Come October the ground is good here [zone 10] for gardening. Since we don't have acreage we tend to have a good size garden, but not monstrous. Honestly I like change, and last year we had a raised bed with cement blocks we found [someone was throwing them away!!!] So this year after much research [I'm such a dork.] we came to the conclusion [DH & I] to have a bucket garden. For the herbs a garden from a rain gutter, and the rest in the previous raised beds.
Since I am a cheapo I didn't want to go out to Home Depot/Lowe's, etc and purchase those buckets. So today was bulk pickup in our area. Since I didn't want to get to wacko and waste $20 in fuel we stayed pretty close to home. Low and behold by the grace of God we found 3 paint buckets [5 gal], and 2 other buckets of random size. I wanted to start with 10 buckets of a garden, but for now this is certainly going to do!
WONDERFUL! On top of the previous ideas I didn't want to buy those tomato cages. We usually stake them with random shimmies of wood. Again I think I have adult ADD seriously so my mind was going and found some pallets in the bulk pickup. Let me again proclaim...I am not proud I will pick threw bulk pickup.
So far gardening supply cost:
Bone Meal $6
Blood Meal $6
Liquid Kelp $10
Fish emusion [still had some leftover it last forever, but smells horrid]
Seeds [organic heirloom]from ebay $12
Gutter & supplies $10
Buckets
FREE
Pallets
FREE
Soil
FREE [going to get manure from a farm nearby]
Total cost so far [still need a bit more seeds] $34
Probably will be over $50 when we are done, but liquid kelp last forever very big expense, but soooo worth it for organic gardening in my opinion.
Seeds are my own expense. We have heirloom from last year that we will plant, but I was soooo dying for Cherokee Purple Tomatoes. Gorgeous trust me.
Any ideas or input on seeds nowadays. I think it is worth it to buy an heirloom seed. With all the hoekie business with that "M" company we want seeds to last more than one cycle. Are you planning a garden this year? Any ideas on a small garden how to use all space in the most creative ways?