Fun and Frugal Gardening!

by: Cyndi Roberts



Whether you are an avid vegetable gardener, a beginning herb gardener or
just like to have a pretty yard, these frugal tips may help you save a
little money!

1. Stale coffee and coffee grounds make great organic fertilizer. They
provide many trace minerals and low, gentle levels of nitrogen, potassium
and phosphorous.



2. Remember that a good soaking of water less often is better than a light
sprinkling every day -- for veggies and for your lawn.




3. If your neighbor has a plant you particularly like, ask for a cutting,
instead of going to the nursery and buying one. Maybe you could trade a
cutting from one of your own plants.



4. To easily water a tomato plant, bury a bottomless coffee can next to
the plant and pour the water into the can. This allows the water to go
straight to the roots.




5. Plant marigolds in your vegetable garden. They will attract insects
that eat aphids and other pests.




6. My husband bought some used carpet at a garage sale, cut it into wide
strips and laid it down between the rows in our garden. Now we can pick
peas with getting our shoes muddy.



7. Use grass clippings as mulch around your vegetable plants to keep
moisture in and weeds out. Just don't use the clippings right after you
have fertilized your grass or treated for weed control.




8. If you have access to them, pine needles make excellent mulch.



9. A natural, frugal garden pest spray: mix 1 tablespoon of liquid
dishwashing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil. Use 3 tablespoons of this
mixture to 1 quart of water and spray on plants.




10. In the herb garden, to keep plants like mint from taking over too big
an area, put it in a clay pot and simply plant the whole pot!



"He who plants a garden, plants happiness."




About The Author




Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another" bi-weekly
newsletter and founder of the website of the same name. Visit http://www.cynroberts.com
to find creative tips, articles, and a free e-cooking book. Subscribe to
the newsletter and receive the free e-course "Taming the Monster Grocery
Bill".

editor@cynroberts.com