Frugal Friday

As this latest batch of snow melts away, my thoughts are turning to spring.  Thinking of spring naturally makes one think of the garden.  An what does one need for a garden?  Seeds of course.  Well plants are nice, but they are expensive, so since we are being frugal here, seeds are the way to go. 

Now, I will admit I have not had as much success with starting seeds as I would like to have.  However, since they are so inexpensive, I feel it is an area I can afford to have failures and keep trying.  After all a $2 pack of seeds doesn't break the bank like a $50 plant would. 

My biggest problems is that I have no where to start seeds indoors.  So on a few select things, like tomatoes and basil, I will still by the plants.  However, I am going to do some early seed sowing in the garden and make some mini green houses to cover the seeds and see how that method works out.

If anyone out there is good at this, I, and many others, would appreciate any advice you can give us regarding starting seeds.  It all seems easy enough, but last year my morning glories never got past 2" tall.  That is correct.  2 inches tall.  How is that possible?  What am I doing wrong?  I see pictures of morning glories that grow like weeds and envelope a trellis or arbor with glorious green leaves and flowers.  Yet mine, after all summer never really grew at all. 

Hollyhocks are the other plant that elude me.  I see them growing practically wild up in Big Bear. They are in parking lots, coming up through sidewalk cracks and invading yards.   So of course I thought they would do well here and would  need a minimum of water and care.  Wrong.  I got 2 plants out of about 50 seeds I planted last year.   My friend, who lives in Big Bear, was good enough to go around one fall and harvest seeds for me from different hollyhocks and  I still do not have hollyhocks growing in my yard.

So as spring begins to come to Pine Cove, I will again attempt to plant seeds and get them to grow.  After all, spring is a time of renewal and who knows, perhaps one day I will get lucky and something will actually grow!