It is that time of year again: The countdown to garden planting! Do you often want to plant a garden but think it is too much money? I know what you mean, believe me. Our budget is so tight that it squeaks. Luckily, gardening is cheap. I mean almost free-kind-of-cheap.

Yes, yes..you can spend any amount of money and make a Martha S worthy garden patch, but why bother? The kids don't care if your rows are straight or if you planted 20 carrot seeds and only 5 came up. Get out there and garden!!

Here are some ways to get your garden on, for less money than a latte:

1. Trade seeds – Get some friends together and tell them you want to swap some seeds. Have everyone buy ONE packet of seeds. Just one. Get together and take a few of everyone's seeds(snack bags are super inexpensive and perfect for carrying seeds home in). Dont forget to write what seeds are inside the bags. For the cost of one packet of seeds, you might end up with a garden full of veggies!

2. Only plant what you like – Dont be swayed by HGTV. You probably wont like the latest and greatest unbelieveably hot pepper variety (and the kids certainly won't) but your family might love some lettuce, radishes, basil and a tomato plant. See? Yummy, and much easier to take care of.

3. Do NOT grow too much the first year – This is a problem for all of us. Your eyes are bigger than your garden space. It happens. Just plant a small area, use every bit of what you grow, and there is no waste of time or money.

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Ameliawrites

Amy is a WAHM of 5 awesome kids, from 16, down to 1 yrs. She writes late at night, fueled by good coffee. During the day, its farming, milking goats and homeschooling the kiddos. Not necessarily in that order.
Blame it on her lack of sleep, but Amy can come across as a bit snarky. Really, she is a nice girl, just too busy raising her own family to be politically correct.

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