20 secrets to a flourishing frugal garden

20 secrets to a flourishing frugal garden
By Jenny C. McCune

http://www.bankrate.com/dls/news/real-estate/20040910a1.asp

Any gardener knows that it takes a lot more than a green thumb to get
plants to grow. But you don't necessarily have to spend a fortune at the
local nursery to ensure your plants prosper.

These 20 tips can keep your flower beds and bank account flourishing.

1. Know what will grow well in the area.
Bob Gough, a professor of horticulture and an extension horticulture
specialist at Montana State University in Bozeman, has watched the
frustration of transplanted gardeners. "We have so many people moving to
Bozeman who think that what grows well in Baton Rouge will grow well
here," he says. "They spend exorbitant amounts of money and then
everything dies."

Even if you've lived in the same area for years, do your homework and find
out what will thrive and survive in your soil and climate. Similarly,
determine what plants are hardier so you don't spend a lot of time and
money battling vermin or insects.

2. Get free advice.
You don't have to pay for professional planting help. Check in with your
county's agricultural extension office. It has information on what to
grow, what climate zone your home is in and the length of your growing
season.

3. Start from scratch.
Grow plants from seeds or cuttings rather than buying them. For even more
savings, collect seeds from your own or a neighbor's plants. Not only is
it economical, but you'll probably be rewarded with more variety.

But before you become a regular Johnny Appleseed, consider the time and
effort of growing from seeds and do so only when practical. If the seeds
require a lot of tender loving care, such as special lights and other
paraphernalia, it might ultimately be cheaper to buy plants.

Gough, for example, has found that growing tomato plants from scratch just
won't work in Montana's extremely short growing season. By the time the
tomato seedlings are ready to be planted in the garden, there aren't
enough cultivation days left for the plants to bear fruit.

4. Think small.
If you do opt for plants, think small rather than big, says Lance Walheim,
a horticulturist and spokesman for the Bayer Advanced line of fertilizers,
insecticides and pesticides. More mature plants, he notes, cost more.

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