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View Full Version : Did someone call me cheap? Maybe somebody should.


notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 09:59 AM
Ha ha, Who said you need to spend tons of money to garden? This is actually my first real thread. I'm going to post some pics of the plants that I've grown from free seeds and cuttings. Grown in repurposed containers. Please feel free to post any comments or pics that you have regarding free or inexpensive gardening. (or anything else you wanna say off topic if that's where the train of thought leads) I think I have one of the best "gheto" gardens around. LOL!! Hopefully this will inspire people that are afraid of gardening due to expense and get others to repurpose some of their waste.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 11:02 AM
This is the pepper plant that started my "gheto" garden.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40087&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40087)

I have a huge long story about it but don't wanna bore you all.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 11:03 AM
Ok here I have some random plants that I started from cuttings and seeds plucked out of stuff. The basil in the beer can was a piece that I brought home from work....We had recieved a fresh shipment and I thought I'd like to have some at home. So I decided to pluck all the leaves off the stems and just keep the top crowns on the stems. I put them in water, and they sprouted roots. I had a whole bunch root, but that's another story.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40086&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40086)
There was a sale on plumb tomato at the market so I sent my son to get some. Thats the white yogurt cup left center row. While he was there he saw sweet chile peppers he liked the look of and wanted to plant the seeds. They tasted good in the pasta and sandwiches too. Those are the red cups in the back. To the right of the plumb tomato and basil in the subway cup and clear plastic are some tangerine seeds that I brought home from work, and the little thing on the bottom left is the tip of a tomato plant that I snipped to bush up the plant.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 11:12 AM
One of these...

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40084&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40084)

Became this...

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40085&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40085)


I cut it in half and put Grandma pepper (the one that started it all) in the bottom and some tomato in the top. Somehow a random tomato seed ended up in the soil of Grandma and grew like crazy...glad I didn't pull it thinking it was a weed.
Above the tomato in the top half are some other bell pepper seeds that I brought home from work (red and orange).

Next time I'm gonna cut the neck off the bottle...the tomato roots are too dense in the neck.

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 11:36 AM
I love this! I am so glad I am not the only tightwad gardener here! :woohoonaner:

I will go through some of my pictures and post here too!

~JaNan

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 11:36 AM
This is another pepper seed I brought home from work.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40089&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40089)
Do jalapeno seeds die when they get cold? We keep the jalapeno peppers in the fridge at work. I've brought home tons of them and only a scarce few have sprouted. This happens to be my strongest jalapeno plant.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 11:38 AM
Awsome Janan!!! I was hoping I wasn't the only "gheto" gardener.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 11:39 AM
hehe now you can see where I got my "signature"

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 11:53 AM
Wifey works in a Hatian restaurant. They use scotch bonnet peppers to make a spicey garnish. My son saw how well some of the other plants were doing so he went and got a scotch bonnet from there.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40088&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40088)

He did it all...germination in the wet paper towel. Decoration of the bottom of the water bottle (I cut the bottle) planting the "popped" seeds. Pruning....he even cloned one of the tips. He named the clone George....cloney haha get it? George Cloney? lol I liked it.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40091&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40091)

Here is a close up of the bottom half of the water bottle he decorated with paper mache and spray paint.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40090&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40090)

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 12:11 PM
My son wanted to change the label from HUNT'S to "IKEA" ketchup.....some assembly required.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40092&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40092)

I hope rust doesn't kill tomato plants.

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 12:12 PM
Tops cut off pineapples:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=38560&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=38560)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=36154&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=36154&perpage=24)

Mango from grocery store seed:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=26196&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=26196&perpage=24)

Avocado from grocery store seed:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=26198&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=26198&perpage=24)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=26199&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=26199&perpage=24)

~JaNan

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 12:14 PM
This old soda cracker can got the Wifey paint and now holds the tangerines that were in a previous pic.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40093&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40093)

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 12:18 PM
LOL!! I love it janan. I have some avocado seeds that just split. I also have a Pinapple crown in a cup of water.....it's not looking too good, how did you do yours?

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 12:29 PM
I have better luck with all of mine just sticking them in the soil and skipping the water step. I do that with all of those that I have pictured so far. Everytime I have avocados I let it sit for a day then just stick it in a pot with something else and forget about it. I have them coming up everywhere. Clean the pineapple top of a few leaves and plop it into the dirt. For the Mangoes, I cut an edge carefully so I don't damage the big thing and rip that thing apart - peeling the mangos of the hairy outer layer (looks hairy after it dries for a day or two). That makes them really easy to sprout. ~J

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 12:35 PM
Cool....Here's a pic of the sad pineapple crown. That's not root there just light refraction.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40097&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40097)

Here's an avocado that's now resting in soil. I'll get a pic when it's grown a bit.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40098&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40098)

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 12:36 PM
I'm not familiar with mangos....I guess I might have to check it out.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 12:41 PM
This is the same type of salad container that my grandma pepper started in. I brought home some cantalupe and honeydew seeds. Not sure what those are cause wifey did it and didn't know which were which. I guess we'll find out when they flower and fruit!!!

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40099&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40099)

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 01:08 PM
So far in this thread the only money that I've spent is on some cheap soil that I bought at walgreens for $3 a bag (1 cu ft each). I think it's Hyponex. I bought about 5 bags. we finally got excited enough to buy some seeds online. This is the top of a 2 litre soda bottle with a tomato clone growing out of the bottom, and though it's not big enough to see yet, we have a "Medusa" pepper in the top. We bought the seed for the Medusa online along with many others.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40096&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40096&ppuser=8679)
It's ugly but it works.

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 01:15 PM
Yeah, they (mangoes) are work with the cutting and ripping, but the leaves are beautiful colors and shiny.

Your sons comments are adorable! How old is he? Love George Cloney! :ha: I may have to steal that one!

I have tried pineapple like that, but mine have always rotted in water. It will take a couple of months for something to finally come out of the top of the avocado. That's why I stick them in with something else (so I remember to water and dry out) and forget about it.

I recycle some stuff too. I cut the spout tops of clear plastic pop bottles (two or three liter) and use them for seed starters, or upside down for little greenhouse tops.

I have used an old fish tank for a germination station - it works really well. ~J

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 01:21 PM
My boy is 12.

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 01:27 PM
These are palm trees growing from the date pits:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=35177&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=35177)

Mexican Lime from seed:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=33975&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=33975)

~J

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 01:35 PM
nice....

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 01:40 PM
At work we had some strawberries going bad. Guess what I did. Yep I brought 'em home. I seperated all the seed from the pulp, and dried 'em out. I put them in some soil and kept them moist. I must have kept them too moist 'cause I got a really bad infestation of springtails. I thought that the seeds had all gotten eaten by the bugs. I gave up on them and let them totally dry out. I was getting ready to toss the batch, but figured I'd water one more time just to see. Guess what....lots of sprouts popped up. They survived!!!!

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40102&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40102)

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 01:40 PM
These are Sapodillo seeds I got in a trade from Puerto Rico:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=26194&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=26194)

From grocery store Bell peppers:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=32072&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=32072)

~J

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 01:51 PM
O.K. What's a sapodillo? and what are your sprout pots that you have your bell pepper in? they look like little cocoons that are cut open.

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 02:01 PM
Fruit is supposed to taste like brown sugar. Originally the sap from the tree was used to make gum. Here's a couple of links:

SAPODILLA Fruit Facts (http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/sapodilla.html)

sapodilla - Google Search (http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1C1AVSX_enUS387US387&q=sapodilla&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=VPpKTZnaG8aBgAf719EJ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CDwQsAQwAg&biw=1333&bih=665)

Those are the starter pots that come in those seed starter kits. You can just plant them into bigger pots or the ground without disturbing roots. ~J

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 02:02 PM
So I was juicing lemons and limes at work and to my surprise I found a lime with seeds. Only 2, but the only lime seeds I've seen since I started growing stuff. I set them aside with a label and continued. It was the only lime with seeds. I decided to take some lemon seeds too while I was at it...those are in every one. I had my two lime seeds and several lemon seeds. Well...no limes yet but, here's my little lemon seedling.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40103&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40103)

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 02:11 PM
Thanks for the info Janan. I use these egg holders that I bring home from....you guessed it work....haha. The seedlings don't seem to have any trouble pushing roots through them so I just drop the whole thing in the soil like you do with yours. Your starter pots look a bit more plant friendly though. Like a spun spider silk or something. As for the sapodilla...I'd need to "bonsai" it to be able to keep one here. My balcony has a 9ft. ceiling.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 02:23 PM
Whenever I take anything larger than a leaf while pruning I almost always try to root it. This is why I have tons of clones hangin around. I've lost track of what's what with alot of them. This is one of my older clones from grandma. Of course it's in a repurposed soda bottle. (I'm so cheap lol.)

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40100&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40100)

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 02:37 PM
There are a lot of fruit trees that make wonderful bonsai! I am going to try it with pomegranates (bonsai).

You know what I think they look like? Used dryer softener sheets. I may try that and see if they work. New recycling idea! :) ~J

The Hollyberry Lady
02-03-2011, 02:56 PM
Great thread! :08:


I'm ashamed to say though that my tastes are expensive and I don't seem to mind paying through the nose, when it comes to gardening! :ha:


I do love to trade though so I guess this could be considered a cheaper way of gardening although I do it for different reasons.


I sure love all your plant peeks, you guys! Please keep them coming...


: )

Jananas Bananas
02-03-2011, 03:57 PM
OH, I have spent plenty on plants, all those expensive Ae Ae bananas are at the top of the list, I must say!!!! All but one have been over $100 each. And I am a sucker for "rare" plants and anything variegated.....but I do love plant bargains! The first place I go is the sale tables at Lowe's about once a week. :woohoonaner: I love trading, and seed collecting....it is all good! :ha: I guess I am a plantaholic. Do they have a twelve step program for that? Of course all we have here are enablers...so why did I even ask, eh?

~J

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 03:59 PM
Thanks Sherry, I think seed trading could be considered a cheap gardening technique. Not that you need to stick to the script. Janan, I think if you could get the dryer sheets to hold shape, it might be worth a seed that would otherwise end up in the garbage to see if the chemicals and such would let it grow. lol why not? You might be onto a great recycle idea.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 04:11 PM
As far as dropping the big bucks on plants....I don't have the confidence in my abilities yet to spend that kind of hard earned money on a plant that might get killed on accident by a ball flying through the room, or overwatering, or underwatering, or... You guys have been doing this for a while, and are apparently very good at it. I may be willing to drop some dollars in the future, we'll see.

Bob3
02-03-2011, 06:03 PM
I too, stick the pineapple tops directly into the soil after letting it dry out for a couple of days so the cut part gets skinned over.
Giving it a dip in rooting hormone provides a sprouting rate well into the 90% area.
Plastic trays from the grocery store usually spend a year or 2 doing duty as seed sprouting containers before finding their way into the recycle bin.
We have a 12' "greenhouse lean-to" attached to the eaves of the house right outside the office & bathroom windows, it was made with free PVC pipe & skinned with plastic sheeting every year, it covers the dwarf orinocos & the other frost sensitive plants. The old sheeting gets used to tent in smaller plants not in pots during cold snaps.
I get free nursery pots from a friend I house sit for when they go out of town.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 06:28 PM
You mentioned letting the pineapple top dry out to form a skin....I wonder if that's a crucial step to take. I didn't do that and the center leaves have rotted and fallen out. I recently trimmed off all the dead leaf tips. and also shaved off some of the excess pulp from the bottom. I hope this helps. If not, it's not like it cost me anything, I'll just try again with the next one.

RAINFOREZT
02-03-2011, 06:58 PM
Sticking the pinaple crown directly in to the soil will work better. I have two of them growing in my garden.

Bob3
02-03-2011, 07:16 PM
You mentioned letting the pineapple top dry out to form a skin....I wonder if that's a crucial step to take. ...
The skinning over part was something I got in the habit of doing back when I had a cacti collection going, that was the standard thing to do when propagating from cuttings so I just carried it over.

With the pineapple I'd remove all "edibles" and snip the leaves close to the stub so any new growth would be readily apparent.

My buddy gets good results just sticking them straight into dirt with little prep but he's down on Big Pine Key (FL) and the temps & humidity conditions there are great for pineapple.

Once the center leaves at the top start falling out the top is pretty much ready for the compost pile.

scottu
02-03-2011, 07:21 PM
Cool....Here's a pic of the sad pineapple crown. That's not root there just light refraction.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40097&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40097)

Here's an avocado that's now resting in soil. I'll get a pic when it's grown a bit.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40098&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40098)




I've found from my limited experience that you can "should " skip the soaking in a clear glass part of the pineapple top growing process. I did that with my first several, soaking that way, until, I read from some other growers that said it wasn't a necessary step and could even cause problems.
I've had much better luck skipping that step.
Good luck.
check
How To Grow Pineapples? Growing Pineapples Is Ridiculously Easy (http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-pineapples.html)

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 09:12 PM
I've found from my limited experience that you can "should " skip the soaking in a clear glass part of the pineapple top growing process. I did that with my first several, soaking that way, until, I read from some other growers that said it wasn't a necessary step and could even cause problems.
I've had much better luck skipping that step.
Good luck.
check
How To Grow Pineapples? Growing Pineapples Is Ridiculously Easy (http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-pineapples.html)

That is a very informative link thank you!! Since there seems to be an overwhelming opinion that soil is a better way to go, I put my poor dead chunk in a cup of some soil, with a touch of water, Now it's time to leave it in the corner and ignore it for a while. I guess if it starts stinking it goes to the dumpster. If not I'll check it for water in a week or two. No direct sun 'til new growth is showing right?

scottu
02-03-2011, 09:19 PM
As wonderful as they are when you get one going, if you had all the tops of all the pineapples you tossed in your life still growing you would never have enough room for them all, so you can be daring.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 09:26 PM
LOL so true.

notrecruiting
02-03-2011, 09:29 PM
I've been thinking about composting, it Seems to be the common thing for gardeners to do. I'm concerned about the smell of a compost pile. I've never composted before but I've heard/read that they really stink up a storm. I'm in a condo and don't really have anyplace to keep one. I'm afraid if it stinks too much to keep in the kitchen then it's not going to work for me. I could put it on the balcony but I don't wanna piss off the neighbors. Another thing about the balcony is that I'm keeping my plants there and I don't want my compost to take up any of my sun space. It's not like I have alot of compost waste but...any little bit helps I guess.

Bob3
02-03-2011, 11:35 PM
Here's that $20 "greenhouse" lean-to made from scrap PVC pipe, plastic sheeting and, of course, duct tape:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=39723

Composting, if done right, doesn't really smell all that horrible but in your case, maybe hauling the stuff out to a different location wouldn't be a bad idea, if you have a handy location.
Keep meat scraps out of the thing (rats, skunks, coons, etc etc will track it down from a mile away)

There are some "countertop composters", available, they usually use charcoal filters to manage the odor problem.
Some searching may turn up plans to make one out of a 5 gallon bucket

scottu
02-04-2011, 12:09 AM
looks good for your neck of the woods, wouldn't do much for mine. Still 20 bucks, can't complain, add a light bulb or two and you are good for the whole winter.

palmtree
02-04-2011, 12:26 AM
I love all these ideas! Gardening can get pretty expensive so its always nice to cut down on the price as much as possible.
I cut down on prices by protecting my year round outdoor palms with old and used garbage bins (many that are too broken to be used anymore for garbage and would be thrown out otherwise).
I also root pineapple tops every spring with lots of success. They make great ground covers or quick tabletop plants.
Wandering Jew plants have saved me some money too. They are beautiful, especially in shade. I bought these as sickly looking plants 2 years ago for 10 dollars and now I literally have them all over the yard. They grow quick so they make a nice full hanging basket, or a nice ground cover in sun or shade (I use them in both conditions).
I also look for sales and am willing to buy plants a little smaller if they grow fast enough to look nice that growing season. A small healthy banana plant wont be very small by the end of the growing season with enough warmth, sun, and care.
Cacti and succulents will save on the watering bill and so will planting plants in the ground. My agaves get water maybe 3 times a week during the warmest weeks of the summer and my plants in the ground dont get watered everyday until the summer heat has really come.
Cuttings are great too and I have started many plants by cuttings.

sunfish
02-04-2011, 09:22 AM
Seed Saving - Saving Your Garden Favorites to Grow Next Year (http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenmaintenance/a/SeedSaving.htm)

notrecruiting
02-04-2011, 09:24 AM
Here's that $20 "greenhouse" lean-to made from scrap PVC pipe, plastic sheeting and, of course, duct tape:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=39723



I love it!!! Duct tape reminds me of the screen job I did on my balcony to help keep some of the bugs from eating my plants.

Composting, if done right, doesn't really smell all that horrible but in your case, maybe hauling the stuff out to a different location wouldn't be a bad idea, if you have a handy location.
Keep meat scraps out of the thing (rats, skunks, coons, etc etc will track it down from a mile away)

There are some "countertop composters", available, they usually use charcoal filters to manage the odor problem.
Some searching may turn up plans to make one out of a 5 gallon bucket
I don't really have a whole lot of organic waste. Mostly junk mail, coffee grounds, and recently pruned leaves too small to clone. Maybe a few peelings now and then, some egg shells, citrus rinds, and stuff like that. I could definately see how the meat scraps would start to stink and bring in scavenger animals. I usually give those to my dog though. I've read that paper Isn't a good idea because of the print, but if that's true, I prolly wouldn't need one, because junk mail would be the main ingredient.
Thanks for the input.

notrecruiting
02-04-2011, 09:37 AM
I keep hearing about this seaweed extract....I live near the ocean. Could I just go gather some seawead that washes up on the shore and use that?

notrecruiting
02-06-2011, 09:28 PM
O.K. Remember that basil I brought home? Well the budding tips, that I snipped and put in soil, they flowered. the flowers seeded. I took the seeds and put them in soil. They just sprouted for me! Talk about getting something for nothing. I'm pretty psyched about it.

notrecruiting
02-07-2011, 11:11 AM
Here's something for nothing. I love it.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40198&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40198)

palmtree
02-07-2011, 04:25 PM
I keep hearing about this seaweed extract....I live near the ocean. Could I just go gather some seawead that washes up on the shore and use that?

No, the salt that the seaweed has could kill your plants (even if you wash the seaweed). Im not sure exactly how seaweed extract is made, but my guess is that there is a special way of extracting certain minerals from the seaweed.

Dean W.
02-08-2011, 06:40 PM
Here are some super market finds I'll be growing.
Galanga $2.20
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40211&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40211)
Tumeric $1.92
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40212&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40212)

mbfirey
02-09-2011, 07:28 AM
Nice finds Dean,
I've planted the turmeric before, had it start growing, but I started it too late in the season (hopefully it will come back). It's basically a Curcuma or hidden ginger. PDN just added a nice article on how to grow them:
Curcuma, Hidden Cone Ginger, Spring-flowering, Perennial, plants (http://www.plantdelights.com/Curcuma-Hidden-Cone-Gingers/products/568/)

Dean W.
02-09-2011, 11:48 AM
Nice finds Dean,
I've planted the turmeric before, had it start growing, but I started it too late in the season (hopefully it will come back). It's basically a Curcuma or hidden ginger. PDN just added a nice article on how to grow them:
Curcuma, Hidden Cone Ginger, Spring-flowering, Perennial, plants (http://www.plantdelights.com/Curcuma-Hidden-Cone-Gingers/products/568/)

Cool, thanks for the link.:bananas_b