How to be cheap

One of my biggest goals in creating this garden is to do it as cheaply as I can. Like everyone else, my funds are limited. And I just don't see the point in spending more money than I need to. So I look for ways to save money on things I need all the time. But in working on my garden project, I took this to a whole new level.

I've discovered that there are some great resources for anyone interested in previously used materials. Check out how I've taken advantage of what these groups have to offer:

Stardust Building Supplies has two locations in the Valley. They are a non-profit organization that accepts donations of used building material, and resells them at a fraction of the original cost. I scored some 2x6 and 2x10 timbers there to frame out a raised garden bed, and it only cost me about $14. They even let me come back with my saw to cut the wood down so it would fit in my truck bed!

The Freecycle Network is another non-profit group that consists entirely of people willing to reuse and/or donate items for reuse. There are many groups throughout the country. There are even some regions that have more than one group you can join. I was able to donate some pallets that I had acquired to someone else. Funny thing was, I grabbed the pallets so I could build a nice big composting bin. When I realized I'd be better off using the bins from the city, I read Tanja's request for pallets. I asked her what she was using them for when she came to get them, and it turned out that she wanted to build a big composting bin! Great minds think alike!

And a resource that would be silly to overlook is Craigslist. If you go to the craigslist homepage and select your city, you can browse through listings of stuff that people are giving away under the "free" link under the "for sale" section header. This has been an enormous resource for me. I've scored goat and cow manure, bales of straw, and even the wood I'll be using to construct my big raised garden bed! The manure has been aging for 6 weeks now, in a pile. I stir the pile every week or so. The manure will be well mixed with compost to become my soil. The straw will be my mulch. Straw makes an excellent mulch here in the desert because it is hollow. Since it's hollow, it's got a better insulating property than hay does, so it will help my plants and beds hold onto their moisture and also reduce the crazy fluctuations in temperature througout the day. And the wood came from a family in Tempe who removed a shade structure from their backyard. The 2x4's are all made of white cedar, and I'll need to do a little work to get them ready for my project. The boards are painted and they still have nails in them. I'll need to remove as much paint as I can, since I don't want the chemicals to leech back into my soil. I also have to pull the nails out. The price was right, and I don't mind putting in a little elbow grease to save a buck or two!

This is by no means a complete list. I've only scratched the surface. I'm sure there are plenty other ways to reuse/recycle that I'm not aware of. I'd love to hear about more ways to get involved in groups like this.

Becoming involved in these reuse/recycle organizations has helped me become aware of how we can reclaim many of the items we'd normally just place in the trash. It has inspired me to think twice before tossing anything in the big black can. In fact, I've found several things around my home that I will be donating shortly! It's going to be really cool to give back to the groups that have given me so much!

I think that working so hard to save money made this project more enjoyable for me. For one, I think it makes my garden itself even more environmentally responsible, since I'm not expanding my carbon footprint in acquiring these materials. Also, it's been fun searching for these items. I've been able to do it like this because I wasn't in a rush to get my project done in a specified amount of time. If I had a time constraint, I would have had to either sacrifice my principles of using organic materials or I'd have needed to spend money. Things worked out pretty well for me in my search. If I've figured this out as well as I think I have, the only things I'll need to purchase will be some 4x4 pieces of wood, screws, some more compost, and hoses. Oh, and the seeds and seedlings! I'll tally the cost of these and post here as I buy them.

The first step?

OK, so you're interested in organic or natural gardening, but you don't know where to start. Well, when it comes to gardening, you can't grow much without having something good to grow it in. Just like building a house, the foundation has to come first, from the ground up. You need good soil, and here in the Arizona desert, that can be quite a challenge. Really. Just step outside and look down. All that dirt outside looks dry, dusty and crumbly. Not much like that rich, black soil you find in pots with nice green things growing out of them! The first step to getting that nice, fluffy, rich, black soil is compost.

So, what is compost? Compost is the end result of what happens to decayed plant material, when it's decomposition process is managed. I say that it needs to be managed because we've all seen decayed plant material, and it doesn't all turn into black fluffy stuff! When leaves fall from trees, they get dry and crackly. When houseplants die, they wither and wilt into little bits of ugly nothings. But when all these things get to decompose in a maintained pile, you get compost.

Since compost is made of decomposed organic matter, it is a really good way to add vital nutrients and micronutrients to soil. And those micronutrients help to attract some of the little critters that really help our plants out, like earthworms.

Compost piles are easy to manage, simple to set up, and can even save you money! Unless you just don't have the room for it, there's really no reason not to compost! (Really! It doesn't smell bad, either!) There are all sorts of contraptions you can buy, and those elaborate rigs are great for people who want to spend their money on this sort of thing. But composting doesn't need to be expensive. In many cities here in Arizona, you can get compost bins for free. Some cities, like mine here in Mesa, ask for a small fee or a deposit. Mesa gets a 5-dollar deposit. This is how they get rid of their old garage cans. They take the old 90-gallon garbage cans (when they get old, they get holes in the bottom), cut the bottoms off, and drill a pattern of 1-inch holes in the sides of the bin, and you're left with a 60-gallon-or-so bin to make compost in. Now, isn't that a nice, "green" way to get rid of what would have otherwise been a big old piece of plastic headed for a landfill?

To make the compost, you can just put your plant-based waste in the bin. And wait. Or you can manage the bin, and you'll get the end result faster. It's up to you.

What goes in the bin? Well, if it's plant-based, most of it is pretty safe to place in the bin. What I put in my bin includes:

• Fruit and vegetable peels and rinds
• Old, rotten fruits and vegetables
  
• Teabags, coffee grounds and filters
• Crushed egg shells
• Grass clippings
• Dry leaves
• Yard trimmings

Avoid placing any animal-based or chemically treated items in your bin. These would include:

• Pet cat, dog, or bird waste
• Old, rotten meat
• Dead animals
• Egg yolks

There are lots of great sites and resources to learn about the art of composting (see the end of this post for a few of them). Maybe I'm weird (okay, I'm definitely weird!), but I enjoy making compost. The process is just fascinating to watch, and if you care for the pile well, it actually smells really good! Since you are managing the pile (that means you add a little water and stir it around every few days or so), the compost doesn't just sit and rot like it would otherwise. My pile smells like a nice, fresh soil mix.

I said earlier that making compost can actually save you money. You might be wondering how that could work. Well, if you are in a situation now where you have that big 90-gallon garbage can, and you are filling it every week, check this out! If you start composting, you will find that you are putting less stuff in that garbage can and more stuff in your compost bin! Now, if you don't fill your big garbage can every week anymore, many cities will provide you with a smaller can and reduce your monthly bill! Here in the City of Mesa, I requested a smaller 60-gallon can, and my bill was chopped by $2.51 a month! (That works out to about $30 a year) It's not a huge amount, but it's better than spending money you don't need to.

So, let's see. I found a way to reduce how much garbage leaves my home, reducing my "carbon footprint." This worked out to save me money. And, by making compost, I am making stuff that my yard and garden will use that I'd otherwise pay money for. So I've actually saved double the money! Are you starting to see how this works?

Learn more about composting at these great sites:

• The ivillage GardenWeb compost forum
• 13 myths of composting
• Composting fundamentals and demonstrations
  
• Download this .pdf from the Garden Guy
• Some cool do-it-yourself composting contraptions from "A Lazy Man's Guide to Compost"
  
• Or, just Google "compost"!
  

Getting ready to get started!

This is exciting! I've wanted to have a vegetable garden for several years, but never got around to it. This past year, I've put my mind to it. I've been composting since May and I've been collecting materials to help me with my project. I don't know if it'll work, but I'm betting it's going to be as easy as everyone says. I'm just about ready to put my plan in action! My goal is to have a productive garden in my backyard that requires minimal effort to maintain.

My plan:

• Build raised beds
• Utilize companion planting
• Plant in compost and/or manure
• Avoid the use of any chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers, etc)
• Spend as little cash as possible
  
• Enjoy the fruits of my labor!

I'll post here from start to finish. If this is easy enough, maybe other people will be inspired to try it for themselves.

Here's what the barren spot in my yard looks like to start with. The previous owner of our home had a hottub here, nestled in between the orange and pink grapefruit trees. There's been nothing there since, so we'll see what crops up!

Oh, by the way, I've never blogged before, either!