Finding Free Plants For Your Garden

Gardening can be an exciting outdoor hobby but buying seeds and plants can get very expensive. There are several ways to get free plants and seeds for your garden. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Collect Seeds

At the end of the garden season you can save some of the seeds from your own garden harvest. Simply pick beans, peas, tomatoes, and other seed bearing vegetables and dry the seeds. You won’t need a lot just enough to plant a row or two for your next years garden. Let the seeds dry completely and then store them in dry packaging such as an envelope or plastic bag.

Be sure to label the package and date it so that you’ll be sure to use your seeds in the next garden harvest. You can also collect seeds from friends if they are willing. Many neighbors trade seeds or ask friends or neighbors to “watch” their gardens while they are on vacation in exchange for produce. Just save some of the seeds. This is fantastic way to find free seeds for your garden.

Farmers Market

Did you happen to go to the farmers market this year? Save the seeds from the squash you bought or any other seed bearing foods. Again dry as recommended above and store accordingly.

Local Garden Centers

Many local garden centers have a “free seed/plant giveaway day”. Take advantage of any near your home. Gardeners in and around these stores will bring in their extra plants free for the taking. So keep your eyes open and watch those ads, you never know when you could really score a deal.

Celery

Remember that celery you bought at the store last week? Guess what, you can grow more celery from it. Simply cut the stalks off at the root leaving about 2 inches of root. Now go and plant that root gently covering the top of it with some dirt. In about a week you’ll see some new tender young celery shoots coming up. Let them grow for a few months and voilà you’ll have a new celery plant.

Bok Choy and Romaine

Bok Choy and Romaine Lettuce can also be grown as the celery. It works great and you’ll have plenty of bok choy and celery and romaine for your salads this way. Just break off what you need for dinner and let the rest continue to grow.

Watch Your Parks and City

Twice each year parks and cities have huge yard work days. Often on these days they will allow people to come in and dig up plants they wish to get rid of. For the price of using your own shovel and a bucket to put your plant in you can have a luscious plant for your yard or garden. Watch local papers and ask your parks division if your area has a free plant day like this.

Now that you know how to find free plants for your garden you won’t have to spend money and can have the gorgeous garden you’ve always dreamed of.