What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[gtaus]

I figured out how to make larger ‘pots’ out of toilet paper rolls by cutting them open and putting a notch in one side so they link together. I had been worried the default size roll pot size wouldn’t be big enough for squash or cucumbers, now I don’t have to buy cardboard pots for them.

That sounds like a great idea. I tried the toilet paper roll pots a few years ago but did not have much success with them. They were too small for what I wanted. But I have always liked the idea of reusing paper rolls if it worked. It would be nice to start out with a pot big enough that I do not have to up-pot everything.

I'm not quite sure how you link two toilet paper rolls together and make a larger paper pot. Could you post some pictures for those of us with limited imaginations? Thanks.

Also, if you use the paper roll pots, do you put any type of drainage holes in them, on the bottom and/or sides? Another problem I had with using paper pots was that the cardboard got soaked and stayed wet, causing mold to grow. It could have been completely my fault by overwatering them, but I lost a lot of my starts to mold problems.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

A friend of mine uses newspaper as pots, she rolls newspaper ( at least a few layers) around something ( for example a rolling pin) and folds it closed, then she fills it with earth, the pots decompose on their own , I also reuse yogurt containers ( the small ones) poke holes in the bottom, voila

 

[TooCheep]

I also reuse yogurt containers ( the small ones) poke holes in the bottom, voila

Those are good for seed starting. I use the larger yogurt containers the same way for growing larger plants.

 

[Sally PB]

I think I've posted how I use yogurt and cottage cheese containers as pots for my starts. I have some that will be going on their 3rd or 4th year. Here's a recap.

You need to keep the lid.

Cut off the bottom and turn the container upside down.

Poke holes in the lid for drainage. Fill with potting soil, and water the soil so it's moist. My potting soil is very dry, so I want it to be damp before I plant seeds. I water it quite thoroughly several times; I stick my finger in up to the knuckle in the middle of the pot to gauge how damp the soil is.

When it comes time to transplant the starts into the garden, just peel off the lid, which was the bottom of the pot. The taper of the pot will allow you to lift it off fairly easily.

 

[Smokerbill]

Cheap chicken scratch. I had a 30# bag of deer corn shipped from Walmart, $7.00 including tax. I cracked a cup of the corn in my Kitchen Aid grain mill attachment. That'll be enough scratch for a week, since I only use it to herd my chickens into the secure run long enough for me to close the door and lock them up for the night.

 

[TooCheep]

Cheap chicken scratch. I had a 30# bag of deer corn shipped from Walmart, $7.00 including tax.

Hmmm... Good price. Might be okay, but the labeling on the back doesn't make me comfortable.

Note: To be fed only to deer and other wildlife.
Warning: May not be fed to horses or domestic rabbits. Not for human use.

 

[Smokerbill]

Hmmm... Good price. Might be okay, but the labeling on the back doesn't make me comfortable.

I saw that and it doesn't concern me since the chickens would get less that an ounce each per week. Plus, they aren't rabbits or horses. LOL

 

[SkyAJK]

I use wine and beers cardboards as chicken bedding material. I put the cardboards on the flooring,scrap out poops in the morning and throw away these used cardboards. This is done every morning and evening.

I get these cardboards from the liquor shops, they throw them out anyway, and they are happy for me to take it.

What I found is that my chicken coops are cleaner, and I do not have to buy bedding materials, and no flies inside their coops on hot summer day.

There is one down side to this is that - a lot of work as it is done twice a day.

 

[gtaus]

I think I've posted how I use yogurt and cottage cheese containers as pots for my starts. I have some that will be going on their 3rd or 4th year.

I remember your system. I'm glad you reposted it. It's a great way to recycle/repurpose those containers.

I have a couple of questions on your inverted yogurt container system. Do you bottom water your plants and let the water soak up into the soil? How long do you grow the plants in those containers before you transplant? I am wondering about how long you can grow a start in those containers before the roots spiral around the wall and the plant gets root bound?

FWIW, I have mentioned that I started using slotted net pots for my starts...

The advantage to those net pots is that it is supposed air prune the roots and prevent the plant from getting root bound. It does a good job on that aspect. Also, I have not overwatered any of my starts since I switched to using the net pots. The slits in the sides keep the soil moist but not waterlogged like I did with other non-net pots and then had to toss out a lot of plants due to mold issues. My fault, most probably, but I have never gotten any mold in the net cups.

I bought the heavy-duty net cups, and they have 2 years use so far with none breaking. I just wash them out after I transplant them in the garden. At less than 20 cents per net cup, it's a pretty inexpensive investment for something that should last many years.

Of course, repurposing yogurt or cottage cheese containers is even a better deal plus you keep some plastics out of the landfill for a number of years.

Frugal Tip: Don't buy cheap potting soil!

The first year I used the net pots I bought some nice Miracle-Gro potting mix with fertilizer. My starts were fantastic. All of them were tall and strong. I made the mistake thinking it was mostly due to having switched over to the net pots. Last year, I bought some no name bargain potting soil on sale thinking I would save money.

Turns out the seeds sprouted fine, but they just never took off nor grew well on my potting stand. After about 5 weeks, I had to start all over again with a quality potting soil. It was really a waste of time, labor, and money using that no name low quality potting soil. Of course, I did not know it was not very good when I bought it. But this year I am going back to the Miracle-Gro stuff.

I also plan on trying some of your inverted yogurt containers method this year, which is why I asked a few questions earlier. I am open to all possibilities. Most of my starter failures in the past were due to overwatering and subsequent mold problems. But I have had more luck with bottom watering with the net pots, for example.

I have been mainly starting tomato and pepper plants about 8 weeks before transplanting. This year I would like to try the net pots and the yogurt containers side by side to see if either system works better for me.

 

[gtaus]

I use wine and beers cardboards as chicken bedding material. I put the cardboards on the flooring,scrap out poops in the morning and throw away these used cardboards. This is done every morning and evening.

There is one down side to this is that - a lot of work as it is done twice a day.

Years ago, I used similar methods that required daily cleaning. It was a lot of work, like you said. I have since switched over to dry deep bedding and only cleaning out the coop twice a year. It just works better for me. I'm too old to be cleaning out a chicken coop twice a day!

There are many free resources for deep bedding including wood chips, leaves, dried grass, etc... For the past 2-3 years, I have been using shredded paper and cardboard in my coop for litter. It just works better for me.

Also, I should mention that I built my chicken coop with the idea of using a deep bedding system. I have a "well" of about 12 inches in the bottom of my coop that I can fill with bedding. That allows me to toss on fresh paper shreds about twice a month all winter long and not have to clean it out until after our spring thaw.

I don't know how you can manage twice daily cleanings in your coop, but I can tell you that switching over to deep bedding and only cleaning the coop out twice a year has really made it possible for me to enjoy having chickens. I will never go back to any system that requires daily cleaning.

I would encourage you to look into and consider another method that does not require daily, or twice daily cleaning. I get all my paper and cardboard for free, it's just that I shred them and use them as bedding for about 6 months before cleaning out.

I have not had to pay for any coop bedding or litter for over 4 years with my backyard flock. Nothing wrong with mixing various litter options when it makes sense. This fall, I dumped in a bunch of dry leaves into the coop when I set up the bedding for the winter. Then, I just add free paper shreds every couple of weeks. It all will make excellent compost this spring when I clean it out.