A cheap greenhouse isn’t easy to find, especially if you’re looking for a kit to construct. They are expensive! Several thousand dollars isn’t uncommon, and that will buy you a basic structure with plastic, but no vents, fans or controllers to keep the temperature where you need it. You might as well build your own greenhouse and save money. That's what I have done as part of my approach to … [Read more...]

Growing vegetables is a great way to save money by providing much of your own food, with just a little work. It's an integral part of my frugal living program. The average American family spends about 15% of their disposable income on food. Less if you're single and more if you have a large family with 3 or more children. Fifteen percent is a big chunk of what you take home. How would you … [Read more...]

Mouse traps are cheap and easy to build, easy to use and easy to service. They are if you follow the instructions below to build a home made mouse trap of your own. Once you see how effective they are, you’ll want to build more than one as part of the defensive measures for your vegetable garden that supports your plan for frugal living. Mice are everywhere, and they focus on only a few … [Read more...]

Here's how to make a cloche that is cheap and easy. If you're focused on frugal living, cheap and easy is the way to go. I'm very much committed to vegetable gardening as a means of cutting down the cost of living. That means I need to plant vegetable seeds throughout the year (except in the winter) so I'll have crops ready for harvest year round (even in the winter). To do this, I need … [Read more...]

Try these vegetable gardening tips to help ensure your success as you apply your furgal living plans to reduce your grocery bill by growing much of your own food. These tips for vegetable gardening address a wide range of issues that you will encounter. The areas I address are: Soil; Planting; Transplanting; Watering; Weeds; Growing; Harvesting; Winter Season; Greehouses; and, Pests. Also … [Read more...]

Every year we grow Butterstick summer squash because it's a winner all the way around. It's prolific, delicious, easy to grow, and even when large, the squash is still tender and quite suitable for just about any application. The plant produces an elongated squash, much like a zucchini, and it can grow to the size of your thigh if you let it. I like to pick it just after the blossoms start … [Read more...]

Green Sausage is an odd name, but most appropriate for this small green tomato. A determinate plant, it produces 2 to 4 inch elongated tomatoes that look quite like small light green wax peppers. The structure of this tomato plant is fairly airy, and it takes to a trellis very well, but doesn't grow very tall at all. Expect your plants to reach about 3 feet and that's it. The tomatoes … [Read more...]