also find discarded/used lumber that will just be thrown away, and use it for various projects, who cares if it has nail holes in it???

That's part of the fun, isn't it?
My daughter just bought a house and actually BOUGHT two tons of rocks for landscaping!
That is NOT a lot of rocks. Cost her $130. and I could have picked up that many rocks on the side of the road in 30 minutes. (Haven't I taught her ANYTHING growing up?)

Cindy

Oh, coffee cans can be useful for outdoor lighting in two ways. You can poke holes in the sides of the can in any design you care to and then paint the exterior in the color of your choice. A votive placed at the bottom casts interesting night lights through the holes in the sides.

The other method is easier. You decorate the outside of the can as you wish, then fill it with sand. This makes a terrific, nearly fire proof holder for candles of many sizes, even clusters of tapers.

Also, around our house we've been known to recycle cans by a) using them as stilts for a young child by threading rope through holes placed on either side for the kid to hold onto b) an emergency watering can sprinkler by poking many holes in the bottom and dipping the thing in the big bucket and c) using it as a portable step to get in my friend's oversized SUV. It was handy to take along!

So be creative and have some fun. You might surprise yourself with your own cleverness.

Merme

Shari

How about this cheap one for plant markers? I gathered up some rocks before the snow flew last year for a winter project, got a small can of dark exterior paint and wrote the Latin name and Common name of plants on them. They look so natural out there and only cost under $5 for the cost of paint, sometimes you might have a little paint or a neighbor who just painted their house and then would be free.

Don't know why that first one came out so small, try this........

Wow...I LOVE the rocks,Mel. It's a great idea that I'm gonna have to borrow

G-Mom

This is all such great information!

And Mel, I love the rocks, too. They re adorable, and it's such a clever idea!

Thank you, it was such a fun winter project so get out there and gather up those rocks before the snow flies! Last year I only did my herbs , but this winter I'll do a lot of perennials.

Mel! Great idea for cheap/free Christmas presents that any gardener would LOVE!

I am a rock FREAK! I need to get some nice ones in here and clean them off for some Christmas presents! All I've ever done with my rocks is make shapes out of them, which is a little depressing when you get just about "there" and you end up breaking off too much of the rock! :p

I made this heart for Brennan. It's right outside the front door. There's a heart-rock there for me, and one for him!




Cindy

Oh, That is soooooooo cooooooool.!
The kids and I collect heart shaped rocks and have quite a few now.

Mel,
Love the rocks!
Nifty idea!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Warning;
LONG POST
I save the green baskets that the strawberries come in handy for pickin' my cherry tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, etc. in the garden......
*and I save the plastic containers the cherry tomatoes come in for mini~greenhouse's for the kids at boyscouts/bible school/etc.
I save all the card board containers that when I get a flat of something, like at a wholesale place, you get 8 cans of something, like say tomato sauce and then there's a plastic wrapping on it.....when I take out the can's I slit the top, and keep the plastic on it, and use them when I have people pop over **Unexpectantly sometimes too** in my yard and want to send goodies/plants home with them from my garden..
some times if it's wet or you've just watered, or heavy in soil or what ever the case is, you pull a plant out and sit it on one of those, it's card board will suck up the water/moisture and the plastic keeps it from getting into the car/or their lap on the way home!!!

I save old clorox bottles *any that are like that are fine* and depending how you cut them up, you can have several things out of them...
If you take the top half off, you've got a container for something, paint brushes or whatever. If you cut it so the just the very bottom is taken off, you can have a homemade scoop for like dog or cat food, carring some water *keep the cap* or if you take the cap off, a funnel...
and you can use it as a pooper scooper too???
You can use the bottoms for saucers if you need them for plants in pots that like water/wet feet.


I use the juice jugs too (like Juicey Juice),
cut the very bottom off and turn them upside down, push the neck of the juice jug into the dirt and water them or inside the jug, instead of the ground when watering my plants.

I use the old styrofoam trays that come in big fruit things with the saran over the top (**You could save the ones from the meat tray's too, but I don't, something about raw meat and me don't get along :p YUK, but if you feel you can wash them up and use them, go right ahead, it's just me. I use them for trays when I start seeds, I needed a little bit extra moisture when starting seeds and this method helped for me....
I did use the hard plastic ones' from meat trays but I could put those into the dishwasher and sanitize them better..

I also save the jugs that kids get to get those sugar drinks in, like "JUG'S"... I save them to put flowers into it.... and for several reasons..
They're small, and there's not too many small vases, and I can send the kids over to Gramma's house with the vases/flowers so I know if they accidently trip it won't break and cut the kids.
and if I put some flowers to the curb for the kids to sell up front on the side walk the people can take them home right in them...
And if you'd like flowers outside on a picnic table, you can put the flowers out in those and if the wind blows the vase/flowers over, no worries in the vase breaking.....just put a little rock in the bottom for a wee~bit of weight.

How many more do can ya stand????
I am the total frugal gardener....

Weezie

Man, those are some GOOD ideas!

My dad saves all that stuff too.......

He's almost 70 years old.
He just saves it.
He stacks it all over the place.
He never does ANYTHING with it.
He just saves it.....
...and stacks it all over the place.


Cindy

Doesn't make him a bad man,
just no avenue's to use them...
*I got a good stack too, but they go in
and out too*

Find out where your boyscouts, bible schools, summer rec programs, and schools are.....
That's where mine go...

I'm sure there's someone looking for stuff like that for the kids...

Weezie

For the benefit of our members, I would appreciate it if the members who posted their great ideas on this topic would take the time to re-post them as new, individual topics (and title them appropriately, i.e. "Stone plant Markers") in this new forum so that we can enjoy, learn and converse about each idea separately!
Thank you!