Gardening
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Use pots that are at least 1 foot deep and 1 foot wide for growing herbs.
Smaller window-sill pots are ineffective for herb growth.
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Use at least 2 gallons of dirt in herb pots to provide space for robust root systems.
Most herbs grow fairly robust root systems that need space; small pots do not work long term.
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Grow herbs from seeds instead of buying plants for a cheaper, endless supply.
Seeds can cost under a dollar and provide an endless supply after a few weeks.
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Inspect every plant in your garden daily to remove eggs, nymphs, and adults.
You cannot stop pests long term 100%, but this delays them and reduces damage.
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Plant basil in ground with good drainage to encourage volunteer plants.
Rain will cause volunteer plants to appear all around.
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Keep mint plants separate from other herbs like thyme and oregano to prevent them from being choked out.
Divide perennials like hostas and sell the new starts at garage sales.
The new starts can be larger than those sold at retail stores and can be sold for money (e.g., $3 each).
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Dry harvested herbs by tying them into bundles and hanging them for a few weeks.
This method preserves herbs for later use and makes the house smell great.
- This method is noted to work well in dry climates like Phoenix.
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Grow garlic from scraps.
It pays off quickly.
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If chive leaves appear old, cut everything off.
They will sprout again within a few days.
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Use premade mushroom kits by adding water and harvesting in about two weeks.
It is well worth the effort.
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Buy a propagator for about $20 to start seeds cheaply.
Seeds are inexpensive, making this a low-cost way to grow plants.
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Propagate basil by placing stem clippings directly into soil to root.
Basil roots easily from clippings, allowing you to get much more basil from one plant.
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Plant scallion root ends in dirt rather than water to grow new scallions promptly.
Growing them in water results in no taste or nutrition.
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- Plant regrown scallions in soil after they have developed roots in water.1
Use containers that encourage air pruning of roots to promote lateral root growth.
When roots meet air, a chemical signal stops downward growth and encourages lateral growths.
- Toilet paper tubes dry out faster than slightly thicker peat pots.
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Transfer regrowing green onions from water to well-draining soil to prevent root rot.
Green onions do not like wet feet even if they did fine in water initially.
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Pinch out the top of tall tomato plants once they reach your desired height to encourage side and fruit growth.
This encourages side growth and fruit growth
- Bush tomatoes do not need this as they don't grow very tall anyway
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Keep mint plants separate from other herbs like thyme and oregano to prevent them from being choked out.
One person reported their mint plant choked out thyme and oregano in a shared pot.
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Grow alliums like garlic and onions.
They are easy to grow, useful, and tasty in many dishes.
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Write on plant markers with a pencil instead of a Sharpie.
Sharpie ink fades in sunlight.
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Remove dead growth from regrowing green onions after a few weeks to prevent mold.
Dead growth can start to mold.
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Avoid seed starter mixes that may contain fungus if previous seedlings dampened off.
Fungus in the mix can cause seedlings to dampen off.
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Plant strawberry crowns slightly above soil level.
To prevent rot.
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Pull dandelion roots straight up by holding leaves and stems together to extract the whole root.
You will most likely get a nice root.
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Prevent green onions from rotting in water by tying them off with string and using toothpicks or skewers to keep them out of the water.
Too much water causes them to turn mushy and stink.
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Plant sprouted potatoes in deep pots rather than wide, shallow ones to prevent the soil from drying out too quickly.
Wide and shallow containers cause soil to dry out too quickly, resulting in very small potatoes.
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Grow chives in pots.
They spread everywhere in the garden.
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Grow acorn squash for long-term storage without preservation efforts.
It lasts for months and requires almost nothing to preserve.
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Let fresh bamboo cuttings dry out before planting to prevent invasive spread, noting that only rhizomes regrow.
Fresh bamboo stuck in the ground will sprout difficult-to-remove roots; culms die when cut, but rhizomes can regrow.
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Propagate plants from cuttings and sell them at yard sales or online.
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Focus on growing vegetables you eat frequently that are not harvested all at once, such as tomatoes and peppers.
Tomatoes and peppers are found to be the most productive plants.
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Check soil moisture frequently in hot weather, as container plants dry out quickly.
Heat causes container plants to dry out fast.
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Grow fresh herbs like thyme or basil to improve the taste of cheap meals.
Freshly grown herbs taste better than dried ones and can elevate simple ingredients to restaurant quality.
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Grow only herbs and vegetables that you eat frequently to ensure cost savings.
Savings depend on consumption frequency; planting items you rarely use (like basil if eaten once a month) does not save money.
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Pot mint to prevent it from spreading uncontrollably.
Mint tends to spread mercilessly.
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Transplant store-bought potted herbs into larger pots with high-quality potting soil to improve their survival.
The soil provided by stores is often poor quality.
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Remove plastic coverings from seeds once they have germinated to prevent mold.
Keeping them under plastic could encourage mould.
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Water seedlings less and increase airflow to prevent mold, allowing the outside of pots to dry out between waterings.
Airflow is critical for preventing mold problems.
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Ask someone with hostas for some pieces to plant in shade areas.
They reproduce vegetatively, grow well in shade, and crowd out weeds without being invasive.
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Avoid growing root vegetables like beets if garden space is limited.
They are cheap to buy and occupy valuable square footage better used for other crops.
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Research sun exposure requirements for specific plants to ensure they grow nicely.
Plants won't grow nicely without the right sun exposure.
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Grow tomatoes indoors using LED bulbs.
One person reported surprising success growing tomatoes inside with LED lights.
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Harvest basil regularly.
It grows best with regular harvesting, and problems often go away with this practice.
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Be cautious when planting mint, particularly chocolate mint, as it can become aggressively invasive.
One person reported that chocolate mint 'went crazy' and contributed to their decision to sell their house.
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Process thin-skinned potatoes immediately by dehydrating or freezing them, as they do not store well.
Thin-skinned potatoes won't last long without processing.
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Water basil frequently, potentially nightly, to prevent dramatic wilting.
Basil will wilt to half its height if not watered nightly.
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Avoid planting pungent root vegetables like onions and garlic near asparagus.
Proximity can cause the asparagus to take on an onion flavor.
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Root some basil cuttings and use that water to root other plants, as basil reportedly overproduces natural rooting hormone.
Basil overproduces rooting hormone.
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Fertilize and prune basil periodically to encourage leaf growth.
Encourages more leaves.
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Tie wide metallic or shiny streamers to tree branches to scare birds away from fruit.
The movement from the wind keeps birds away.
- Based on one report regarding cherries.
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If you garden on a high-floor balcony, take advantage of the height to avoid slug and snail infestations.
One person reported their best tomato year on a 5th-floor balcony with no slugs, unlike their ground-level garden where pests were unrelenting.
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Install fencing around your garden to protect crops from deer and rabbits.
to prevent losing crops to deer and rabbits
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Maintain regular worming treatments for chickens that eat slugs to prevent worm transmission.
Slugs are a vector for transferring worms to chickens.
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Avoid using slug pellets if you have free-ranging chickens, as the chickens can be harmed by eating poisoned slugs or the pellets directly.
Slug pellets kill slugs and anything that eats them, including chickens.
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Plant Antelope Horn or Green Milkweed to support monarch butterflies.
Milkweed is essential for saving the Monarch Butterfly.
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Remove bearded iris patches to lower whitefly numbers.
Some plants attract high numbers of whiteflies.
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Check if your local library offers free garden seeds through a seed bank or lending program.
- You may need to return harvested seeds, though tracking is often informal.
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Accept free plants from neighbors to build a garden at no cost.
People frequently throw out plants they no longer want.
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Plant fruit trees in the backyard rather than the front yard.
People walking by may assume the fruit is for them and steal it.
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Ventilate homemade plastic greenhouses by adding holes or leaving gaps to allow fresh air in.
Lack of air can kill plants.
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Save seeds from last year's harvest and use accessible herbivore feces as fertilizer to reduce gardening costs.
Using saved seeds and free fertilizer can make you come out ahead financially.
- Depends on having cheap/free access to herbivore feces
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View gardening as a pleasurable pastime and source of activity rather than just a financial cost.
The time spent is enjoyable and provides fresh food and exercise, which may outweigh strict financial break-even calculations.
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Check local government ordinances and homeowner association rules before replacing lawns with food gardens to avoid fines.
A phone call is cheaper than a fine.
- Homeowner associations may impose significant fines.
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Save seeds from tomatoes, beans, peas, and potatoes to plant next year.
Some of these vegetables can become self-seeding cycles.
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If bees are absent, manually pollinate cantaloupe flowers by rubbing the inner parts of male flowers onto female flowers.
Bees are needed to pollinate the flowers at that stage.
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Ask neighbors for houseplant clippings to propagate in water instead of buying expensive plants.
One person saved money on a plant they wanted by propagating a clipping given by a neighbor.
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Kill English Ivy immediately if found on your property, as it is highly invasive and destructive.
It is pernicious and can take over an entire property.
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Clean up fallen or partially eaten fruit immediately.
Otherwise, it becomes a part-time job and implies negative consequences for the yard.
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Avoid digging up dirt from unknown wooded areas due to risks of dangerous chemicals and trespassing.
Unknown dirt may contain leached dangerous chemicals, and taking it from private property is trespassing or a federal crime in national parks.
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Make homemade fertilizer by rinsing eggshells, crushing them into a fine powder, and sprinkling the powder around the base of plants.
Provides calcium.
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Make your own compost instead of buying fertilizer.
Buying fertilizer may not be necessary.
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Consult the research and website of University of Delaware professor Doug Tallamy for information on native gardening.
He has great research on this topic.
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Recycle plastic yourself if possible, since public recycling is inefficient and demand is dropping.
Public plastic recycling is not terribly efficient and demand is dropping.
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Expect inferior quality, taste, and nutrition from vegetables regrown from scraps.
The end product degrades with each regeneration cycle.
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Repurpose drainable household items like glass beer bottles as plant pots.
- One person reported this worked well.
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Avoid picking plants from gardens where owners may have recently applied herbicides.
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Borrow gardening tools from local tool libraries or friends instead of purchasing them.
Plant Alliums like onions, garlic, or chives to repel pests, but do not plant them near legumes.
Alliums act as general-purpose pest repellents.
- Alliums inhibit the growth of legumes.
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Before using pine needles as mulch, ensure the plants are not sensitive to acidic soil.
Pine needles can lower the soil pH, which may harm plants not accustomed to acidity.
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Avoid using chemically treated pallets for gardening due to risks of chemicals, disease, or pests.
They are likely chemically treated and may harbor chemicals, disease, or pests.
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Borrow gardening tools from local tool libraries or friends instead of purchasing them.
Tool libraries in larger areas often offer free access to equipment.
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Consult landlords and fire marshals before installing window gardens due to potential safety and lease issues.
Comments indicate concerns about safety and landlord approval; fire marshals may object.
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Start summer vegetables indoors in a gentle environment rather than planting seeds directly outside.
Many summer vegetables require a gentler environment than what is available outdoors initially.
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Do not engage in guerrilla gardening on public or private property without permission.
It is illegal and can negatively alter the natural ecosystem, harming local flora and fauna.
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