The Greenhouse, It's still happening.

If you've read our story about our creative upcycled Greenhouse, then you might have been wondering on how that project is going. Well, you know, life happens and our project was derailed when we began a remodel rehab project in our home town. It was good, exhausting but a lot of fun.

Unfortunately my dream of soaking in a tub of lovely herb infused spring water while relaxing in a hideaway of greenery was temporarily postponed for the time being. But good news! Keep your fingers crossed, we are slowly revisiting that long lost project.

To recap, we began building our greenhouse/bath house the summer before last by recycling old barn boards from an old barn here on our property. I can't tell you how many smaller projects we have made using these terrific rough sawed beauties.

We saved old double hung windows from our 100yr old cottage and recycled them too, scrubbing, priming and painting them "Mark Twain Grey Brick".

I also painted two old but distinctly different old doors for the greenhouse and painted them the same grey, but alas they never made it up last summer and for now we have old tarps covering the entrances for the sake of protecting the plants overwintering in there.

We lined the interior with cedar and boy do I love the smell when the warm winter sun happens to visit. It is so pleasant and I'm glad we decided to put aside our frugal sensibilities this once and invested in that wonderful amenity.

Let me tell you my frugal heart excitedly skipped a beat when we tore down an old ugly shed at the remodel house and came across these heavy duty old brackets. Yep, up they went in the greenhouse. Score!

We topped them with some cedar boards and ta-da, more shelving for plants. Frugal gal boogie goin' on here folks. I love a good savings don't you?

I hope you're enjoying the first true moments of Spring. I hope the soil is crumbly within your hands, that blooms abound for you to drink in, and your package of seeds are on their way.

And I want to leave you with another frugal gardening tip, a sister to the perfect paper pots.

While the weather is still a bit cool I'll stoke up a nice fire in my workshop. It's the perfect time to enjoy it's warmth while settling down to make my plant tags. I simply buy a large box of 500 wooden craft sticks (super cheap) and with some nippers I nip one rounded end to a point. Couldn't be easier and a savings to boot. I'm frugal like that you know. Oh, you know. Of course you know.

Another tip: a freshly sharpened crayola makes for a perfect water resistant marker.

P.S. Are your fingers crossed? Thanks, we really need to finish the Greenhouse.

Frugal Gardening Tip

My mind is atwitter as every few days it seems, a new, bright, shiny, crisp seed catalog arrives in my mailbox. I love JANUARY! Rally I do darling. A little preview of my favorites and some sharing of one of my best frugal gardening tips. Grab some tea and join me.

Territorial Seed Company

Territorial's website presents you right at the get go, some nifty ideas and suggestions. Like the great idea of using seed packets as stocking stuffers at Christmas. I would be giddy to find a packet of their organic DRUNKEN WOMAN FRIZZY HEADED lettuce seeds in my boot sock, er, stocking I mean. Fun.

Nichols Garden Nursery

Nichol's website opens with words from the Gardeners Pantry. Expressions of the founders fertile philosophy the company is rooted in. I've met Marie and her husband when they gave a free presentation on container gardening. Delightful folks.

I like supporting both these small family companies as they are Oregon grown and experts on gardening in the Willamette Valley.

But other catalogs have bunched in my mailbox from larger standard companies too like Johnny's Selected Seeds of Winslow Maine. They have some enticing offerings as well as from good old Burpee of Warminster Pennsylvania.

I'm glad for the catalogs in early January. For reals. It takes time for this cottage woman to plan out what I can really logically (if that's possible) and physically aspire to in the garden for the coming season. I need to consider what is already put up in the pantry. Like pickles for instance. I have way too many jars of pickles. Enough at least to last 2011. So maybe just some slicing, lemon, or other specialty cuke will do.

But while I and hopefully you are getting your gardening groove revved up for spring, I want to share this frugal gardening tip. Try saving up your toilet paper and paper towel tubes over the year. While snuggled up all toasty warm for the winter you can create your own 3"by 2" seed pots. Here's how.

1. Start saving up all your toilet paper and paper towel tubes. Larger families of course can have an ample supply in no time.

2. Cut them into 3" sections.

3. Take a section and press it flat. Open and press flat the opposite side. Your round tube section should now have 4 corners.

4. Cut approximately 1" from each corner to make flaps.

5. Fold each flap in, overlapping to make a small box.

There you have it! a perfect paper seed pot.
Humdinger!!