With all of our trips to local parks and gardens, I have really been itching to have a garden and grow our own vegetables. My grand plans will have to wait until next year, when we can install some protective fencing. Otherwise, my garden will wind up feeding the deer and the bunnies.
But, I’m going to get started anyway, growing some things indoors. I checked into buying a greenhouse to help start my seeds and nurture the young “plantlings” indoors. But, the whole greenhouse set up can get very expensive. So I found a way to be a bit more frugal by making my own greenhouse.
It really isn’t that difficult to do. All you need is an unoccupied fish tank. Most of us have one of those stored away somewhere, right? (Our fish just recently passed away.) But if you don’t have a tank, ask around, shop the yard sales, etc. You can even ask the pet stores if they have a leaky tank you can have. For this frugal greenhouse project, it won’t matter if the tank leaks. You will also need a lid.
Next, gather some scrap wood that can be used to line the bottom of the tank. Add the wood in layers. This will bring the seedlings up closer to the heat of the light. Later, as they grow and get taller, you can remove layers of the wood to give the plants more room.
Keep the lid of the tank closed. The lid and the moisture in the soil will keep the environment nice and humid, encouraging your seeds to sprout. Later, you can even add a special glow light to the tank, if you want to get fancy. I’m going to let the seeds sprout a bit, and then transfer them to containers.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
Related Articles:
Frugal Gardening: Make Your Own Seed-Starting Pots
Want to try some virtual gardening? Learn how.
Frugal lessons from The Amish: Growing Food