#cheap gardening
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How to Increase Biodiversity on a Budget - Masterpost
It cannot be stressed enough that supporting native wildlife is important, wherever you are and however you can. But it can feel a bit daunting to think about doing, especially if you’re operating on a smaller budget. It’s not uncommon to hear about someone’s success story and think how much did it cost to do that?
I’m hoping that I can provide a good bunch of ideas on how to help heal the world around you without hurting your wallet. Feel free to use this as a guide, or a bouncing-off point to do actions in your own style!
Before we get Started
I want to make it clear that this is not a checklist of things you are required to do in order to be ‘helping.’ This isn’t an ‘all or nothing’ kind of deal. Every little bit you do helps. Being aware of these options and spreading awareness helps. Doing even just a handful of these options as you’re able to helps.
With that being said, we need to acknowledge that not everything in this list is feasible for everyone. Some people have a fenced yard in the suburbs. Some people have an unfenced yard with judgy neighbors and/or a restrictive HOA policy. Some people can’t directly control their own landscaping, whether that be because of an external lawn maintenance ruling or something like ‘living with your parents.’ Some people have a 4th story apartment with a small balcony. Some people rent and can’t grow directly into the ground. If the best you can do is put up a bird feeder, or grow a few pollinator-friendly plants in pots? I see you. I feel you. I’ve been there. I appreciate what you’re doing, and you know what? So does the wildlife.
Un-actions, or Restriction of Activities
Things to Do that Aren’t Related to Growing Plants
The Plants-Related Section
Adding To, or Starting, A Garden
Cheaply Starting
Supporting Your Plants for Cheap: Composting, Mulching, and Trellises
What Plants to Add
What to Do Once Things Are Planted
The Secret Other Thing - Managing Invasive Plants and Animals
Parting Words and Sources
If you’re interested in joining a group of gardening enthusiasts who are always down to talk about biodiversity, project ideas, and native plants, feel free to hop into my gardening discord!
#gardening#biodiversity#outdoor gardening#cheap gardening#solarpunk#idk what else to tag this as#I'm gonna post one or two of my pieces every day because. uh. it's a lot. and i gotta doublecheck for quality#but I'll link them all on THIS POST as I add them#ani rambles#out of queue#the biodiversity saga#editing the tags because I said 'im gonna post one or two a day' LMFAOOOOO#OK EVERYONE ITS DONE ITS OFFICIALLY DONE FEEL FREE TO GO HAM
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I don't thin, I separate and repot things. these were really old pepper seeds and I didn't think hardly any would grow!
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Which Plastics Are Safe For Container Gardening? | Guten Yardening
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got two squirrels out patrolling the deck searching for food. ya ate all of it!!!
#im starting a new job and haven't refilled the bird feeder in a few days#we have 3-4 regular squirrels and the two unnamed ones will come and eat eeeeeevverythingggggg#theyre stocking up for winter and theyre going crazy#gotta get a squirrelproof feeder cause bird food isn't super cheap and im not made of money#gonna have to contend with deer once we get the garden set up in spring too#ahhhh. creatures#im gonna plant stuff on the deck too. if those dang squirrels eat my cucumber!!#the real challenge will be getting the birds to not eat all the seeds TwT
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Oh btdubs, if anyone has access to a vacant patch of grass, like a backyard perhaps, and want to make a garden dollar stretch, invest more in trees and shrubs than vegetables.
They're harder to kill,
Require less water after the first year,
you can usually buy/preorder them cheap when they're out of season (as I've stated before in another post),
You get more fruit per plant,
You don't have to replant/reseed.
Sure it takes longer to establish and bear fruit and you can do stuff while you wait, but if it's between investing in the necessary items for a 5 inch garden box or 4 potted fruit trees your first year, I'd choose the latter. Make one of those trees an apricot and you could have fruit your first year, thereby tricking ur brain into releasing enough dopamine not to quit gardening out of lack of patience.
If you really want a vegetable garden:
grow tomatoes
and a variety of herbs like basil, thyme, mint(IN A POT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD KEEP THAT CRIMINAL LOCKED UP), oregano, lavender, rosemary, etc.
these guys are usually really hard to kill.
For an unkillable berry that you can harvest first year, comes back, and thrives on neglect, try a ground cherry (which is also a cousin to the tomato apparently).
don't forget to mulch okay bye.
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these autumn leaves are so pretty. i wish somebody would come along with the loudest machine known to man and get rid of them
Shovel them directly into my mouth
#asks#official nature post#half thinking of setting up a leaf raking business that is cheap so I can take all those leaves people don’t want to add to my garden
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please click for better quality
magnolias 🌸✨️
#secret garden 📚🧮#artists on tumblr#illustration#traditional art#magnolia#drawing#doodle#sketches#artwork#my art#sketchbook#zentangle#zendoodle#zen art#zentangle art#mandalas#mandala#mandala art#broke away from the cheap felt-tips for this one#watered down my calligraphy inks and used them like watercolours#lowkey love how it turned out#magnolias are some of my favourite flowers 💕
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Commissions are open!!
Hi! I'm Cat, and I'm opening commissions to help my family who is currently struggling through a bankruptcy. These are my prices! (USD only please!)
My Kofi link: https://ko-fi.com/spacecatz
INFORMATION BELOW THE CUT
BASIC SKETCH
- bust: 5 dollars
- fullbody: 10 dollars
LINEART
-bust: 15 dollars
-fullbody: 20 dollars
FULL COLOR
-bust: 25 dollars
-fullbody: 30 dollars
SIMPLE SHADING
(Without color)
-bust: 16 dollars
-fullbody: 19 dollars
(With color)
-bust: 26 dollars
-fullbody: 31 dollars
COMPLEX SHADING + LIGHTING
(without color)
-bust: 17 dollars
-fullbody: 18 dollars
(with color)
-bust: 27 dollars
-fullbody: 32 dollars
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS¹
sketch: +1 dollar
Lineart: +2 dollars
Full color: +3 dollars
Simple shading (no color): +2 dollars
Simple shading (color): +3 dollars
Complex shading/lighting(no color): +3 dollars
Complex shading/lighting(color): +4 dollars
BACKGROUNDS
Simple²: +2 dollars
Complex³ (This will take MUCH longer!): +6 dollars
COMICS
(Will contact for composition of panels)
Sketch: +1 dollar every panel
Lineart: +1 dollar every panel
Full color: +2 dollars every panel
Simple shading (no color): +3 dollars every panel
Simple shading (color): +4 dollars every panel
Complex shading/lighting (no color): +5 dollars every panel
Complex shading/lighting (color): +6 dollars every panel
Simple² backgrounds: +2 dollars every panel
Complex³ backgrounds: + 3 dollars every panel
¹: this includes more than one of the character in a space, for example on a reference sheet.
²: "Simple" refers to places that are easier or simplistic to draw- ground + wall, in a doorway with the room behind the subject blocked, sitting on a surface, etc. It will automatically line up with what you have chosen for the subject (sketch, lineart, shading, etc).
³: "Complex" refers to places that are harder to draw or more detailed in nature- entire rooms, detailed forest backgrounds, places with several background items like stores or bookcases, etc. It will automatically line up with what you have chosen for the subject (sketch, lineart, shading, etc). Since I am not usually a background artist, this particualr option will take a bit longer to complete and is therefore more expensive.
WILL DO:
Fanart of media
Ships
Ocs
Anthropomorphic characters
Animals
Character redesigns
Complex clothing styles (as long as there is a reference provided!)
Reference sheets with color swatches and information
Action poses (may require Reference and adjusting to liking)
WONT DO:
Incestuous or pedophilic relationships
NSFW/kink art (as of [post date]. Anatomy is hard)
PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, FEED MY ART INTO AN AI, OR RESELL MY ART. Use for profile pictures, backgrounds, etc is permitted with credit. Reblogs are permitted and encouraged!
(For those travelling from other sites to this one: repost refers to posting the image by itself and/or claiming it is yours. Reblogging refers to sharing the original post on your blog by hitting the 🔄 button!)
Here are some examples of my art!
[Full color fullbody, no shading- 30 dollars]
[Full color bust with complex lighting/shading- $27]
[Full color "bust" with complex lighting/shading- $27]
[Full color bust with simple shading / lighting- $26]
[Full color bust with simple shading / lighting- $26]
[Full color no shading "bust"- $25]
[Sketch bust + additional character- $6]
Thank you for reading through! If you enjoy my art, please consider commissioning me! You can contact me through dms here, OR on discord, if you are more comfortable that way! I will provide my discord in DMs.
(Credit to characters- Sun Wukong, Redson, Rumble, and Savage are all LEGO Monkie Kid characters. Pomni is a The Amazing Digital Circus character. However, the other three are my own original characters!)
#yes i do more than lmk but ive been obsessed w it lately lol#lego monkie kid#lmk oc#lmk redson#lmk rumble#lmk savage#rumble and savage#mentally ill artist#artist#my art#fanfic art#<- the second art piece which i plan to post alone later#a garden across our collarbone#commission#commision art#cheap commissions#unless you plan on making it fancy bc max can be 72 dollars but basic stuff is usually around 26#lmk sun wukong#tadc fanart#tadc pomni#tadc#the amazing digital circus pomni#pomni fanart#pomni
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I have a very genuine question about the tipping post I promise I didnt read it in bad faith: are people who simply cannot afford to tip not “allowed” to eat out? I’m just thinking about how it works where I am from and while tipping is the norm here if someone doesn’t tip because they can’t afford it it really isn’t a big deal (+tipping norm here us only 10%). so if a poor family goes out to eat to celebrate something and they can barely afford the meal would they still be expected to tip 20% because they shouldn’t eat out if they cant afford it? thank you in advance I’m really curious
If it helps, don’t think of the tip as a separate thing. It is part of the cost of your meal. So if you cannot afford to pay for the cost of the meal including the tip you cannot afford to eat at that restaurant. This is something I myself have to calculate when I’m deciding if I want to eat at a particular restaurant- if I have $15 I can’t go to a restaurant and order a $20 entrée and then refuse to pay the remaining cost, and likewise if I have $15 I can’t order a $15 entrée and expect not to pay the server for their service.
Now that doesn't mean families who can't afford a pricy restaurant can't eat out at all. Since it is a % of your bill you can try to go for a cheaper restaurant (smaller bill = smaller tip), or if you go to a counter service place where you serve yourself you’re not expected to tip 20% (sometimes they have a jar out you could kindly throw a dollar or more in, but there is much less expectation to tip because the workers at a place like that receive a full minimum wage, more on that in a sec). I will also say in my lived experience poor families in America understand and tip well, I’ve almost exclusively been under tipped by wealthy people (which is what kicked off the debate on twitter- if your bill is $700 then you obviously can afford to tip a full 20%, no destitute families are spending $700 on one meal).
Technically speaking you can get away with 18% as a tip, and if you go down to 15% your waiter will think you’re cheap and be annoyed (15% definitely implies you were unhappy with their service) but that is the lowest possible threshold of acceptability. 10% is not an acceptable rate here, and 20% is now the expected norm for good service, and going up from there for great service. And I would never, ever not tip at all. I can only imagine not tipping if like the server had done something deeply offensive or dangerous or something. I've never encountered a situation where I felt the server didn't deserve any tip at all.
Because you’ve asked in genuine good faith I’m going to provide some more context to help you understand a bit more why this is the way it is-
Waitstaff in america are wildly underpaid. Our federal government assumes the tips are part of their expected income, and so a) they are taxed on assumed tips and b) it is legal to pay them less than standard minimum wage. Currently the tipped federal minimum wage is $2.13/hr. Now, states set their own individual rates so some states do better, but $2.13/hr is the lowest they can all legally go. And you’ll notice in that link it mentions the assumed tips and taxing them. I said on my original post, when I worked as a tipped waitress I made $2.68/hr and sometimes my biweekly paycheck was like $60 total. Imagine trying to survive on $120 a month, you absolutely cannot. Tips made up my actual wage, and were the paycheck I depended on to pay for my basic needs. I relied directly on customers to choose to do the social convention of tipping for survival, and when someone would choose to do otherwise it was utterly devastating.
Another thing customers sometimes don’t realize is your waiter may not be allowed to keep all of the tip themselves. It’s a common practice to pool tips amongst all the waitstaff and then divide them equally, and many places require that you tip out other employees there. So if you give me $10 as a tip I might be actually giving a large chunk of that to bussers, bartenders, etc. Or maybe we pool tips and someone else stiffed my colleague so now all of us are sharing your $10 tip. So also keep in mind that the money you leave as a tip very often does not go entirely to the actual waiter, so a big tip can actually become pretty small much faster than you would think.
(and that's just legal practices, wage theft and illegal practices run rampant in the restaurant industry, just fyi)
If you are wondering why tipping culture here is so grim, it is because of slavery. Tipping got big here as a way to keep forcing Black Americans into working for free, now with a small tip but still no actual wage. It was designed for oppression. Waitstaff are overwhelmingly not wealthy people. It is very common for them to be on food stamps, require housing assistance, or to otherwise be living under the poverty line. If you are eating out and not tipping because you yourself are poor, you are taking money out of someone else’s poverty wages to do so. When we debate minimum wage here in america, conservatives are really good at painting a picture of waitstaff being perky middle class college kids making an extra buck, or teens from wealthy homes wanting some spending money. There is an implication that they don't really need the money that badly. That is not the reality of who makes up most serving jobs in america. Minimum wage workers are likely to be in poverty, they’re likely to be women and specifically they’re likely to be women of color. Americans of color are significantly more likely to be working at minimum wage than white americans. There is a pretty sizeable number of minimum wage workers who are over 50, and a not insignificant amount of them who are mothers who support their families. There are also those teens who just want extra cash, and they deserve good compensation for their hard work too, don’t get me wrong, but they are only a portion of who makes up the minimum wage workforce.
If you’re like “But that’s such a shitty system, you’re saying it’s pitting poor people against each other for basic human comforts!” yup. I 100% agree. I am a vocal proponent of raising the minimum wage for that reason. I also advocate for a Universal Basic Income, because I understand that when it comes to small mom & pop restaurants the owners aren’t always making a ton of money either and it seems like truly no one is winning in this system. It is set up to oppress and to demean and to grind us all down. There are lots of orgs in America that are fighting to improve the system, or to radically change the system. There are also restaurants that have tried to do things differently- there’s a wine bar in my city that says specifically on their menu that their wine is more expensive because they pay their workers a true livable wage so there is no tipping there. Instead as a customer I pay a higher upfront cost that covers the true expense of running the bar- including server wages. I love that, I wish more places would do things like that. In the meantime, when I’m choosing where to eat I factor in a tip of 20% when calculating my estimated bill, because paying for service is part of the cost.
Refusing to tip fully in america is not doing anything to change the system. It does not make restaurant owners rethink their pay structure, it does not put pressure on our government to fix minimum wage, it does not make a political statement. It just means your server is going home wondering if they can afford their own meal that night.
Thank you for asking for clarity, I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask more if you have any remaining confusion or are curious about other aspects of american culture. If I can answer and the questions are respectful, I am happy to reply!
#also fwiw#you know those big american chain restaurants people like to make fun of?#like olive garden or red lobster or applebees or whatever?#a lot of the appeal of those types of restaurants is they make a big production over you as a customer like you're at a high end restaurant#but the prices are much lower than an actual nice restaurant#so that is why so many americans view going to outback steakhouse as a big treat#it's not that we don't know what a good steakhouse is#it's that those places give you that service but your steak is $20.99#and if you are like 'ha! my family wishes they could afford chilis"#no yeah those places are not cheap i feel you#but that's exactly the appeal of those big chains#a real nyc steakhouse starts at like $40 for steaks#and goes up from there#now look at outback's menu#now you get it?#so yeah if you're not a wealthy family and you have a celebration coming up you look for a restaurant in that vein
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did a round of eye swaps this weekend! it's the most ive done all at once, and i gotta say, i do not recommend it. by the time i got new eyes in these four, my hands were begging me to stop, so poor Priscilla sat eyeless for a while. but I'm really happy with the results!
let me walk you through the process a bit.
i used this guide to help decide which eyes i wanted to use.
this all started because i wanted Daria's eyes for Zooey.
Daria's eyes don't match her color scheme at all, and this has always bothered me about her. they stand out too much, and its jarring. but that minty blue and pale pink are Zooey's colors exactly, it would complete her alien vibe perfectly.
but, unfortunately, Zooey and Daria have different eye chips. Daria has the Twins eye chip, which has four pegs to keep it in place in the socket, and Zooey has the newer B2 chip, which has only two prongs. i was worried that Daria's eyes wouldnt fit in Zooey's head, so i prepared a backup donor: Simone.
Simone has the CNY eye chip, first introduced in Lily Cheng, the Special Edition doll for the Chinese New Year in 2022. this eye mold is more similar to the B2 eyes since it also has only two prongs, so if Daria's eyes didnt sit right in Zooey, these might be a better fit. the colors arent as perfect, but it could work.
except that Darias eyes fit Zooey perfectly. she looks so cute! now her eyebrows are even more out of place, but I'll get to that later.
i had already taken out Simone's eyes to compare the two, so she was given Zooey's eyes.
i was blown away by how incredible she looks! so soft and sweet. i was fond of her before, but she's crawled up into my top ten faves with this one alteration.
now, i was going to give those eyes to Daria, but they obviously belong to Simone now. Daria still needs brown eyes though, so i brought out a more fitting donor for her: Priscilla. she has the same color eyes as Zooey, but in the Twins eye chip.
perfect for ms. Daria, much more natural. it's just what she needed.
now, i wasn't intending to bring Minnie into this, but her eyes are a bit unusually dark, and i had Simone's eyes sitting there.. and well. i already had the hair dryer out.
honestly? a serve. she has B2 eyes originally, like Zooey, so the lashes are Just under her eyelid but they still fit her sculpt pretty well.
at this point, my hands were aching, and i had worn a blister into my thumb, so i had to take a break. Pris was going into the stock box anyway, so there was no pressure to finish her, but the next day i came back and gave her Minnie's eyes for safekeeping.
she looks a little sleepy, but overall pretty cute. she probably won't stay this way because she's going into the potential custom pile, but its fine for now.
look at these four and how perfect they are!! Zooey and Daria came out exactly how i planned, but i am still so shook by how beautiful Simone is now. i just cant stop looking at her.
I'll be reblogging to add more photos, including side by side comparisons to the stock photos since tungle will only let me post 10 pictures at a time
#or is it 12? idk theres a limit though#im very pleased with my work but the tips of my thumbs are just numb now.#i really recommend wearing some sort of gloves if youre going to do this#just because the plastic has to be Hot and you wont realize your fingers are burning until theyre already burned#maybe like a cheap winter glove or a gardening glove#rubber/vinyl/latex gloves are probably too thin to actually help#I've done other eye swaps before just never this many at a time#i was feeling crafty i guess#well i was mostly looking at daria and zooey and Wishing. and then i remembered i could fix them#and again#zooey still doesnt look like this anymore#i took off her brows later#and she looks AWESOME#photos coming soon.#also more pics of simone because shes perfect.#my dolls#dolls#rainbow high#shadow high#rainbow high collection#rainbow high collector#doll collector#dollblr#doll custom#custom doll#doll mods#doll customization#rh#doll#rainbow high doll
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if i made artsy seed packets w seeds from my plants would yall want any?? i have local (east coast US, would have to look up what variety all of these are) milkweed, plus some jalapeno, sunflower, and tomatoes i can seed save w. idk just a thought , lmk ur thoughts :3
#potential thing for my etsy 🤔#idk could also just be a fun experience to make seed packets#and i could keep them if theyre not sale worthy bc like#i want to learn seed saving anyways :p#solarpunk#i would give them for free but alas. need to pay bills :')#maybe it could b like. very cheap or a just pay for shipping situation#ecopunk#seed saving#gardening#sustainability#permaculture
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Supporting Your Plants for Cheap
This is my fifth 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!
Once you start gardening, you’ll find a lot of things go into it, and it can be a bit daunting to think about--especially if you’re trying to keep things low-cost. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be as hard--or as expensive--as it initially appears.
Composting
There’s several different ways to compost, any of which are helpful indirecting food waste and nutrients out of landfills and into your soil--which in and of itself can help increase biodiversity by making the space more livable for microorganisms and insects, which then cycles around to the rest of the habitat.
The classic one you see is hot composting. Most of the time, when I see hot composting set ups online, or hear people talking about them, it’s like listening to a wizard cast an intricate spell and prattle on about ratios and temperatures and special ingredients while standing over a detailed self-built setup made of the finest wood money can buy. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be complicated. First off, there’s lots of ways to make compost bins--some can be more expensive than others, but there’s definitely options asides from buying pre-made tumblers or getting an engineering degree. I’ve seen people use metal trash cans dug into the ground, make compost pile setups out of old pallets, or just pile stuff up and leave it. While using different ratios of certain items can help them decompose faster, it’s ultimately not something you need to worry about a lot. If it can break down, it’ll break down--it just might take awhile. Composting this way can also help provide habitat--some insects like bumblebees have been known to make nests in compost heaps. In addition, it provides a robust ecosystem for decomposers like worms and other organisms, and bats and birds will be attracted to open-top piles to eat flying bugs that live off the compost. Amphibians enjoy them for humidity, warmth, and feasting on insects. Do note that sometimes snakes may also rest in and lay eggs in compost heaps, so be careful when turning them.
Do note, though, that if your compost pile looks like that you're getting roaches and rats and raccoons out of your goddamn mind. Bury the food scraps.
Personally, when I compost, I use a worm bin--they’re a fantastic option for limited space and limiting smells. I keep mine outside in a big rubbermaid tote with holes drilled into the bottom, sides, and lid. I put a layer or two of weed block on the inside, so it’s still able to drain but keeps the worms from trying to escape during rainy days. There is an initial cost of buying the worms, getting enough bedding materials, and getting a new bin if you don’t have an old one suitable for use. But with occasional feeding, it should sustain itself and provide valuable worm castings that can be used in the garden. Please do note, however, that earthworms are considered invasive in some places.
Look at that worm bin-y goodness. This is a pic of my bin, from earlier this month!
Though I’ve never done it, I’ve heard of people having good results with bokashi composting--a method that’s done in a bucket, and is relatively easy to do indoors.
Once you start a composting system, keeping it stockpiled with organic material can become pretty easy for cheap. In general, if it comes from a plant, it’s safe to use. It’s also a good idea to avoid putting already-cooked things in a pile, as salts and sauces can kill beneficial bacteria in the compost while also attracting animals. Adding meat is also generally avoided to not attract animals. But below are some things that I’ve put in my worm bin quick, easy, and cheaply; or things I’ve seen friends put in their compost piles.
Cooking scraps/snack leftovers--things like cut up bell peppers, the ends of tomatoes, strawberry tops, apple cores, watermelon rinds, coffee grounds, and orange peels are amassed somewhat quickly in my house--my dad likes to cook. Around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas? Corn husks, potato peels, sweet potato fibers, leftover greens and other trimmings are a feast for compost piles and worm bins.
Vegetables and Stuff that went bad in the fridge/pantry--we’re constantly victims of the ‘forgot it was there’ conundrum. Fridge cleanouts are great times to decide what can be tossed to the compost--moldy bell peppers, spotty celery, questionable carrots, onion halves, old eggs, bagged salads, and stale/moldy bread have all been tossed into the pile before!
Grass clippings--though my worms don’t like grass clippings, they’re still great material for a classic hot compost set-up!
Fallen leaves--another classic addition to a hot compost pile. Some friends keep them stocked up and stored for later use.
Plant trimmings--what is plant clean up if not compost material? I’ve put cleaned-out sunflower heads and stalks in my worm bin, and they decomposed after about two months. If you get blossom end rot on your tomatoes or peppers, they’re still fair game for the bin as well!
Shredded mail--just make sure to not put in the thin plastic that covers the address section on some envelopes. Otherwise? As long as the paper isn’t glossy, it should be great for a bin or pile! Shredded paper or cardboard also makes great bedding for worm bins. Put those Amazon boxes to good use!
Pumpkins! Snag your neighbor’s halloween pumpkins in November and toss them in my compost! Last year my dad went around the cul-de-sac and nabbed all of the post-halloween pumpkins, the worms loved it.
Christmas tree needles--can’t confirm I’ve tried this, but it seems like it would work.
Mulch
Mulch is an excellent way to keep your soil moist, while also beginning and continuing to improve soil conditions as it breaks down into organic matter. You’ll have to water less, and it’ll prevent/slow down the growth of unwanted weeds (which is always the final straw to gardening for me, I get so overwhelmed I just stop going outside). Win-win situation, right? Except stepping into a Home Depot and finding mulch being sold for five dollars per square foot and knowing you have to cover a whole garden with it all can add up… pretty quickly, to say the least.
Fortunately, there are a few solutions to this, and likely from your own backyard!
Grass clippings are the first that come to mind. If you’re mowing your lawn, or have neighbors who are, collecting the clippings and spreading them over your soil is a cheap and easy option for some quick mulch. It’ll be very nitrogen-heavy, so keep that in mind, but it’ll still prevent weeds, retain moisture, and break down into organic material over the course of a few months. Do try to not use grass clippings you know are treated with pesticides, since the aim is to use this mulch to help increase your biodiversity, and having insects around plays a big role in that.
Fallen leaves are the next that comes to mind. If you’ve got a tree in your yard, or in your neighborhood, then you or someone around you knows the neverending avalanche of leaves or pine needles that drop come fall. As mentioned before, they can be used to make brush piles for creatures, or added into compost, but they have a fantastic third use as mulch. Add them on top of your beds!
Want free wood mulch? A program called Chip Drop might be the best solution for you! They team up with arborists to find cheap drop sites for shredded wood, logs, etc. that are produced as they maintain trees! If any local arborists tied to the program are operating in your area, instead of paying to dump the resulting mulch at a landfill or some other dumpside, they’ll simply dump it at your place! Now, you won’t be able to control when the mulch gets dropped--I’ve heard of people coming home from work one day to find a chip drop in their driveway. But… free mulch!
Want wood chips but not a whole truck load? If an arborist is working in your area, and you can muster the courage, its worth a shot to ask! One time someone in my neighborhood was getting a tree removed, so my Dad and I parked near their car with a tarp in the trunk, some shovels, and an old storage bin. We approached nicely and asked if we could have some chips, and they were totally cool with it! At that point, how much you get depends on how big your trunk space is, and how many times you’re willing to ferry mulch back and forth out of your car so you can go back for more. But it is an option! Alternatively, you can ask them to dump the whole load in front of your house, but at least you’ll know when and where it’s happening!
Trellises
Many plants need, or will appreciate, some kind of climbing structure. But trellises aren’t often cheap to find. To that, I say--we’ll create our own!
One popular option is to grow taller plants, and then plant climbing species are few weeks/years later so they’ll climb the taller plants! I’ve planted passion vine near a tree in my garden for it to climb, and I’ve seen people do similar concepts with sunflowers, corn, and other such plants! Sunflower stalks can provide support even after they’ve been cut back.
A combination of wood, some stakes, some nails, and some string can create a great frame trellis that can be used for beans, tomatoes, vines, etc--so I’m sure if could be put to good use for native climbers, especially since my dad’s used this structure for passion vines before. You may have to replace the string every year, but most of the time, the string is compostable anyways!
This may take a bit more setup and have a more upfront cost, but creating a trellis out of cattle panels makes a durable structure that can support all kinds of vining plants!
Of course, there’s always the easy alternative of simply letting plants climb along your fence! This is especially easy if you have a chain link fence, but wooden fences are plenty suitable for some species as well! I’ve seen passion vines do great growing along chain link fences as supports, and one of my favorite sights as a kid was always seeing bushels of trumpet vines growing up and over fences on the drive home.
Why are we worrying about trellises? Creatures are attracted to diverse landscapes with a variety of plants within them, so having a few climbers can be a great way to attract more wildlife! I know some plants in my area that pollinators are attracted to, or even rely on as host plants, are climbers that can get upwards of 15 feet tall, and will climb any surface you give them. A trellis provides you a great place to put extremely beneficial plants.
That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about how different 'kinds' of plants can all be beneficial in a biodiversity standpoint. 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#composting#mulch#trellis#budget gardening#cheap gardening#ani rambles#out of queue#the biodiversity saga#i remember junior year of college me and my friends considered doing a cattle panel trellis#but then we couldn't figure out where to buy cattle panel#apparently the answer is 'tractor/farmer supply companies'#also so anyone reading these tags knows what took me 5+ years to learn#CATTLE PANEL DOESNT COME IN ROLLS IT COMES IN LENGTHS#all this time I was like 'man i wanna make a cattle panel trellis but it comes in like 40 foot lengths and i dont need that much'#and all my gardening homies were confused because theyve been getting it in lengths THIS WHOLE TIME#I WAS LOOKING AT FUCKIN ROLLED FENCING#i actually dont think any of the big box stores by me even fuckin sell cattle panel but thats beside the point#you can get it delivered though#(Delivered to the store for pickup i think)#someday i want a cattle panel trellis with like moonflowers or trumpet vine just a BURST of color and life
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most grocery store potatoes are fine and will grow! if they have NO EYES those are the "bad" ones. so just look for eyes with a bump in em and you are good to go. the treated ones will have empty/no eyes (and they're not common to find). any old potato and any old container and any old dirt will do it. they gotta be above 45F and get at least some light. bury the leaves as the plant grows and let only the top few leaves stick out of the dirt (most potatoes you can buy are indeterminate and this will make them make more food). the leaves are not food, just bury em.
I have used a ton of stuff to grow potatoes. they are easy, they are a good staple crop to grow if you are broke and just need calories. They can take 2-4 months to produce full sized taters, or 2ish months to make baby taters if you are desperate enough. the red ones seem to grow best for me but it's gonna vary depending where you live. I know I am funny looking, but I want you to be able to grow some taters, so, enjoy
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went out to get plants to attract hummingbirds since i've seen several looking for flowers on my balcony, and i was hesitant to get one plant until a hummingbird literally starting feeding on it in front of me lol. it even came back once i put the plant in my cart. can't wait for them to frequent my garden (':🌱
#also got a huge basil plant for cheap i'm so happy#flowers haven't been my thing when gardening but now i'm trying#solstice's♡prophecies
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The annotation project grows and grows.
Hyperfixation Corner is my happy place atm:
#good omens#about me#I have my leatherbound journal for feelings --a cheap subject notebook for stray thoughts...#...and a different subject notebook for handwritten rough drafts of posts. it has a garden on the cover. bought it for this express purpose#and Crowley Funko for morale#:3 I'm having a lot of fun#Hyperfixation Corner
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I do not understand getting mad at going to a fast-casual for a date. I love dinner and savings
#olive garden isnt cheap but neither is a nice restaurant tf#take me to cheesecake factory i wont complain
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