Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Gardening On a budget
One of the best and easiest units to do wth children for home ed on a
budget is gardening.
You will need to invest in some stuff but much of what you need can come
from your own house and recycling bin.
Sources of seeds/plants:
tomatoes: save the seeds from tomatoes you like
potatoes: plant the spuds that start to sprout in your fridge
capsicum: keep the seeds from the capsicums you eat
cuttings: many plants will grow from cuttings, you can collect these
from friends' or neighbours' plants
Sources of containers, seedling trays etc:
egg cartons: make great seedling trays, keep moist and when it comes
time to plant the seedlings out divide the carton up and make a small
hole in the bottom of each cup before planting the whole cup. The paper
mache will degrade and the plant will grow through it.
various plastic conatiners from our food will make great pots: poke
holes in the bottom for drainage. Yoghurt pots, juice bottles (with the
tops cut off), take away food containers, milk & juice cartons,
save your old sponges: these make great water collectors and stop soil
from falling through holes in the bottom of plant pots. Make sure the
sponge is clean and not full of cleaning chemicals etc.
If you have small ones who are still in nappies and you use disposable
nappies then you can recycle the wee only nappies in your compost or
even directly into the ground. The moisture retaining crystals in the
nappies are the same as those used in the water retention preparations
you buy in the garden centre, but when you use the nappy contents you
also add some fertilizer as well:-)
Investment:
seeds: italian parsley, buy seeds and when some plants start to go to
seed let them and then plant out the seeds later for more parsley than
you can ever eat.
seedlings: many veggies grow best from seedlings and it is worth
investing in good seedlings to start your veggie patch, those that grow
best from seed it is worth investing in seeds from a reputable source.
Most flowering plants are best bought as seedlings unless they will
strike from cuttings.
good quality potting mix: if you will be growing some or all your garden
in pots
cow, chicken and sheep manure: these will be useful both directly in the
garden or in your compost to encourage correct the right bugs to aid
decomposition
worm farm: even if you live in an apartment, as long as you have a
balcony or outdoor area you can recycle your kitchen waste and more with
a worm farm
rooting powder: this will aid the root formation in cuttings - always
make sure an adult is present during its use and that all involved wear
gloves and/or thoroughly wash their hands afterwards.
mulch: unless you have a hay field and the means to harvest & collect
the hay then investing in a suitable good quality organic mulch is
essential, it will save water and encourage healthy growth whilst
eventually adding to the organic matter content of your garden. If you
keep guinea pigs or other animals that live on straw or shaving add
their bedding to your compost or directly under larger trees/shrubs.
