When there isn't money for nursery plants, where do you get your plants from instead?

[bluejeans]

Wow, cool. What wavelength light do you need? So because these are heated, can you have them in unheated garage or more like basement?

Yes I plant mine in dead of winter it is 8 foot down in a 6 foot round road culvert that is my well house though . I just use regular mercury screw in bulbs 14 watt. And my seedling plants are stocky and dark green when I take them out

 

[nminusyplusm]

Definitely start from seeds! The only stuff I didn't start from seed are fruit trees because I'm way too old to wait that long.

I don't know where you are but look into native wildflower mixes of annuals and perennials for your area that will attract pollinators and reseed/come back in the following years.

Last year since it was my first, I went a little crazy with seeds for different varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers. But I'm glad I did since what did well was kind of surprising. This year I'm relying on tons of volunteers (tomatoes, basil, parsley, fennel, sunflowers, cosmos, calendula) and holdovers (chard, kale, arugula, sorrel, mint).

 

[bluejeans]

My well house is also equipped with the proper light though so with just a little heat i can grow tomatoes in the dead of winter.

 

[aquila]

I start a good % my seeds outside in soda bottles, milk jugs, and other scavenged mini-greenhouses during the winter, or in the case of heat loving stuff like tomatoes and peppers, I sprout them in early spring using a heat mat + damp paper towels in unsealed sandwich bags then transfer them to the jugs to grow up outside.

Google the "winter sowing method" if you want to see how others do this technique. It's also an easy way to get ahead in the spring with stuff that isn't as cold hardy or doesn't need any cold stratification. If you live somewhere it gets cold, you can start around the winter solstice with the stuff that likes some cold hours. I've never had luck starting asparagus from seed before, but I used this method this year and it looks like I have quite a few tiny asparagus spears emerging this spring in their jugs after sitting out in the cold for months.

For me it's been a really low maintenance, frugal, successful way to start seeds but you do have to look at a bunch of bottles and jugs sitting around outside. That's about the only con I can think of, though!

 

[bluejeans]

You can easily start seeds in a earth box. Go to earth box .com and then go to YouTube and see directions on making your own earth box out of some plastic storage boxes. Or you can buy just the earth box for around 30.00 mine are at least 14 years old and used every year in the hot new mexico sun . So there a good investment. We

 

[CapricornFarm]

Try flea markets, garage sales, and Craigslist.

 

[bluejeans]

Slow start in green house this year . Earth box tomato black beauty seed ling

 

[Marmalade25]

I am hearing a resounding START YOUR OWN SEEDS for best economy. This is getting me thinking. I have only bothered to direct sow in the veggie garden because of the extra needs of starting indoors, but this has been quite empowering. I feel encouraged to not be intimidated by the process, but to learn. Thank you, everyone.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I reshuffle existing plants and sometimes you find a baby plant. I get extra plants or baby plants that I find while I help my neighbors and my grandparents. I buy perennials and divide them. I root cuttings when I prune my plants. I don’t know the name of the shrub but it loses its leaves in the winter and has white flowers in the summer and I have found it to root readily from cuttings. I see it commonly used as a hedge.

 

[bluejeans]

Seed grown flowers near aspen trees in front yard 2016