Growing veg cheaply

[Two_Sheds]

I have tried peat free but it was a waste of money.

100s of us would disagree with you. Don't bother with B+Q own brand ~ have you tried New Horizon or that other one that Zaz likes?

[rustylady]

Composts seem to vary year to year. The New Horizon peatfree that TwoSheds gave me was horribly woody. I've had better results with B & Q and Asda MCP (both contain peat) but for the past two or three years have had a better consistency.

[Two_Sheds]

The New Horizon peatfree that TwoSheds gave me was horribly woody.

Yes, you're right: it was a bad batch last year, and I'd bought about 8 bales of the darn stuff.

In 2011, I managed to grow this lot with it, so it's usually very good.

[veggiechicken]

I tried New Horizon last year - didn't work for me. Seedlings just didn't want to grow. Very disappointed.

[Matt94]

Well I tried B&Q's peat free compost last year and to be honest I was fairly happy with it, it was to course for seedlings, but my toms seemed to thrive in it. For seedlings I use B&Q's MPC - I've never had any problems with it and it seems to be one of the cheapest composts around!

[KiwiNikki]

When I lived in London and was gardening on a budget in containers I used to buy municaple compost from the council, I think it was £2 a bag or free if you could use a ton, I dunno if your local authority does that still.

Caroline - thanks for this tip! Have just checked and my county council sells compost for £3 a bag.

[out in the cold]

As KCN said earlier, we have a few money saving ideas on the go.

Got some wooden pallets free and broke them up for wood to make my own cold frame.
A local garden centre / nursery throws away old plant pots, so if we time things right, we can get these for free, just a case of washing them out prior to use.
A local tyre centre is quite happy to have folks take old tyres off their hands, which are great for growing carrots and parsnips in.
Obviously, there is our own compost heap, and in January, I picked up grow bags for about 85p each from Homebase, as they were last years stock. Compost within should be perfectly fine for growing toms and courgettes in (I think).
Old plastic tubs which used to hold bakery itens from supermarkets make great propagators or herb tubs for windowsill growing / starting off.
Old wire coat hangers (from dry cleaners etc) can be used to make hoops for supporting fleece tunnels etc

[Samurailord]

I save and re-use the plasic containers that the supermarkets sell soft fruit in - they already have drainage holes and lids, so make great mini-propogators.

I also use plastic yoghurt and cottage cheese tubs to plant on my seedlings. These make a good size to grow a decent sized sturdy plant to give it a fighting chance when planted out.

For larger plants I use pot noodle-sized tubs (I don't eat pot noodles so I have to scrounge these from friends)

Andy

[scorpius]

I re-use yoghurt pots, plastic trays & anything else useful from the shops. lolly sticks are good for writing on what is growing where. Also use baler twine from hay/straw to tie up canes etc
We have 1/2/3yo manure from my pony/chickens/kitchen waste in our compost bays & OH mixes water with our chicken manure & leaves it to mature under the hedge, think the one he put in the planters was 2/3 years old & tomatoes, geraniums etc did really well on it last year

[Muppet]

As above - old marg tubs etc. I also cut down plastic milk bottles - the bottoms become plant pots and the tops become either mini cloches or cut up for nice large plant labels.
Old tights for tying back toms, cucumbers etc - they are alot softer than string and stretch to accomodate a growing stem. A leg cut off the knicker bit also worked really well to support our mini fruit trees when we first got them.
Our food processor cuts up veg peelings etc to make super quick compost.
The £1 shop sold fleece tunnels last year - the fleece is very thin but folded a few times is ideal or young plant protection in our unheated greenhouse and the metal frames are very solid if you tie string between each strut and attach to a brick at the ends.
Rhubarb leaves left in a bucket to mush up (a proper technical term I am sure) = the stinky water sprayed over your leafy veg deters alot of pests.
I use washed out spray bottles to dampen down the greenhouse to increase humidity and spray the above rhubarb pongy stuff.
Cut down plastic drink bottles = mini cloches and plant pots
2 pallets made a couple of carrot and parsnip boxes as well as a squash box with intergrated vertical support frame.
The 2 long wall baskets in which we grow tumbling toms are filled with a double layer black plastic bags, filled with compost and folded over - a couple of holes in the bottom and 3 X cut into the top.

[out in the cold]

Oh yeah.

Forgot to mention about cutting a 2 or 3 litre bottle in half to make bell cloches.

[hamsterhead]

I've got a 3 hour course designed on this! Will be running it in Nottingham a bit later in the year.

I'm happy for you to do this course on my allotment plot. That way it could be more "hands on" and attendees would be able their new found knowledge immediately

[Allotmenthacker]

I've just picked up a boot full of compost for free from my local recycling centre - it actually got me thinking what else I might be able to get for free/cheap, so I wrote a blog about it.

Might give you some ideas:

http://allotmenthacker.com/free-compost/

[cptncrackoff]

I recently found out my local parish council have free 'dalek' type compost bins, 220ltr. Just have to collect yourself, getting mine tomorrow..might try to blag more than one...she did say 'is it just one your after?'
There might be something local to you, not advertised but if you dont ask...

[Feral007]

Lady locally who did a permaculture talk asked if we could maybe do one on our land..........well feel free! I told her we could have a 'hands on' one and ask people to bring their own tools, and we'd show them how to use them Think that's my biggest plan for this year. Get the information, and just put on morning and afternoon tea.