Tightwad Tuesday's Tips

Some people are born organized, not me. Some people are born spenders and some are born savers. I am definitely the latter. I have yet to convince my teenager that frugality is fun, but where there is life there is hope right. I love to do things the easiest, cheapest way possible and so I thought I would share my frugal tip for seed starting today. You have probably seen them everywhere. There are hundreds of posts on the internet for making newspaper pots. The problem with newspaper pots is that I can never seem to regulate the moisture and keep the newspaper from becoming a weak soggy mess.
The easiest way for me to start seeds is to use ziplock baggies. I know a lot of gardeners germinate in baggies with coffee filters or paper towels, but for me it seemed to take twice as long. ( Have I mentioned in the past that I am not the most patient person.)
My method is to use ziplock sandwich bags that I buy from the dollar store. I fill the bag about 1/3 full with my moist seed starting mix. Then I dump the seeds that I have soaked overnight ( I soak them all) with about 1.5 ounces water that the seeds soaked in right into the baggie. I seal it up making sure there is air in it and set it in a warm bright spot, indoors in winter and outdoors in the shade in the warmer parts of the year. I don't open it again until I see some germination beginning. Then I leave the little plants in the bags until they have reached the top. By this time, the seedlings are ready to pot up into their starter pots.


Learning this trick increased my germination success tremendously. The frugal part is that I buy the cheapest bags at the dollar store roughly 25 bags for $1.50 and the baggies are re-usable.
When I want to root things that need a lot of humidity, I use the larger baggies and set the container right into the bag. As long as there is condensation on the inside of the bags, the medium is moist enough. This method is ideal for starting plumeria, daylily and basically all seeds.
Hope this works wonders for your propagation potential.

Grocery Store Orchard?

I have a passion for growing anything that has a seed. I know that fruits you buy in the grocery stores are mainly ( ok 99%) hybrids and will not come true from seed, but somehow I just can't help myself. I have to plant seeds from any kind of fruit that I buy.
I decided to experiment last season and continue it this season too. So far from fruits purchased in my local produce department, I have grown, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, starfruit, grapefruit, pomello, pomegranates, scuppernong grapes, pineapples ( from the crown)papaya and guava. There are times that I will buy a fruit just for the seeds. I told you this was an obsession. LOL
The diversity is amazing. I cannot wait to see the results. My newest addition is the Moro Blood Orange. It germinated in about 2 weeks just under flourescent lights without the advantage of bottom heat. I am planning to try some kiwi vines soon.
Are you growing grocery store orchards too? Am I alone in my universe?
I am trying to keep notes on techniques and germination rates. Hopefully at the end of this growing season, I will be able to publish my results.
In the meantime, try it and see what you can grow.
I dare you.....


Genesis 1:12
The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to it's own kind. And God saw that it was good.