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How to Make your Own Compost

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

Composting is something my hubby and I do and love. Compost is possibly the most efficient and useful way of disposing of household waste; nearly 40% of this waste is compostable. Compost is then be used on the garden as an organic and valuable fertilizer and soil improver. Why make compost? Types of composting .

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My Backyard Compost

Family Balance Sheet

My composting adventures all started about 9 years ago when our local Penn State Cooperative Extension office offered a free composting bin (the round one in the picture) when you attended their free composting seminar. I have a system going, but I am a laid back composter. So what did I learn at the seminar?

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What to Know About Growing a Balcony Container Garden

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

I’m starting to grow an indoor herb garden, but I also want to be able to grow certain vegetables, even though I’m in an apartment. Our apartment has a balcony and I’ve been formulating a plan for growing a few things when spring comes around. This is where the balcony container garden comes in handy.

Growing 100
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Don’t Dig a Money Pit in Your Garden

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

You were going to save a bundle on your grocery bill by growing your own vegetables and herbs. Instead, you broke your budget buying every gadget from the big box gardening store – not to mention the pricier mature plants and the chemicals to make them grow faster and produce more. Grow Heirlooms And Save Their Seeds.

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It’s Time to Plan Your Frugal Spring Garden

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

Burpee’s, Henry Fields, Stark Brothers, K Van Bourgondien & Sons, Van Enselen inc, John Scheepers Inc, Gurney’s, Henry Field’s, and Jung Seeds & Plants have all arrived in our mailbox (we are on a lot of lists!). Sure – take a look at the catalogs or online sites selling plants and seeds. Plan your garden.

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Thrifty gardening Tips

Prairie Eco-Thrifter

Tip # 1 – Go thrifty on seeds and plants. If you buy organic non-hybrid fruits or vegetables, you can save your seeds and plant them, year after year. Potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and horseradish can all be propagated by taking a cutting from the tuber and planting it.” Grow sprouts on a tuber. Use cuttings.

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Square Foot Gardening: Starting Over With New Soil

Family Balance Sheet

Last year, I chronicled my box garden conversion from random planting to the more calculated method, known as Square Foot Gardening. Even though I amended the soil in my boxed garden with compost over the years, the majority of the soil was thick, heavy clay that made pulling root vegetables, like carrots, very difficult.

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