.25 cent seed packets, Walmart

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Thanks for posting OP I will be keeping my eyes out for the cheap seed packets.

Also as a reminder for anyone on Food Stamps (SNAP) that you can purchase seeds and plants for edibles with Food Stamps.

[Gardencook]

We were at Wal-Mart today and the cheap seed packets weren't in here yet. The Burpee seeds were in, but they aren't as good a deal. Our garden things always arrive at the stores later, because our season is later. Causes some frustration at Fred Meyer every year, because the best sales are based on Oregon weather not ours. Often they don't yet have the seeds when they are the best price and we've had to track down employees and brush snow off potting soil to get a special sale when they've sent it.

[KmmCo]

I do more dreaming than planting in our climate. So many things I'd love to plant if it weren't for short season, cold nights, heavy clay, high alkalinity, too many trees, gophers, red ants... Sometimes wonder why we bother!
Greens grow REALLY well though, so we've tried about every type imaginable. Most years we can even get squash.
Didn't get ANYTHING last year. Weatherman predicted the 40s in late May/June and it dropped into the teens. Lost our second set of tomatoes that night, bok choy bolted and we gave up! Think we had less than two months between hard freezes.

I hear you there about the short season. I never even try to put tomatoes out till June 10-15 and just hope I can pick a few before the Sept frosts hit. Last year though we got lucky and didn't get frost till well into Oct, so I still have blanched tomatoes in the freezer!

This year, I already put in snow peas, spinach, radishes/carrots and bunching onion seeds (from some old seed I found in the garage) and if the don't come up then I will replant those spots later. I bought some baby bok choy to try out this year. I will do zucchinni and lettuce as well. I am doing Kentucky Wonder pole beans too but they don't go in till June either.
I think my tomatoes and peppers will mostly go in containers this year. DH had good luck with his peppers in 5 gal buckets last year.

My old house had a huge garden, but this new house is limited on yard space so I only plant a little for fresh salads/stirfrys and don't count on anything left for the freezer or to can.

[Gardencook]

I hear you there about the short season. I never even try to put tomatoes out till June 10-15 and just hope I can pick a few before the Sept frosts hit. Last year though we got lucky and didn't get frost till well into Oct, so I still have blanched tomatoes in the freezer!

Last year was SO frustrating! The previous year, we had a car in the driveway that wasn't running, so I used it as a greenhouse until we could plant out. It worked REALLY well and we had beautiful plants. Decided to try the same thing last year with our tomatoes, however, the forecasters said it would be in the 40s and instead it dropped into the teens a couple nights. Bye, Bye tomatoes, even though they were in the car! We would have taken them inside, had we not been given false information.
After that happened twice, I had to buy bigger plants, but they never amounted to anything since we couldn't plant until July. Hoped for a long autumn, but got frost in early September.

This year, I already put in snow peas, spinach, radishes/carrots and bunching onion seeds (from some old seed I found in the garage) and if the don't come up then I will replant those spots later. I bought some baby bok choy to try out this year. I will do zucchinni and lettuce as well. I am doing Kentucky Wonder pole beans too but they don't go in till June either.
I think my tomatoes and peppers will mostly go in containers this year. DH had good luck with his peppers in 5 gal buckets last year.

We are in drought this year, so overall our weather is warmer. We nearly reach 80 one day, then drop way below freezing at night unexpectedly. It was in the lower 20s when DH got up this morning. If I don't get my cool weather crops in now, we won't have any, when temps start sky-rocketing during the day.
We've planted all sorts of greens and so far they are doing pretty well under plastic coverings. Don't have enough milk jugs however! Can't get them from recycling here, because of ordinances.
Found some small clear plastic bowls really cheap out of desperation and used a few of them on my remaining baby bok choy, however, they are so shallow, that will only work for a week or two. Found a cracked plastic bins at a thrift store the other day. They were charging too much IMO, but hopefully I'll be able to keep them for a few years.
Some of my bok choy and Swiss chard has been in for a couple weeks now and is really happy under milk jugs. Got my broccoli, purple sprouting broccoli, lettuce plants and onion starts planted several days ago, and they are doing well.
Put in my mustard, kale and more baby bok choy Thursday and they seem to be doing well.
The arugula and spinach-mustard seed I planted a couple of weeks back is beginning to sprout. The onion sets I planted for green onions shouldn't be far behind them. I really need to divide my shallots, but haven't had the time. No sign of the early planting of beets, lettuce, kale, leeks, rat-tail radish and Swiss chard seed I put in at the same time, but at least some of them should be popping up shortly.
Think I put in some mizuna and possibly bok choy seed at the same time, but didn't have any plastic knives to write on at that moment, so now I can't remember what I planted in a couple spots. I'll keep watering it and enjoy whatever might come up.

My old house had a huge garden, but this new house is limited on yard space so I only plant a little for fresh salads/stirfrys and don't count on anything left for the freezer or to can.

We've got the same space problem here along with too many trees. The few really sunny spots we have get TOO hot next to the brick and cement foundation.

[to1drland]

We've got the same space problem here along with too many trees. The few really sunny spots we have get TOO hot next to the brick and cement foundation.

those hot sunny spots next to the brick or cement are perfect for growing tomatoes...but you HAVE to water them a lot. My mom plants her tomatoes in old wash tubs and puts them along the fence on the concrete driveway. They grow to be like 7 ft. tall & produce more tomatoes on 2 plants than they can use.

[Gardencook]

those hot sunny spots next to the brick or cement are perfect for growing tomatoes...but you HAVE to water them a lot. My mom plants her tomatoes in old wash tubs and puts them along the fence on the concrete driveway. They grow to be like 7 ft. tall & produce more tomatoes on 2 plants than they can use.

That's what we do here. I have a tomato patch along the side of the brick and grow the rest in pots on the driveway and patio. The patio doesn't get enough sun, but it is the best I can do. I also grow my basil and a lot of other herbs on the driveway.
I do have a problem with keeping things wet enough along the brick bed. What seems to work best is planting spaghetti squash in the bed with the tomatoes. Then the squash leaves shade the ground and it stays wetter longer. Boy do you have to stay on top of the squash vines though, or they climb all over the tomatoes and smother them!
I've got such a problem growing cucumbers here, because we usually get a cold wet period during June and they rot. If you don't buy your cucumbers farely early in May there are none to be had, but if you plant them then you will lose them June. Ditto for seeds and if you hold them in the original pots during that period, they get lanky and die anyway.
I tried planting them along the brick last year, hoping they would stay drier there during the cold June period, but that didn't work either. This year I'm planning a new experiment. I'm going to plant tomatoes and squash early and use over-turned plastic tubs as mini-greenhouses. It wouldn't work every year, but we've got an early spring this year, so it might work. Still haven't decided if I can arrange the tubs such that cucumbers would fit under them, or not.

[CW&M Mom]

Last year was SO frustrating! The previous year, we had a car in the driveway that wasn't running, so I used it as a greenhouse until we could plant out. It worked REALLY well and we had beautiful plants. Decided to try the same thing last year with our tomatoes, however, the forecasters said it would be in the 40s and instead it dropped into the teens a couple nights. Bye, Bye tomatoes, even though they were in the car! We would have taken them inside, had we not been given false information.
After that happened twice, I had to buy bigger plants, but they never amounted to anything since we couldn't plant until July. Hoped for a long autumn, but got frost in early September.

We've got the same space problem here along with too many trees. The few really sunny spots we have get TOO hot next to the brick and cement foundation.

Ironically I have an Aunt and Uncle that used a car as their"green house" too..you'll never imagine what state they live in Apparently Idaho..is the place for Car/green houses eh

[Gardencook]

Last year was SO frustrating! The previous year, we had a car in the driveway that wasn't running, so I used it as a greenhouse until we could plant out. It worked REALLY well and we had beautiful plants. Decided to try the same thing last year with our tomatoes, however, the forecasters said it would be in the 40s and instead it dropped into the teens a couple nights. Bye, Bye tomatoes, even though they were in the car! We would have taken them inside, had we not been given false information.
After that happened twice, I had to buy bigger plants, but they never amounted to anything since we couldn't plant until July. Hoped for a long autumn, but got frost in early September.

Ironically I have an Aunt and Uncle that used a car as their"green house" too..you'll never imagine what state they live in Apparently Idaho..is the place for Car/green houses eh

Hey, if it works why not?
You have to be creative to survive around here, I guess.
Years ago, a man in California mentioned what "pioneers" we were up here. I mentioned to a friend that by the time he got done "praising" us, it made it sound like Idaho didn't yet have indoor plumbing or electricity. A few weeks later our hot water heater died and we replaced it. The friend told us maybe we should write him and tell him we had hot water!
We have MORE than our fair share of attitude problems with merchants in our city, but there are MANY other cities in the state where I would LOVE to live! DH was all for moving me back to Washington the first years of our marriage, but times change.

[CW&M Mom]

I've wanted to make my basement into a big.well not green house..but grow plants down there..it's a wet basement..so right now I have a bit of a river running through it since we had like 12 inches of rain. I just need some good lights.

I then of course think of my neighbors (well I don't have neighbors but if I had some lol) thinking I'm growing pot or something...but seriously it would be cool to grow non illegal substances down in my basement..get some good usage out of that place..since we can't finish it.

[Gardencook]

I've wanted to make my basement into a big.well not green house..but grow plants down there..it's a wet basement..so right now I have a bit of a river running through it since we had like 12 inches of rain. I just need some good lights.

I then of course think of my neighbors (well I don't have neighbors but if I had some lol) thinking I'm growing pot or something...but seriously it would be cool to grow non illegal substances down in my basement..get some good usage out of that place..since we can't finish it.

I posted on a thread about starting seeds a while back. All you really need is old or thrift store lamps and the new energy saving bulbs that screw in. I use things like aluminum foil or foil cookie sheets and roasting pans to reflect light, plug the lamps into a surge protector so you can turn them on and off together. I use aluminum pie tins under the lamp finial like a shade. You can use anything like T.V. trays or old chairs to create boundaries. Then I throw dollar store table cloths over the top to keep the heat in. It is easy to vent by opening the the flaps. It might not look professional, but I don't have to worry about what to do with a plant stand at the end of the season. Mine collapses down.
Of course, if you've got water in the basement you'd have to be careful about electrical cords.