[escapedtothecountry]

As I like my garden I will undoubtedly sit down to watch Gardeners World tonight. I buy a few gardening magazines. I watch other gardening programmes whe they're on. And the thing that I notice the most is that they seem to think everyone has an endless budget. Garden makeover programmes that have used loads of large box hedging. Well I could make my garden look great if I had thousands to spend on mature plants..... But most of us have to settle for small ones and take enjoyment in watching them grow. Or what about Gardeners who walk into their newly build wood and brick built greenhouse. Yes very nice..... Mine was a second hand aluminium one off eBay.


I appreciate they are trying to show us an end result on what we would all like to achieve.... But I'd like to see a bit more on what can be achieved with a mere mortals budget.

[Fleecewife]

I was SO sad when Geoff Hamilton died - he shared so many cheap and cheerful ideas and made it ok to recycle and scavenge for your garden.
 
As everyone on TAS probably knows by now (I do tend to bring it up frequently  ), my pet hate is readymade raised beds.  Even before you have gone out to buy expensive soil to fill them and plug plants, plus specially made fleece or insect protection covers, the cost per cabbage or lettuce becomes astronomical  .  Veg grows perfectly well on the flat, or if you have wet or clay soil you can build up the level without using expensive boarding.  I think sometimes that new growers think they have to build raised beds before they can grow crops then end up spending hard-earned cash needlessly.
 
I could be accused of being a hypocrite over this as we have just spent loads on having our front garden made beautiful, but that's because we are decrepit and couldn't do the heavy stuff ourselves.  For our veg garden, I love growing all the plants myself from seed and crawl around on my knees to keep the beds weeded.  However we grow them, plants and veggies are wonderful to grow yourself.
 
My OH loves to watch steam train or flying programmes so he can point out all the mistakes made, whereas I like to watch gardening programmes so I can do the same 
I do though hate the fact that the big garden suppliers have convinced the presenters or programme producers to encourage buying plants in and spending lots on them - this is deliberately for the benefit of big business, which gardening is, and not for the benefit of those on a small budget 

[suziequeue]

I was told that the way glamour/fashion magazines worked is that most people looked at them, felt bad about themselves and then fixed their feelings of negative self worth by going shopping.


I think Gardening Magazines are designed to produce the same effect. You look at all the pictures and then look out the window and feel like I could do better and potter off to the garden centre to give yourself a bit of a fix with a new raised bed or a thousand pounds-worth of decking or somesuch.


The other thing that bugs me is that all the soil seems to be uniformly rich, black and crumbly. I get sooooo jealous!!!

[happygolucky]

we watched garden ears world last night as well, those huge Bamboo plants must have cost an arm and a leg, we cannot afford stuff like that at all, if you have a big garden it would cost thousands to make over with all the commercial stuff.  we try to keep it all as cheap as possible and take compost from the recycle centre free, the suff we had has been fantastic soil, no problems and free, apart from petrol cots of getting there. it's great when people share plants too, I parked the car on waste land and pulled up a few little shrubs and now they are fantastic , before I get any comments, it was on waste land with rubble all around and I also got some Foxgloves..and little ferns, and Rhodadendrums, all doing great.......We did buy some packs of shrubs 5 years ago, they were tiny. Then but now about 2 ft high and bushy, so that good, I did the same with my Bay Tree, I love Bay, ought it small and so far it's moved with us, I doubt I will be able to dig it up this time though.  All magazines are there to temp us, but, I love to be creative and do my gardening as free as possible

[HesterF]

You need to find a gardening friend - I've grown loads of stuff from seed this year and as I was potting them all on today, thinking I don't have space for lots of it (I always plant a few extra 'just in case'). I'd love to give some of it to somebody who'll appreciate it!

[Clarebelle]

I only have a tiny backgarden and as we are in the military we move frequently so everything has to be in pots. I dont grow ornamentals as i simply dont have room, everything needs to earn its place! I grow from seed as much as i can and I sell on spare plants, herbs are particularly popular. I only sell on to friends and family but at 50p for a basil plant, I only need to sell a couple to recoup the cost of the packet of seed.

I also find that facebook is great for getting pots and stuff that people buy on a whim but never end up using. Instead of throwing plastic pots and any other gardening stuff away I ask friends and family to give it to me.

I agree that when I look at Monty's perfectly manicured garden I think about how much it must have cost to create and sigh wistfully knowing I'll never afford to reproduce it. In todays climate particualy I think that sort of publication would benefit from more focus on DIY/recycling budget garden ideas.

If anyone has any knowledge or ideas we would love to hear 

[doganjo]

I like my raised beds high enough so that I don't have to bend (bad back) or kneel(Rubbish cruciates) so my old panelled fence has been sawn into meter lengths and screwed to old half rotten fence posts to make square or rectangular beds about three planks high.  Like Sandy I get free compost from the local cowp. 

If I buy a magazine it's usually one with free seeds, I share the mag with my daughter who is new to gardening since they moved to a big house in Stirling, and keep the seeds, then share seedlings with her too.

As far as digging up plants on spare ground is concerned, there isn't such a thing as 'waste' land in Scotland - every inch of ground is legally owned by someone no matter what state it's in - although you could argue you were saving the plant from being torn up and killed. So if I saw something like that I'd maybe have a go too - I never seem to have a trowel or spade with me though 

Recycling boxes can be used as planters - ask the local council for the broken ones, bore holes in the bottom fro drainage.  Same with old wheelies - make decent compost bins.

[happygolucky]

Any stuff I dig up would otherwise be concreted over, in fact, there are houses where I got my bits from, I would be happy to ask the land owner as I have no intention of even stealing a cutting.... .... other stuff like  buddleia, grows  on railway lines and roof tops, I am sure no one would care about one going missing...loads of plants get tipped at he local re cycling  site......I often plant flowers that have been in the house and they usually do very well......anyway, Mulrany is more interested in what he can build and the Earl of Mar is only interested in his logs, we spoke to him before, he parks outside to go to church 

[escapedtothecountry]

All good tips and yet gardening programmes seem to gloss over. Why buy plant pots for potting on seeds you,ve grown when garden centres give away the containers that plastic pots stand on that you can fill with compost and use. Or make out if newspaper.


Agree re growing with seeds. Always been tempted to set up a seed swap service as (for example) if you grow tomatoes you never need as many plants as a in the packet.

[happygolucky]

My brother gardens and is very sucsessful with no money virtualy, he uses seeds from all sorts of things he eats and they grow........he also send me stuff!!!!
I also think a gardening scrimping programme would go down very well, show how to take cuttings, share plants etc like people used to do but the garden centers would go mad,.....Marketing seeds now is very clever, they sell little packs with everything you need and ideas etc and how I giggled when I see all the chicken stuff in posh bags at garden centers, pink feeders, little poo shuvels etc etc.....and we all love a posh wheel barrow!!!!!

[doganjo]

CSSA had a seed/seedling swap last year - it went down quite well.  Forgot to mention it, if you see this, SimonO, bear it in mind as an addition to the next meeting.

[Simon O]

yes good reminder!
 

[doganjo]

When is the next meeting - no website at the moment.  Is the programme on FB?

[gardenjeannie]

Hi, all, I'm new here.  Great thread, and wouldn't it be lovely to have all that money for plants?  I agree, there should be a prog for gardening on a budget.  I have wanted a greenhouse for yrs, and was very lucky last Autumn. My friends Dad was getting rid of his, and it was going to tip till his daughter said 'Ruth will have it!'  So he took it down carefully, only breaking a couple of panes, delivered it to me in his friend's van, and even bought new bolts and fixings for the ones that had broken! Would NOT take any money!  I had some twin wall poly to replace the panes (I collect allsorts for that time I may use it!) and used it on the coldest end, and now have grown so many plants that I have even given away some celery on here tonight!  One neighbour gave me a parrafin heater, and so did another neighbour's friend, so have been able to start v early this yr. There are so many nice people in the world still!  I put it up all by myself (Single working Mum), on top of old sleepers that I had also been given.  I had too many sleepers, so gave some away on Freecycle to someone else to use for thier free greenhouse!
My soil is so stony, I had to build raised beds,and moved soil from other parts of garden, plus compost (own) but use any stones for paths beside my greenhouse and in my fruit cage.  Beds were built from old scaffolding walkboards.  I use the trays from meat or veg for seed trays, and the pots from the kids trifles and fruit jellies for pots.  I also use loo and kitchen roll innards, and my elderly neighbour and her sister save thiers for me too. (although the plants seem to be slower in those. Glue, maybe?)

Have been splitting my perennial ornamentals, too, and some have gone to the school to use, some to friends.  Extra toms to school and neighbours.

Is there not a seed swap facility anywhere on here?  I would love to participate if there is.  As was mentioned, we often have to buy too many for our needs, and they only end up going to waste one way or another.  Could be a great winter thing to do.  If people gave lists of their leftovers, and others of their wishes, perhaps people could get some of what they need before recourse to the catalogues. (even tho' that's a great way to spend a nasty evening, and we all want to try something new!)

[gardenjeannie]

Oh, and net curtains from charity shop do a great job instead of fleece if frost not too bad, and brill for keeping away the nasty buggies.  And it lasts longer, too!