CaptPiper / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Strawberries are super expensive when they are not in season. But you can save money by growing them yourself. Here is what I’ve learned about growing strawberries that have helped me reap a bounty.

In the spring, I decided to try my hand at planting strawberries in my garden. This weekend I picked about a gallon’s worth of berries!

I prefer Quinault strawberries because they’re super sweet and the fruit is larger than other varieties.

• Quinault plants produce strawberries in June and fall (so there’s still time to plant!) and smaller quantities in between.
• The strawberry plants need to planted in full sun and well drained soil.
• Make sure to add compost. I add homemade compost once a month.
• Don’t plant the strawberries in a site where peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, or potatoes have been grown as they tend to become infected with a fungal disease that can be transferred to your berries.
• Quinault strawberries are pest- and disease-resistant, but if they do fall victim, here’s how to control pests in your garden.
• You must add a heavy layer of leaf mulch or grass clippings to discourage weeds from growing and to help preserve the moisture. Other weeding methods include using newspapers and cardboard.
• Strawberries love water, so give them a daily drink.
• You can make more plants from your existing plants by separating the plants and planting them. I started out with two plants that I bought for $3.99 each and now have over 15 plants!

How do you take care of the strawberries growing in your garden?

Soil in the making!

We picked up a huge composter for $45 this past weekend at a recycling event after outgrowing our $4 homemade composters. What excites me – other than rotting food waste in my kitchen – is the tip booklet that came with it. A complete guide to composting!

Making rich soil saves me a ton of money on dirt and shortens my grocery list – I’m growing my food! So don’t pay attention to compost rumors.

Convenience is the number one factor in locating your composter. If it’s too far away, you won’t use it, especially if you get nasty winter weather. One solution is to keep a smaller homemade composter near your kitchen door. When it fills up, make one big trip to your main composter.

A kitchen pail with lid is crucial. Fill it up with food waste during the day, then dump it into your composter as part of dinner cleanup. A lid keeps fruit flies away. We got bugs last summer so I’m dumping it after lunch, too.

Hair, dryer lint, and paper napkins

CAN be composted. Who knew? Other items perfect for compost are coffee filters, stale bread, towels, leaves, straw, hay, twigs, small wood chips, and dried grass. These items are considered “brown” and need to be balanced with “green” items, including fruit and vegetable scraps, houseplant cuttings, coffee grounds, rice, pasta, egg shells broken into very small pieces, tea bags, flowers, vegetables, plant trimmings, hedge clippings, small amounts of grass.

Meat, fish, and bones CANNOT be composted. Other no-nos include dairy, oils, fats, sauces, ashes, pet waste, diseased plants, and mature weeds with seeds, which will grow *very* well in your fertile compost.

A moist sponge that has been rung out. That’s about how moist you want to keep the contents of your composter. If your soil-in-the-making looks dry, add water or coffee. If it’s too wet, add dry leaves or leave the lid off on sunny days.

Speed up the composting process by chopping larger items like watermelon rings, corn cobs, and large vegetable pieces. Break egg shells into as many pieces as you can. One friend of mine pulverizes them! After dumping your kitchen pail into your composter, stir the new arrivals into the mix and cover with soil, yard waste, or old leaves to reduce odor and flies. I need a stirring stick for my composter, pictured above.

Heat helps the composting process along, so sunshine is good for your composter. Expect things to slow down in winter. Snuggle your composter with bags of leaves in the winter to keep the process going.

Dig compost leftovers into your garden in the fall. Clean your soil machine and set aside leaves or yard waste to add during spring and summer.

How soon is your compost ready? Anywhere from six weeks to three months. Take out a few shovels full or empty the entire mess of dirt. Toss back items that are not fully composted.

Use it in your flower or vegetable garden, spread a thin layer over grass, and unload it at the base of trees and shrubs. Plants love the nutrients in compost.

If my compster smells or gets bugs, what should I do? Stir it well and add more “browns.” Avoid adding a lot of grass clippings all at once or you will get an ammonia-like smell. Meat and dairy will stink up your composter in no time.

Eeek, animals! If your composter attracts rats, dogs, racoons, and squirrels, you can add dog hair to the compost, line the bottom with chicken wire, fasten your compost door with a stick, or line the base with stones or brick. Remember to cover “greens” with “browns.”

Too many scraps! If you have too many “greens,” consider getting a second composter or save money by making your own composter.

We bought an Earth Machine composter, which sells their machines through retailers across the country.

jspatchwork / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

With the weather getting warmer, gardening season has officially begun. You may already have seedlings growing in containers that are ready to be transplanted, but before you do that here are four things you need to accomplish to reap the benefits.

1. Remove weeds - These little suckers will sprout anywhere, even from cement and they will suck the life out of your plans by feeding off of the soil’s nutrients. Spending a good amount of time removing weeds will pay off. Make sure to get to the root of the problem by digging them out and not just pulling them.
2. Take a Soil Test – Check soil

   pH with a home soil test kit that you can buy at your local gardening store. Make sure to take several samples from different planting areas for an accurate reading. Some plants like the soil to be more acidic, like my blueberry bush. If necessary enrich the soil. To make it more acidic add diluted vinegar, coffee or pine needles. To make it less acidic and raise the pH, add wood ashes.

3. Feed your soil – Do this after you remove all weeds. To help your fruits and veggies grow strong, add fertilizer or compost to your soil. At my community garden, we continue to make our own compost and have started adding bunny droppings. Chicken droppings will also work, but not all animal droppings are suitable.
4. Find a home – Finding the right spot for your plants will keep them happy and help with pest control. Before you begin transplanting your seedlings, have a plan. Think of what you will be planting and make sure plants that like each other are near one another. Think of it as planning a reception. You want to be aware of who gets along with whom so they can sit together and separate those that don’t to avoid an awkward moment, or poor growth. If you are growing tomatoes make sure to plant some basil and parsley near them as they like to sit next to each other. Try to avoid having veggies from the cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts) sit next to each other as it will just turn into an aphid breeding ground.

soulshine20_05/Flickr

Spring and gardening on are my brain, even though today my world is covered in gray fog. I can’t see more than a few hundred feet out my window! A short article in the Spring issue of freshHOME takes the mystery our of making a mosaic pot for flowers, veggies, or cat grass! Making a mosaic pot costs about $20, requires 1.5 hours plus however long it takes you to gather supplies (see list below), and is a relatively low skill project. Let’s get started!

Supplies you need

Tile, old china you can break into pieces, smooth stones, glass beads (thrift stores are a great place to find cool plates)

Cloth

Hammer

Chalk

Terra cotta pot (whatever size suits you)

Nipper (to shape pieces, optional)

Polymer-fortified thin-set mortar (pick up at any hardware store)

Butter knife

Sanded grout (hardware store)

Gloves

Wire brush

Directions

Wrap your tile, dishes, and glass in a cloth and smash it a hammer until you have enough pieces of desired size. Lay out your design and chalk it onto the pot. Use a nipper to shape pieces, if you wish. Mix the mortar with water until it forms a paste the consistency of peanut butter. Grab the butter knife and spread mortar on each piece and stick it to the pot according to your design. Leave about 1/4 inch between pieces for grout. Stick the big pieces on first, then do the smaller pieces. Let dry overnight.

The next day, mix more mortar with water until you get that peanut buttery consistency. Put on your gloves and apply lots of mortar onto the pot’s surface. Rub the grout into the empty spaces, then wipe off the extra with a damp cloth. Use the wire brush to remove grout from the stones, then go over with a damp cloth to get rid of the brush marks. Depending on how fast the mortar dries, you may want to apply a section, go back and clean off the extra mortar, then move on and apply more mortar to a new section of your pot. Let dry a few days before making it home to a plant.

For mosaic designs and inspiration, check out MosaicMaddness.org.

By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.

Muffet/Flickr

One of my greatest pleasures is working in my garden. Not only do I get Vitamin D from the sun, but I also get exercise, fresh air and the occasional fresh fruit or veggie. Although each individual seed packet or plant doesn’t cost a lot of money, the expenses DO add up.

Here are five of my favorite sites to help you with your garden schedule and budget:

1. KinderGARDEN is a wonderful site chock full of links to help you garden with kids. I had a great time gardening with my kids when they were little. The most important thing with kids is to buy hardy and cheap plants. They tend to “plant” and “unplant” them multiple times. The joy is in the mud. Don’t expect lots of the plants to survive.
2. The Garden Helper is an extensive site with information regarding what to do in your garden during each month based on your location. As I discovered when moving from New England to Southern California; planting times differ with the region.
3. Northern and Southern planting schedules can be found on this Love to Know page. In the North, it is time to sow seeds indoors. In the South, it is time to actively plant outdoors.
4. The National Garden Association Seed Swap. One of the best ways to save on gardening is to join a seed swap. You may find a local group or a national group. (I’m uncertain if seeds can cross borders.) You can also look for neighbors who have great gardens and ask for some of their cuttings. Most gardeners love to share their knowledge and their plants. A nice batch of cookies or some homemade soup is a wonderful way to thank your helpful horticulturalist.
5. Once you have your garden growing, you can make some great homemade gifts of plants and seeds for your friends. A unique gift is a painted clay pot with one of the cuttings from your garden. If this is for a memorial event like an anniversary or wedding shower, you can personalize with name and date.

I love my garden and the beauty that it gives me. What’s your favorite garden site?

Homemade greenhouses to protect fall seedlings.

I started a fall garden in August and so many sprouties popped up that I had to transplant some of them outside prematurely. I was resigned to seeing the outdoor seedlings die because they are not hardy enough, until I mentioned my dilemma to a gardener friend.

Cut a clear plastic bottle in half, remove the label and cap, and you’ve got a mini-greenhouse, she said. Brilliant!

The hole at the top lets air in and moisture out, while keeping the seedling a few degrees warmer. The mini-greenhouse also protects from harsh winds and rain storms.

You can use bottles of soda, seltzer, water, or anything else that comes in clear packaging (to let the sun through). I bought two bottles of seltzer for $.50 each and made four mini-greenhouses, three of which are pictured above. For the bottom half of the bottle, I was not able to cut a hole in the center because the plastic was too thick. Instead, I cut a hole off to the side of the bottom, where the plastic is thinner and easy to puncture with a pair of scissors.

I carefully covered the seedlings with my new green houses, twisting the plastic into the dirt about a half inch. When the plants are bigger I can easily remove the greenhouses and stash them for next fall.

When I made these greenhouses a few weeks ago I was curious which set of seedlings would grow faster, the ones indoors or the ones protected outdoors. I’m happy to report that they are growing at basically the same pace. The unprotected outdoor seedlings, however, are not doing very well. You can see one sad-looking seedling in the lower right corner of the picture above. It has not grown new leaves and its green coloring is fading. I may buy more seltzer.

When it gets even cooler, I may have to build a greenhouse to cover the entire plant bed. I’m also wary of how my homemade composter will fare over the New England winter. Any suggestions?

Sign up for the BargainBabe.com email list to receive more strategies, coupons, and inspiration to save money everyday.

programwitch / flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

With shorter days and longer nights approaching, it�s time to start preparing your garden for fall. �Before you begin planting, there are many tasks that need to be completed. Here are some fall gardening tips to get ready for the next growing season and continue to save money through gardening.

Rearrange

Here’s one of the toughest jobs you must accomplish, but it must be done. You need to get rid of all the diseased or damaged plants that have stopped producing and look tired in your garden. This is work – some of your spring plants may be monstrously big think zucchini and need to be pulled out. Weeds must be removed so they do not eat your plants nutrients. You can leave healthy plants that are still producing, but as soon as they stop producing chop them up and add them to your compost bin.

Prepare the soil

Fall veggies need the same as spring and summer veggies good soil. To prepare add compost and fertilizer to make sure your plants have a chance to thrive. Healthy soil will help you grow robust, pest- and disease-free plants so you don’t spend your money buying insecticides. If your plants get swarmed, try cheap and natural methods to keep pests away with everyday items you have at home or in your garden.

Pick your veggies

The most important thing to prepare for fall gardening is deciding on the veggies you will be planting. In a few weeks the season for tomatoes, zucchinis, and other warm weather crops ends, but you can still enjoy fresh veggies from your garden. Here are some cool weather crops that can be grown in the fall:

Broccoli

Collard greens

Spinach

Swiss chard

Kale

Edamame

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Lettuce

Onion

Radishes

Cauliflower

Beets

Carrots

Parsnip

Starting seedlings

To save money, do not buy plants from a nursery, instead start your plants from seeds and transplant to your garden later on. Now is the time to start your leafy greens from seeds. Keep in mind that root veggies like carrots and beets build their roots in the soil, so it�s best not to transplant them or you risk breaking the roots. Depending on the fall climate in your area, you want to make sure to transplant your seedlings before daylight gets shorter. Don’t spend a penny on seedling containers when you can start seedlings on the cheap with newspaper and tape.

Let us know how you�re preparing for fall gardening.

deb roby/Flickr

Here is an update on what produce is currently in season and a resource for what to plant in your late summer/fall garden. The below list of in-season produce is a good indicator of what fruit and vegetables will have the best prices. Greater supply…lower prices. Plus, in-season produce is often grown closer to home than out-of-season produce, which we import from Chile, Mexico, and other countries. Expect prices for early summer fruits and vegetables to rise.

The following list of fall fruits and vegetables comes from FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org. The list includes many hardy lettuces and squashes. If you can’t remember what is in season, price is a good indication.

Acorn Squash
Belgian Endive
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Butter Lettuce
Butternut Squash
Cape Gooseberries
Cauliflower
Celery Root
Chayote Squash
Cranberries
Diakon Radish
Garlic
Ginger
Grapes
Guava
Huckleberries
Jalapeno Peppers
Kohlrabi
Kumquats
Mushrooms
Passion Fruit
Pear
Persimmons
Pineapple
Pomegranate
Pumpkin
Quince
Sweet Potatoes
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Winter Squash

My summer garden is nearly finished. I’m picking red and yellow onions this week, the last two heads of cabbage, more basil, and oregano. That will make room for carrots, broccolli, and my late summer/early fall garden. I also want to plant snap peas and beets, which I love to eat and which can withstand frost.

Yazmin Cruz

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

The Frugal Festival was the first time I had been to any kind of swap. That day, as volunteers and I sorted through clothes, the anticipation built in the room. Come the swap start the anticipation turned to excitement as hundreds of people rushed in the doors to swap. I didn’t swap then, but got my first swapping experience this past weekend.

I was invited to a garden swap in the Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park, California where gardeners exchanged everything from tools to produce.

I must admit I was a skeptic. I didn’t think I’d end up liking it as much as I did. I don’t even like participating in Secret Santa come Christmas time because I usually end up with the worst gift. But not this time.

The swap was free of charge and was organized much like the Frugal Festival. There was a specific area for everything people brought to swap like plants, seeds, magazines, produce and “worm tea,” which is worm pee used for fertilizing.

I arrived a little late but was still able to exchange the seeds I had brought with me. I had all kinds of seeds including dill, broccoli rabe, kale, and lima beans. I also had seeds that I’d harvested myself like basil and cilantro seeds.

Here’s my haul and approximately how much I saved:

• “Organic Gardening” magazine – $3.99

• “Sunset” magazine – $4.99

• Heirloom cucumber seeds – $2

• Organic Plums (10) – $6.90

• Organic Tomatoes (2 lbs.) – $5

• Aloe Vera plant – $4

• Organic Bay Leaves – $4

• Organic Pineapple Sage – $2

Total Saved: $32.88

My goods.

I am now a believer – swapping is the new shopping. If you’ve never participated in a swap, you must. BargainBabe.com writer Bobbi wrote a post on how to get the most out of a swap that is essential to read before heading to your first swap.

I already leafed through my magazines and found yummy recipes using my tomatoes and bay leaves, and I can’t wait to try my pineapple sage tea, which I hear is good for anxiety. The only thing I wasn’t able to get was the worm tea, but I hear the community garden is looking to have swaps every last Sunday of the month and you know I’ll be there.

What kind of swaps have you participated in and how much money have you saved?

You can still see a little of the black mesh, which the cucumber partly swallowed. It took me a few minutes to cut the questioning vegetable free. I plan to use it in one of my favorite salads, which I copied from a friend who isn’t fond of measuring spoons.

Favorite cucumber salad

1 cucumber, chopped small

juice of two lemon (or to taste)

chili pepper (few dashes)

cayenne pepper (if you like it spicy)

If you can, marinate everything for an hour, but this is optional. You can also add diced red onions or a diced tomato. Has anything as strange as my cucumber grown in your garden?

Related posts:

How to save money by gardening

Recipe for easy dessert with fresh strawberries

HomeDepot.com

If you’ve ever contemplated composting at home you know that the plastic bins that hold household and yard waste are expensive, impossible to move, and rodent-prone. I know a low-cost solution!

Store-bought compost bins, like the one above, cost more than $100. (Would you believe Home Depot sells a composter that is $398?) Once the bins fill with waste, they can  burst at the seams but are too heavy to relocate. The containers are open on the bottom, enticing raccoons and rats to dig a hole for easy trash access.

However, it is very easy to make your own composting bins from empty buckets. DIY power! Here’s what you need:

• 1 or more 5-gallon empty Homer buckets with lid (they are about $3 at Home Depot)
• A screwdriver
• A 1/4 or 1/2 inch drill bit

Put the lid on the bucket and drill 11 holes into it with the screwdriver and drill bit. Try making an inner circle with 5 holes and an outer circle with 6 holes on the lid. Next, turn the bucket on its side and make 15 more holes, spreading them out. Flip the bucket over and make seven final holes.

Voila! You have your very own composter. The holes let moisture out and the 5-gallon buckets are light enough, even when full, that you can easily turn and shake them to hasten the composting process. The tight lid deters vermin. If you want to collect the juice from the composter, it is smelly but great for plants.

Once you fill your bucket with a mix of food waste and green debris, the compost will be ready in about six weeks. Expect the volume to shrink to half its original heft.

hoyasmeg/Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Composting is a free source of organic fertilizer essential to properly take care of your garden. For many, composting is a daunting task because they think it is messy, pricey and time-consuming, but in my experience not one of these myths are not true.

Myth #1: Composting is difficult.
Composting can be difficult if you do not know what you are doing. Once you get the hang of it there isn’t much to it and messing up is pretty hard. Composting is simply the process of breaking down plant materials to form humus, (as opposed to hummus, which you eat). Homemade compost is the best fertilizer your plants ever had. There are different types of composting: hot composting, cold composting and vermicomposting.

I am most familiar with vermicomposting as that is the kind done at my community garden. Vermicomposting is very similar to hot composting in that you must mix wet and dry waste in a bin and turn it every now and then to create heat and accelerate decomposition. The difference is that hot composting does not require worms. In cold composting grass clippings and leaves decompose and as you may have guessed it, this process takes more time. There are specific things that are appropriate for composting and certain things you should never compost.

Myth #2: Composting attracts flies and smells.
One of the reasons many people don’t want to compost is because they think it attracts flies and is smelly — after all it’s a pile of waste decomposing, right? Wrong. I have a small compost pail in my kitchen and it hasn’t once smelled bad when I have properly taken care of it. The same goes for the flies. I did once have an infestation of fruit flies but it was because I forgot about my pail for about a week in a half. My pail has a filter so it didn’t stink up the place but it did smell pretty bad when I went to drop it off at the community garden. Haven’t had any problems since but I try to consistently take out my pail full of food scraps every two or three days.

Myth #3: Composting requires a lot of space.
Composting can be accomplished by apartment dwellers. It’s just a matter of finding the right spot in your home. I was composting at home before I decided to take my food scraps to my community garden. I decided to stop composting at home for selfish reasons. If I contribute food scraps to the community garden compost I am able to use more compost for my plants.

Do you compost?

basykes/Flickr

I recently received an email asking me where to get a chair re-upholstered at an affordable price and I instantly thought of a very unknown resource – occupational centers and technical schools. These are public schools that teach older students occupations like:

• furniture upholstery
• fashion design
• web graphics
• auto body repair
• landscaping
• floral design
• construction
• baking/cooking
• hair and beauty
• and much more

Most of these schools connect folks like you and me with students looking for experience at low fees. Many of these students are looking for experience and to build a portfolio and referrals. The work might not be perfect, but if you get a student who is just about finished with their studies, you could get a great product and a great deal.

I used a student to help me with my home landscaping. He was awesome. He educated me on different plants and helped me to pick out what would grow in my yard. He was very reasonably priced. As a matter of fact, I paid him more than he asked because he charged so little for all the work he did.

In California these schools are part of the California Association of Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (CAROCP.) In the Los Angeles area, these schools are called Los Angeles Occupational Centers. The mission of these occupational centers is to “provide exemplary career education, career development, and workforce preparation that contribute to student academic and career success and to the economic development of California.” These schools are also a resource for you to find classes at a very reasonable price. Classes for eligible students are around $50.

In New York State, there are New York Technical and Vocational Schools. I don’t know if their tuition is as reasonable as the California schools, but the advice about hiring students remains the same. I’m sure that there are similar schools in every state in America.

And who knows, the student designer that you use to help you create a custom wedding dress might just turn out to be the next hot thing. Think how lucky you will be to have one of their early works. You’ll be able to tell people that you knew they were headed for greatness.

Have you ever hired a student to do work for you?

Related posts:

Home improvement: DIY a waste of time?

How to find a cheap haircut

It reminds me of a neti pot, hehehe. This lemon’s bizarre shape made me realize that so much of the food we consume is picture perfect. You would NEVER see something like this for sale at Albertsons. Shoppers expect “normal” looking produce, which means a lot of food must get thrown away, which in turn raises prices. So if you knew buying a lemon like this would contribute to lower prices, would you take it home?

*clairity*/Flickr

Have you noticed how incredibly cheap strawberries are right now? They are one of many fruits in season so the prices are fantastic. I’ve paid as little as $.79 for a pound! Here is a quick and easy recipe to serve fresh strawberries as a dessert or snack.

1 package strawberries, sliced into quarters with tops removed

1/2 juicy lemon, remove seeds and squeeze over berries

1-2 T powdered sugar, depending on how ripe your berries are

1 T chopped mint leaves

You can serve over ice cream if you want but they are delicious by themselves!

What is your favorite strawberry recipe?