Save Money by Growing Plants from Seeds
Save Money and Start a Hobby with Growing Plants
Save money on groceries by growing plans with seeds, and find a new hobby! Why do I love planting seeds? Besides it being a great way to have food to eat at a much cheaper price and without having to go to the grocery store, I love it as a new hobby! Growing them is fun and it is nice to learn something new and see the plants develop.
Since plants change every day, it also takes out the monotony that comes with the pandemic. And then finding new ways to cook with them is also a lot of fun!
Also See Regrow Kitchen Scraps to Save Money
P.S. check out my prior post on growing foods from kitchen scraps for ideas on how to save money by regrowing food you have in the kitchen.
And there you will see another hobby with painting pots!
Growing with Seeds
Now how to save money by growing your food with seeds (plus find a good hobby!)
First, pick out some good seeds at a local hardware, garden, or grocery store, or online (Amazon has some great options).
Then plant them about a quarter-inch deep (or check the package).
Also, to create a humidity effect, I like to cover them with plastic and poke holes in it. The humidity created helps the seeds grow into seedlings faster.
Once the seedlings get too tall and hit the plastic, which will take about a week to a few weeks (or more) depending on the seeds, then remove the plastic from the top. Also, around this time, you may want to move them into a bigger container (depending on how deep your container is).
Save Money by Reusing Tupperware as a Container to Plant Your Seeds
So to save money by reusing materials I already have, I use tupperware from deli meat I got at the grocery store as a way to reuse it and plant my seeds in before moving them to a pot. You can get creative and just use a container that will work for the small seedlings. Then, you can move them once they get bigger. Since not all seeds will grow and some will not live very long, it is easier to start them off in another container before transplanting (or repotting) them into a pot. However, I have also used big terracotta pots for my seeds.
Growing Sweet Pepper Seeds
Here are my sweet pepper seeds, which grew at about one week. This is them at about two weeks in tupperware with plastic over them. I moved them around this point to a pot.
And here they are after about 3-4 weeks.
Tomatoes
Also, as I wrote about using my kitchen scraps to get tomato seeds and grew them here are my cherry tomato seedlings now.
NOTE: *In this picture the seedlings have a pink tint from a grow light.* But, if tomato leaves and stems turn purple, this indicates they are deficient in phosphate.
- You can use fertilizer or you can mix some Epson salt with water (about 1:5 ratio).
- Then, wait about a week to see the effects. (but keep watering when the soil is too dry in the meantime with regular water).
- With my plants, my leaves got a bit greener but I will warn that they first looked a little worse!
Grow Lights
Some of my pictures have a pink tint because of a grow light that I have. If you grow indoors or do not have enough sunlight, then a grow light can be a great option!
Basil and Oregano Grown from Seeds
While I am almost embarrassed to share these, basil is one herb I cannot get enough of. Having a basil plant is a great way to save money if you use basil cooking. You can buy one from the store and plant it with some nutrient-rich soil and you should have enough basil! But if you are using a lot (like me) then you may want to plant some seeds too.
Also, basil really loves sun. So if you are growing it indoors, then you may not get as big of a plant as you would outside. That’s ok! Get some seeds at a fraction of the cost.
Here are my basil seeds after about 3-4 weeks.
Also I planted them with oregano, which you can see are now growing the oregano leaves at about 3-4 weeks.
Microgreens
Another great way to use seeds to save money with food preparation is to eat microgreens. Microgreens are rich in nutrition and are what they sound like – very young plants that are tiny! There are tons of ways you can incorporate this into food and try something new out. For some ideas, see this great post: https://grocycle.com/best-microgreens-recipes/.
Final Thoughts
So initially this may seem like it is spending money rather than saving it. However, you can find seeds in the food you eat. Over time this will save you money by cutting down your grocery bill. For more ways to save money, see my save money and time master post list. And for ideas on how to make money and a list of referral codes for apps and websites, see my master list of money making options and my referral codes list.
Contact me with any questions!
