Our first Signs Of Garden Life!

It was time to plant some seeds, just a few starts for our garden. I wanted to do it as frugally as I could this spring, as I usually buy many wonderful vege plants from our Farmers Market come May anyway. So, I got the idea of using our saved up egg cartons from my wonderful online friend Kate in NJ, and for the first time, used those for our starts! I spent $2.99 each on two bags of 25 peat pellets, well under 5 dollars on 5 packets of seeds (40% off at Freddy's), and so far, that was it, I hav spent around $11.00 on our first seedlings for the garden this Spring. I used the egg cartons, cut them to the size of the "tray" I was using. I used my broiler pan bottom tray, and I used a re-used aluminum disposeable casserole pan (that part isn't too natural, but IS frugal!)

Here is the peat pellets, ready for the water, in the bottom pan....I had the boy's put them in, oh such fun! For the beginnings, I DID buy a hybrib corn, and I think a hybrid pea....trying to get away from those, they weren't available to me at the time, so I settled with 5 seed packets. Hoping to buy some heirloom strawberries, and most everything else online soon!

In keeping with not spending money to grow our food, I used re-used corndog sticks for the lables!

Here, the boy's are putting the water absorbed, ready peat pellets in the egg cartons....

Here, the boy's are helping me plant the seeds!

The Gratuitous photo of Manny Von Popsicle stretching out while we are planting.....life's rough!

Almost done planting!

This is what it looked like after I closed the peat around the seedlings, and gave them all one little push...

This was February 26th, 2009.

Here is some sprouts on March 2nd, 2009......

AND......what our "garden" looks like on March 6th, 2009!

I am taking advice from my friend, Malisa, and during this time, when we just don't know how long we will be at this house now, I will keep these in containers, and I will surely take all with me to our new place!

We have Corn, Tomatoes, Sugar Snap Peas, Finger Carrots, and Pole Beans here...all for around 11 dollars! Imagine the food we will be eating JUST from these beginning starts, all spring and summer! I have to transplant and spread out many starts from one peat pellet each here!