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anipgarden · 11 months

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Cheaply Starting Seeds

This is my fourth post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps!

Having a high-quality seed-starting setup can feel like an ultimate but distant dream. An entire shelf--an entire room, even, filled with grow lights and plant trays in the optimal setup to make tons of plants? Tons of garden tools, each with a diverse and dedicated purpose? That’s just not an option for some of us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get started at a low cost!

Seed Starting Set-Ups

Speaking from a somewhat biased Floridian perspective, I’ve had great success starting seeds outside! My usual set-up is on a rarely-used outdoor patio table that’s moved to a sunny spot in the yard, but I’ve even grown seeds in solo cups on sidewalks, or directly in the ground, with great results!

Some seeds grow best when they go through a cold period before germinating, while other seeds aren’t affected much by it and just wait for warm weather. As such, a viable option is to sow your seeds in late fall, let winter roll by, and wait until the seeds sprout on their own come spring! I would try and mark off where you planted said seeds, so you don’t lose track of them and accidentally dig them up.

Alternatively, if you want to get started while it's cold outside, a popular option I've seen is to grow in milk jugs! There's a lot of different ways to do it--everyone has their preference--but if you're already drinking things like milk or juice or sweet tea, and you're going to get jugs at some point in time--why not use them for gardening?

An easy way to clear up a section of lawn to create open gardening space is by using a sheet mulching or lasagna gardening method (though I like to call it the Cardboard Snuff-Out). Place cardboard or newspaper down in fall/winter to mark out where you want to garden. Layer compostable materials like grass clippings and wood chips on top of it, or potting soil/bagged compost. It’ll decompose over Winter into an organically rich bed that’ll have killed the grass and weeds underneath it. You don’t have to break out any tools and sweat over it come spring, and the cardboard itself will slowly decompose as well!

Though it's often recommended to plant things directly into the ground to decrease watering needs and increase nutritional independence, there’s plenty of reasons you may not be able to. Whether you’re renting, living in a place without a yard, or even just can’t or don’t want to break ground in a yard, you can still help biodiversity by growing in pots. Some plants have rather extensive root systems and aren’t well suited for pots, but there are still plenty of options available for plants that’ll boost biodiversity, be beautiful to look at, and grow just fine in pots! A recommendation is to get a larger pot, if you’re able, as it’ll hold onto more water and need watering less often. Not only are potted plants great for providing food for insects, but they can be shelter for other creatures too--there’s been a good few times I’ve moved a pot and found a frog or toad living underneath it.

If you don’t have room for pots on the ground, you could consider using hanging pots or window boxes! These can be great and easily-maintained options to provide food and habitat for insects and birds in an urban living situation like apartments or townhouses, but they can also be a fun way to add even more habitat to an already-robust home garden. You can even make an entire mini habitat in a window box or pot! I can personally say I’ve seen tons of pollinators visit my yearly hanging basket garden that consists of about five to seven plants, and I’ve always loved the idea of having a window box for blooms right out my window. Just make sure that it’s safe--make sure they’re securely fixed, and that whatever they’re hanging from can handle their weight when they’re freshly watered and loaded with plants.

If you want to start indoors, you don’t necessarily need grow lights or heat mats (though it will make things a bit easier.) I’ve successfully grown milkweed, peppers, tomatoes, zucchinis, and even sprouted lemon seeds in college dorm rooms, and kept tomato and pepper plants in a dorm room on a sunny windowsill. For the most part, you need a nice and sunny window, some kind of container, and a source of heat (in my case, I used anything from a space heater to the warmth of my laptop running nearby. If you don’t have any sunny windows, or enough windowsill space to start plants on, its possible to obtain cheaper grow lights. One year, my mom bought me some gooseneck grow lights that could clip onto things for cheap off of Amazon. (Fair warning, though, they did light up my entire room in purple. I lived alone that year (covid year, my roomies bailed), so it was fine, but it was kind of trippy,)

Another year, when I was in an apartment on my own, I bought a grow light modeled like a normal light bulb from the lightbulb aisle in Lowe’s and put it in my desk lamp. Growing seeds indoors can make them grow fast and leggy, so it’ll help if you can keep a desk fan on them so they focus on growing strong instead of tall and fast.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a friend with a nice set up, you could see if they’re willing to let you borrow some of their space to start your own plants as well! My set-up in college was by no means High Class, but I was still more than willing to start seeds for my friends who asked!

Containers for Seed Starting

So now that we’ve talked starting seeds indoors and out, we need to address what to start them in. It’s important that whatever you’re using has drainage holes, and be large enough to support your plant (starting something like milkweed or a squash in a tiny little pot won’t yield great results). Fortunately, there are options here!

If you’re looking to buy pots, Dollar Tree will sell some small plastic pots for cheap in the spring! They’re kind of thin, and won’t last forever, but they’re great for a few uses and don’t cost a lot of money. Something that’s a bit more pricey but are longer-lasting, in my experience, are the Burpee SuperSeed trays. They come in different sizes, but I’m fond of the 16-cell trays--they have silicone bottoms and are made of a nice solid plastic with a tray to hold water, so they hold up for a long time and are easy to clean and reuse!

Burpee seed tray, my beloved.

What’s better than a cheap pot? Free ones, and there’s plenty of options there! I’ve seen people use toilet paper or paper towel rolls as pots by folding the bottoms in and have it work well for them! I think this method would work best if you had some kind of tray to keep them moist, because mine dried out fast last time I tried this method. I’ve also seen people make pots out of newspaper with a few different methods, and the people who use this method love it--apparently, the roots pass through the paper easier and it decomposes faster when buried, so you can just transplant the whole pot and avoid any kind of transplanting shock. If you don’t have any newspaper on hand, you can likely ask your friends or neighbors!

I’ve gotten lots of mileage from reusing old containers by poking a few holes in the bottom with knives or scissors--just be careful while you’re doing it! I, personally, am more likely to use an already-used solo cup for it--they’re a nice size, so they hold a good amount of soil and moisture and give the seedling a good amount of root space. I tend to write the plant information on the side of the cup in sharpie marker, or on an index card in pen. I’ve also heard of people making use of egg cartons, fruit containers, yogurt cups, milk cartons, soda bottles--the more you start thinking about what you could easily poke a hole in, the more options start coming around!

This photo may be from 2018, but I'll still regularly reuse cups like this! They're also great for cuttings!

As you start planning to move your seedlings into the ground and preparing planting sites, you’ll likely need a few tools to do it! How do you get these? You may be able to borrow some tools from a neighbor! As long as you make sure to return them in good condition, depending on how friendly your neighbors are, they might be totally fine with you borrowing their tools for awhile. If you don’t want to take that route, there may be a tool library you can borrow from, or a mutual aid group that can loan you tools for awhile. Either way, borrowing tools is cheaper than buying them--though, if you do have to buy tools, cheap hand-tools from Walmart or the dollar store work just fine. They’ll even last a good while if they’re taken care of when not in use! I've even seen places like Ross sell some tools and pots in spring!

Spotted in a Walmart gardening section by the registers, 2023.

Of course, your mileage may vary with these. I genuinely cannot think of the last time my house got a newspaper, and as I've mentioned I don't have to worry about snow. Similarly, maybe you don't use plastic cups when you can help it, or don't have a particular affinity for eggs and yogurt. Maybe there isn't a tool library in your area--I sure don't know if there is in mine--but it could still be worth poking around and asking a neighbor!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to support your plants for cheap--we're gonna be talking compost, mulch, and trellises. Until then, I hope this advice was helpful! Feel free to reply with any questions, your success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

#biodiversity #solarpunk #gardening #outdoor gardening #growing from seed #budget gardening #cheap gardening #indoor gardening #ani rambles #out of queue #the biodiversity saga #I can make a post later about how I prepare solo cups for being used as pots if yall want #I've found its safest to just use a nice pair of scissors and keep the cup upside-down on the table while I cut into the bottom #and when i say 'take care of the tools when not in use' i mean 'dont be me and leave a cheap shovel from dollar tree out in the rain'#it had a wooden handle and it basically just like. rotted. fell apart in my hand when I picked it up #generally keeping tools in the garage will also help them not rust as fast too #but if you're gonna leave them outside at least put them in shade #the number of times i have lost feeling in my hands because i picked up a hoe that was laying in the sun and fuckin SCALED my palms #its not fun. dont do it. maybe its a Floridian problem but still #if you read all these tags. uh. shovel emoji. idk. sorry dude.

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balkanradfem · 4 months

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So, I decided I could start onion seeds early. I've never started onions from seeds, and my seeds are just the ones I've collected from an onion in my garden (if they grow for 2 years, they make a flower, and then the seeds are inside).

First I had to find some good containers, and this is where I got side tracked. I've been collecting plastic cups and food containers for years now, and I've just been putting them in the basement, not realizing how much I've got. So I grabbed all of the storage boxes and decided to see what I have. This is the sight that greeted me:

I became a little concerned, in anyone else's home this many containers would be considered garbage, but when I think more about it, it's a good thing for me to have them. I never bought any of these, I've gotten them from roommates, been given some as a gift, from people trying to get rid of them, some I've just found in the forests and creeks, some I've found in the trash and saved. While they're all with me, they're not in a landfill, and I'm dreaming of one day having a big garden that can feed lots of people, and at that point, it would be so great to never be out of little seedling pots.

I spent some decent time sorting these out in categories and stacking them to make them more manageable, these are the categories:

At this point I went to research how growing onion from seed works; I found out a lot! Firstly, they need to be planted very shallow, half of an inch. They should be started 8-10 weeks before planting outside, that also works out great, I can plant them out in March. They will germinate in one week, and sometimes their tops are stuck in the soil, and will stop them from growing; in that case it's best to cut the top off, than to pull it out. The plant is so fragile, you're likely to pull it all out. Cutting the top off will not hurt them, but make them grow more straight. I also found out that onions decide to bulb once they calculate that there's more than 10 hours of sun in the day, how cool! That's also why its important to start them early, and give them a good start before the days become long enough for them to go into bulb mode.

So last year when planting, I've been mixing some forest soil, old soil and sand into my planting mix, because that made the soil very light and airy, and I thought it would be good for the little plants. I've however noticed, that the plants were not doing great in that soil, even though they did succeed, it took them longer than usual. I've decided to just go with pure forest soil this time, no mixes or additions, that way it will have the max nutrients and I think it's what my plants are looking for.

These are the containers I've chosen; I've also put them in these big transparent cake containers, because when I close them up like that, water cannot evaporate out, and they're kept in high humidity, which will help the germination. After they start growing, I'll put them in normal trays.

I've decided to experiment a bit so for the left one, I put exactly one single seed in each space, but in the second one, I've peppered a lot of seeds, just to see what happens. I can always thin them out if a lot of them grow. Once on top of the soil, I've sprayed them with water gently, and then peppered some more soil on top so they're safely surrounded with soil.

And now we wait! Hopefully I'll have some onions next year :)

#growing food #stacking plant pots #growing onions #starting onions #gardening #inside plants #seedlings #sowing seeds #starting plants #soil mix #homesteading

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chasingrainbowsforever · 3 months

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~ Seed Pods ~

#seeds #seed pots #botanicals #nature photography #green #green gray #honeydew

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communistkenobi · 6 months

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little guys are growing

#my cats last batch of grass died so I had to pot some new seeds

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gelatinorifice · 10 months

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You are not immune to Trans Benrey Pot

#gelatinous art #Yeah #I’ll count this in my art tag #Context: Went to a friend’s graduation party and we were given pots to paint and a selection of two types of flower seeds to plant :3 #Hopefully mine actually grows and doesn’t. Die #Benrey #HLVRAI #half life but the ai is self aware #half life but the ai is sentient #hlvrai benry #hlvrai benrey #benry #Trans #trans art #Yep #Happy pride

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genshinresource · 1 year

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Genshin Impact Serenitea Pot Furnishings (1/?): Flora

Dreambloom: Star Hibiscus Seed

Dreambloom: Pearbell Seed

Dreambloom: Silkpod Seed

Autumn Star Hibiscus

Noontide Silkpod

Fluorescent Pearbell

Spring Dew Star Hibiscus

Dawnrouge Silkpod

Greenhat Pearbell

Violet Silk Star Hibiscus

Twilight Silkpod

Sandbank Lotus Pearbell

#genshin impact #Assets #In-game Items #PNGs #Serenitea Pot #Seed Bags #Furnishings

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purethca · 5 months

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#Runtz #Sherb #Zaza #Icee rain #Pablo's revenge #Cartel runtz #Weed #Pot #Genetics #Cannabis #Weed from seed #Stoner #420 #High #Dank #Mids?

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yautjalover · 2 years

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the Yautja who don’t hunt and keep society running. I ended up writing this short female reader x male Yautja. I hope you enjoy it.

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Mating a Farmer Yautja 🪴🌾

Being the only human aboard a Yautja clan-ship was stressful. You had been taken for amusement from the small colony you lived in when you were the sole survivor of a Xenomorph infestation. There were many giant aliens all around you, watching with their predatory gazes, never giving you a minute of solace. It wasn’t until one day that you accidentally walked into a room full of plants that you found your happy place.

The ship had its very own farm in a large space in the center. It was wide and rectangular with every spare inch covered with vertical columns where alien plants grew in. Long basins lined the walls, teeming with many colorful flowering plants that had varying smells that were new to your senses.

Some of the flora were exotic, spicy, sweet, and even ones that smelled bitter. The ones with blue flowers smelled like a spicy mint while the yellow tulip-like ones smelled sweet. As a farmer and botanist yourself, that having been your job on the colony, were excited to learn as much as you could about this alien farm. There was even actual dirt in various parts of the floor where short metal strips kept it in.

The dirt was earthy and damp beneath your fingers. It was dark in color but smelled like home.

Back on the colony the farm you tended relaxed your nerves and helped bring an inner peace that nothing else could. So, of course, you visited this room often to escape the stares of the aliens. Here there were only the plants and a plant couldn’t openly stare at you like you were a freak.

It was one fateful day that your peace was shattered when one of the Yautja walked in carrying a metal container. You stayed hidden in a corner behind a pillar watching the alien pull various items from the box.

They were huge like all of the others, their dreadlock tendrils falling a little past their clavicles. Their hide was a rich muddy brown with lighter mottling of green. Like the other Yautja, this one wore a loincloth but this one’s a green that contrasted nicely with their coloring. Compared to the others, this one was appealing in a way.

You watched as they quickly got to work tending the many plants in the room, watering each one when completed with a hose they procured from the wall, the long black tube never-ending. At some point they came to the pillar that was your hiding space, prompting you to try to make your escape before they noticed you.

It was, however, in vain.

They blocked your route of escape and stood there with an arched brow, their head cocked to the side slightly. Eyes as yellow as a Buttercup peered down at you with curiosity.

“S-sorry. I just needed t-to get some peace. I’ll…umm…get out of your hair.” You mumbled, keeping your head down in submission to avoid their eyes. You steeled yourself for the coming anger but it never did. There wasn’t even a single growl.

“Plants peaceful. Ooman stay. Other Yautja thinks ooman annoying.” They struggled with the pronunciation, a large hand coming to pat your shoulder gently before they got back to work.

You smiled as you watched them pull weeds out of a bed of a big leafy green plant, their claws manipulating the soil.

They continually came back every other day. This was their job, they said. They were a farmer and must tend the plants to keep the clan fed. They taught you some basics when you one day asked to help, sharing that, you too, were a farmer back on your colony. You both bonded over your shared love for plants, teaching each other about techniques you liked to use.

Eventually it came to receiving small gifts from your farmer Yautja. Instead of skulls, like you had come to see was traditional, you found different sorts of flowers left on your cot.

You slept in a small room meant for a child, so anyone could access it, including your Yautja friend.

After so many gifts, you decided to give your own. It had taken a lot to get over the fact that they were the same species that had kidnapped you and that they were an alien interested in wanting something more with you. When it finally did click that you wanted something more, too, you left them a bountiful bouquet of Earth flowers you had grown in your room. You had luckily found the seeds somewhere in a storage bin and decided that this was how you would accept them as your mate.

It was late one evening when you were enjoying the quiet of the plants when your Yautja strolled in, your gift in hand. Their yellow eyes found you in your usual corner and dropped to their knees.

“Mate?” They asked, their head cocking to the side.

You smiled, a blush coloring your cheeks, “Mate.”

Something darkened in your now-mate’s eyes before they threw you over their shoulder and carried you to another secluded corner. There they claimed your body as theirs, your bodies joining at last, surrounded by the flowers and sprouting veggies.

#yautja #predator #avp #yautjalover #fanfic #monster romance #interspecies romance #fluff #teratophillia #farmer Yautja #we are farmers bum ba bum #not farmers insurance #farmer #plant lovers #pots before hoes #seeds before weeds #yautja x human #my wrtitng

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