Frugality

We need a moment of transparency. I am frugal. I am not cheap. I am not stingy, or parsimonious: I am frugal. To me frugal means being a good steward of what I have, it means that I am thrifty, economical and not wasteful. Frugality is an essence of living the self-sufficient life: reuse, recycle and restore are cornerstone principles of how Jim and I live. So when I walk into Buchheits I am looking, like most of you, for a good buy.

Right now is a great time to buy seeds. What! You’ve planted all the beets you need for this year, why would you buy more seed? In the photo above you can see my seed collection. OK, part of my seed collection!

The seed companies are presently discounting this year’s seed. What you may or may not know is that you can plant last year’s seed without the sky falling! Really. I work off a schedule where I am planting discounted seeds for the bulk of my garden. The germination rate is usually around 80% on seeds from 2015 and it goes down each year. I am not recommending that you hold seeds indefinitely but you can save money now for next year or at least your fall planting this year by taking advantage of the sales. Please store your seeds in a mouse-proof container in a cool dry dark place.

When you buy heirloom seeds, you can save the seeds from your harvest and plant them next year and they will produce a plant just like the original. But it is work and time to save seeds. Here is a photo of my heirloom spinach and carrots that are going to seed.

It takes precious garden space when I can purchase seeds on sale now for next year. I just plant them a little heavier to make up for the germination rate difference. I am saving seeds to teach myself how to do it but if I am really honest; it’s a lot easier to go to Buchheit and buy the seed. Hope this was helpful: that’s my heart’s desire, to help you enjoy gardening!