Cost saving gardening tips

[Primrose]

There must be canny frugal gardeners on here. Could we have a thread to share our cost saving tips? I've a couple:

Reuse the compost in your pepper/chili/aubergine pots (with a little fertiliser added) to grow winter salad leaves.

Regnerate basil by snipping off stalks of existing plants and putting them in water for a few days. They will develop roots and can be potted up as new plants.

[richard p]

never visit a "garden center" , buy your seeds from wilkinsons or ebay.

[Shallot Man]

I am with Richard P.

[Johnboy]

Richard and Shallotman,
Do you realise what you two have done!
We now have those who only believe in SOI that will be so shocked at your postings that I fear the worst.
For those in decline may I suggest that you seek counselling at your earliest opportunity.
Exceedingly tongue in-cheekedly,
JB.

[Shallot Man]

JOHNBOY. Pleased to inform you, I have booked a counselling season at my Rugby Club,[I might be gone some time]

[Chantal]

It's OK JB panic not. I don't buy my seeds in a garden centre, I buy them online from SEEDS OF ITALY which is in fact a cost saving as you get so many seeds and if there's too many you can always share packets with friends

[richard p]

we can go further
i dont think ive ever bought a flower pot or seed tray, those ive got have either been given to me or liberated from skips, i use a lot of plastic yogurt pots, the trays mushrooms are sold in, margarine pots etc.
never buy new brand name tools, you can get perfectly good tools from wilkinsons, diy stores or supermarkets , they do the job and it dont hurt as much when they get nicked, misslaid or the kids use them for some novel purpose
power tools are a bit more difficult i tend to buy good quality nearly new ones, often from boot sales or ebay but you have to be able to spot the lemons and pay the right price.

nearly forgot , grow non f1 varieties and save your own (english)seed, it must reduce the food miles and carbon footprint

[The Mouse]

I didn't buy any new canes this year for my borlotti beans- I used the 5ft long prunings off my buddlia. When I removed them today I found some of them had rooted, which probably made them more wind-resistant than canes What's more, they are still sound enough to keep and use again next year

[Colin_M]

I didn't buy any new canes this year for my borlotti beans- I used the 5ft long prunings off my buddlia.

Ok, we tried a similar approach with my wife's bamboo patch. At first this was a natural by-product of pruning it because the damn things are so vigorous and I felt quite smug about not buying imported canes

However the plant has now started sending up spears through our lawn, into a flower bed over five feet away and finally between the paving slabs in our patio. Since there is a graveyard not much further away, I think it's time to dig this up before we get complaints from visiting relatives....

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Colin, i think it must be all the wet weather, but bamboos seem to be rampant this year with spears erupting a good distance from the Mother plant.

[Chantal]

I use cardboard coffee cups (we save them at work) as plant pots and when they've been used a few times and start to break down, they are ripped up and composted.

[lizzie]

I buy seeds from Kings or Alan Romans. Also Wilkies when there is a sale on. Also get some stuff from the pound shop too.

I also use yogurt pots, mushroom trays, and have recycled my recycling boxes to put flowers in for the front and back of the house.

Old compost from the house goes around my roses with some fertiliser.

Plus, I swop a lot of stuff with The Grock and Mr Grock and also Creeping Jesus.

[alan refail]

...and also Creeping Jesus

Lizzie, do tell

[lizzie]

A very good friend of mine Alan.