When it comes to starting your plants, there are a number of things you can use. From peat pellets to reusable starter pots and potting soils, the list is long. The problem is that these all cost money. With the rising costs of just about everything, plant starting materials are also getting spendy. We usually start at least several dozen of each different plant. We do this to ensure that we have enough healthy plants ready for the garden once everything thaws out and warms up enough. To significantly reduce our seasonal garden startup costs, we do two things: First, in the fall, when we've cleared the garden of all the crops, we take a couple 5 gallon buckets, and we fill them with garden soil. This gets stored in our cold room over the winter and becomes next season's "potting soil". This saves us from purchasing expensive potting soil over and over. Second, over the winter, we save ALL our toilet paper and paper towel tubes. We save these because they are made from a light, unbleached heavy paper. They make great compostable "pots" for seedlings. We simply fill them with our saved garden soil, drop our seeds in them and let the seeds do their thing. When the seedlings are ready for the garden, we just plant the whole tube, and we're done. When everything is said and done, we've just saved anywhere from $60 to $100 on plant starting materials. The tubes pictured below are ready for seeds. Just debating what we want to plant this year.

With March upon us, gardening season will be starting for many. Around here, mid-March is usually when we start thinking about which plants we need to start. This list usually includes things like our Brassicas, such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. We don't do "exotics" like kale or kohlrabi because they aren't things we eat here. Our tomato plants are also usually on this list of pre-starts. We do this so we have time to harden them off before temperatures get stable enough before they can go into the ground. During this time, we also prepare our soil amendments, like our calcium by powdering our winter eggshells, and our nitrogen booster that we make from our saved coffee grounds. What's your March gardening to-do list look like? Drop your plans in the comments below. I'm curious to see who is doing what 😁

I'm happy to announce that part 2 has been posted in the tips and tricks repository under Garden Gab. the link to it is here --> https://www.skool.com/the-pinchpenny-diyer-6725/classroom/ceb28970?md=3f88b094e57d4e01b239d03a561f7c61

If you live in an area that is loaded with wildlife, chances are high that you've been hit with wildlife raiding your garden. Where we are, it's the deer that come. Like thieves in the night the buggers sneak in and have a feast. This bit of writing though, is about a much smaller threat. Rabbits. Those cute, furry, hopping little garden disasters. This post will cover three of the multiple ways to deal with these little critters: one will cost your resources, one costs money and eventually becomes useless, and another is tried, tested, and reliable. I should also remember to mention the last one is also usually cheaper in the long run. Option #1: The first option to deal with these furry foragers is to simply avoid planting things that rabbits eat. This is the easiest way to deal with them, but it could mean that your fall harvest is lacking things you may have wanted. If sacrificing your favourite veggie isn't an option, this one likely won't sit well with ya. Option #2 Install an automatic deterrent like a motion alarm designed for small critters. While these work, over time, the rabbits will adapt and they will lose their punch. This usually happens as soon as the rabbits realize that even though there is noise, light, or movement, there is no danger. No danger means no need to go hungry and it will again be open season on your garden stock. Option #3 Set up a good ol' set of fencing. This one is tried and true if it is done correctly. This fence can be made with either Chicken Wire or Hardware cloth and some five or six foot stakes. I've included a basic supplies list below. The materials list: Chicken wire or Hardware cloth. You'll need this to be at least 3 feet high with openings no larger than 1 inch x 1 inch. Bamboo Poles or wood 2x2's. You'll need enough of these to place one every three or four feet all around your garden. These should also be at least 5 feet long so you can put at least 2 feet into the ground with enough left to support the Chicken wire or hardware cloth. These bamboo poles can often be found at a local Dollar type store and are less expensive than from a big box store. If you want to use 2x2's and have access to a table saw you can make these by setting the table saw to cut strips 1.5 inches wide and run through a few 2x4's or 2x6's. Just make sure that if you are repurposing lumber you remove ALL the nails. Hitting nails can wreck your saw blade and contribute to a kickback injury.