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	<title>Frugal Dad &#187; Gardening</title>
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	<description>Tips for living frugal while still having a life</description>
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		<title>Vegetable Garden Planting</title>
		<link>http://frugaldad.com/2010/02/22/square-foot-gardening-grow-your-own-vegetables/</link>
		<comments>http://frugaldad.com/2010/02/22/square-foot-gardening-grow-your-own-vegetables/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:00:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Frugal Dad</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gardening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[raised bed garden]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frugaldad.com/?p=4804</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This introduction to square foot gardening, or raised bed gardening, first appeared nearly two years ago here at Frugal Dad. I&#8217;ve republished with a few updates sprinkled in. With the weather warming up here in the south I&#8217;m itching to get started planting our vegetable garden, and plan to build a much larger on-the-ground square [...]<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This introduction to square foot gardening, or raised bed gardening, first appeared nearly two years ago here at Frugal Dad. I&#8217;ve republished with a few updates sprinkled in. With the weather warming up here in the south I&#8217;m itching to get started planting our vegetable garden, and plan to build a much larger on-the-ground square foot garden. Look for garden updates coming soon!</p>
<p><strong>I recently discovered an interesting gardening method called square foot gardening, and decided we would give it a try here in the Frugal household. </strong>The founder of the concept, Mel Bartholomew, has a fantastic resource available in the book <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591862027?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=frugaldad0c-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591862027" target="_blank"><strong>All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!</strong></a></em></p>
<p>I’ve always thought the idea of growing your own vegetables in raised beds would be a lot of fun. Even if the cost savings are not significant, there are plenty of other benefits to starting your own garden.</p>
<p><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/square-foot-gardenseedlings.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="208" /><br />
<em>Our first square foot garden box built in February 2008</em></p>
<p>Gardens appeal to self-sufficient, frugal types like me. While I won&#8217;t be able to fully feed my family of four with our mini-harvest, we will surely enjoy some fresh-picked vegetables to supplement our spring and summer meals. With any excess, we may even do a little canning. Gardening is also therapeutic in that provides something to look forward to, and is a great stress-reducing hobby.</p>
<p>One of the major challenges to <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/aerogarden" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://aerogarden.com';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">gardening</a> is our lack of quality soil, and frankly, hand-digging a gardening can be a lot of work. While I could rent or borrow a tiller to handle the job, I prefer the square foot gardening method in raised beds. Using this method, you control the soil content, and it doesn&#8217;t require any digging prior to planting.</p>
<h3><em><strong>What is a Raised Bed Garden?</strong></em></h3>
<p>The idea behind a raised bed garden is that you can plant fruits, vegetables and flowers in raised beds, above poor soil conditions. Seeds are planted in 1X1 square foot plots, and when harvested a new plant is installed in the square. Raised beds can sit directly on the ground, or include a bottom layer and be placed on patios, decks or porches. Because of a bad back, and a dog with a propensity to dig up our new plants, we decided to build a 4×2 foot table-top design.</p>
<h3><em>Materials Needed to Set Up a Vegetable Garden<br />
</em></h3>
<p>Material costs vary depending on factors like the size of garden you plan to build. For our first tabletop garden, we opted to build a 4ft. by 2ft. configuration because it fit the table we were planning to use. Most people typically start with a 4ft. by 4ft. design for their first square foot garden. I’ll share with you what materials I used, but keep in mind the pricing could be higher or lower depending on your local costs of lumber, soil, etc.</p>
<p><strong>(1) Sheet untreated plywood – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$0.00</span> (leftover scrap from a previous <a href="http://frugalrealestate.com/category/home-improvement/" target="_blank">home improvement</a> project)</strong></p>
<p><strong>(2) 2×6&#215;8 pieces of untreated lumber – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$7.38</span></strong><br />
Don’t get <em>treated </em>lumber because treatments can seep into the soil and contaminate your planting area.</p>
<p><strong>(8) #8 x 3&#8243; Wood Screws (or deck screws) – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$2.94</span></strong><br />
Use these longer screws to connect the corners of the 2×6’s after cutting to the desired length.</p>
<p><strong>(8) #6 x 1&#8243; Wood Screws – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$0.98</span></strong><br />
These were used to anchor the nylon line to create a grid system for the 1×1 planting plots. I also used a few to fasten the sheet of plywood to the 2×6’s to create a bottom to my container.</p>
<p><strong>(1) Pack of Twisted Nylon Line – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$4.43</span></strong><br />
I used this and the smaller screws to create a grid system on top of the container, in 1×1 square foot patterns.</p>
<p><strong>(2) 2cu ft. bags of Miracle Grow Garden Soil (for flowers and vegetables) – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$13.54</span></strong><br />
There were more frugal recipes here for soil, such as 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite. However, I could not find the ingredients packaged locally and the individual ingredients bought separately at the larger home improvement stores were more expensive the bags of Miracle Grow. <em> </em></p>
<p><em>Update: This year I plan to visit a nursery and pick up the specific ingredients suggested in the book. The commercial, pre-packaged bags of soil still have too many fertilizers, etc. for my liking.</em></p>
<p><strong>(10-pack) Strawberry plants – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$3.98</span></strong><br />
<strong>(1) Burpee Seed Pack Super Sugar Snap Peas – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$1.57</span></strong><br />
<strong>(1) Burpee Seed Pack Tomato, Early &amp; Often Hybrid – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$2.47</span></strong><br />
<strong>(1) Burpee Seed Pack Cucumber, Burpless Beauty – <span style="color: #ff0000;">$1.88</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Total Start-up Cost: $39.17</strong></span></p>
<h3><em>Building a Raised Bed Garden Box</em></h3>
<p><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/squarefootgarden.jpg" alt="Square Foot Garden" /><br />
<em>It was my daughter’s idea to use popsicle sticks to mark the type of fruit or veggie planted. We will fill in the remaining squares after we eat another round of popsicles!</em></p>
<p><strong>Since we decided to go with raised beds on a table top I checked the dimensions of the table and came up with a suitable size for our square foot gardening container. </strong>Four feet by two feet would allow for eight square foot plots for planting. First, cut the 8ft. long 2×6s down to size. Next, position the 2×6s on the table in a rectangular pattern, alternating corners to make the “inside box” dimensions four feet by two feet (I chose <em>not </em>to alternate corners because the table I was working with was only 45 inches wide, so I needed it to be a little narrower). Fasten the sides using the #8×3&#8243; wood screws. If you have trouble with the wood trying to split you may want to first drill pilot holes.</p>
<p><em>Update: This year, instead of a tabletop design, we plan to build four 4&#215;4 boxes to plant a variety of vegetables and flowers (for color and some marigolds to keep some insects away).</em></p>
<p><strong>With the sides now fastened it is time to attach a bottom to the container</strong>, unless you are planning to put the raised bed directly on the ground. If this is the case, use some cardboard or weed blocking fabric to discourage grass and weeds from coming up through the soil. In my case, the container will be placed on a table top so I needed to attach a bottom to hold the soil in place. Fortunately, I had some untreated plywood I ripped to size. The bottom doesn’t have to be thick, so 1/4&#8243;, 3/8&#8243; or 1/2&#8243; plywood would do just fine. Fasten the bottom to the container using the #6×1&#8243; wood screws (assuming you didn’t use 1&#8243; plywood).</p>
<p><em>Update: With an on-the-ground design we will not place a &#8220;bottom&#8221; on the boxes. However, we do plan to put down some weed barrier (cardboard) to slow weeds from popping up in the box soil.</em></p>
<p><strong>Plan for drainage by raising the box up a couple inches.</strong> I ripped a couple scraps from the remaining 2×6s and used them to attach four 2&#8243; feet for each corner of the box. I also drilled a few 1/8&#8243; thick drainage holes in the bottom of the box to allow standing water to flow out the bottom.</p>
<p><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/square-foot-garden-april.jpg" alt="square foot gardening" /><br />
<em>You can see our vegetable garden quickly outgrew the plots on the original 2&#8242;x4&#8242; box</em></p>
<p><strong>Create a grid system on top of the square foot gardening container using nylon line and #6×1&#8243; screws, </strong>spaced a foot apart across the width and length of the container. Drill the screws about half way into the top of the 2×6s, leaving enough room to tie a knot of nylon line around the screw. If the end of the nylon line frays after cutting (as mine did), use a lighter to gently melt the ends to prevent further fraying.</p>
<p><em>Update: The nylon string help up pretty well, but got dirty quickly and wasn&#8217;t as aesthetically pleasing a some more elaborate lattice systems I&#8217;ve seen.</em></p>
<p><strong>I’m not sure what to expect from this effort in terms of food yields, but just the process of building the box, filling it with dirt and planting seeds with my kids was worth the $40. </strong>If the small garden yields a few fruits and veggies during the spring and summer then all the better. Who knows, if we can cultivate a good crop we may build more boxes next summer and section off an area of the yard so the dog does not eat our produce.</p>
<p>I think over time it will help my kids understand the true value of things. Those strawberries don’t just wind up in the produce section of our local grocery stores. As I pointed out to my daughter today someone has to plant the <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/aerogarden" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://aerogarden.com';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">seeds</a>, water the plants, harvest the crops, clean the strawberries, package them, and transport them to a distributor.</p>
<p><em>I&#8217;d love to hear about your gardening plans this year in the comments below!</em></p>
<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
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		<slash:comments>28</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Square Foot Gardening Roundup</title>
		<link>http://frugaldad.com/2009/02/28/square-foot-gardening-roundup/</link>
		<comments>http://frugaldad.com/2009/02/28/square-foot-gardening-roundup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:48:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Frugal Dad</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gardening]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frugaldad.com/?p=1895</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Last year&#8217;s table-top design.  This year we&#8217;re going with several raised bed boxes.
This week I took a look at the 10-day forecast and it revealed temperatures hovering in the mid-sixties for highs, and lows safely above freezing.  That means it&#8217;s time to start thinking about gardening!  Last year we gave square foot gardening a try, [...]<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone" src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/square-foot-gardenseedlings.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="208" /><br />
<em>Last year&#8217;s table-top design.  This year we&#8217;re going with several raised bed boxes.</em></p>
<p>This week I took a look at the 10-day forecast and it revealed temperatures hovering in the mid-sixties for highs, and lows safely above freezing.  <strong>That means it&#8217;s time to start thinking about <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/aerogarden" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://aerogarden.com';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">gardening</a></strong>!  Last year we gave square foot gardening a try, and enjoyed some limited success.  This year we we plan to expand our plans from a simple tabletop design to a few raised beds directly on the ground.</p>
<p>So over the next couple weekends I&#8217;ll be building the 2&#215;4 boxes, preparing the soil, and coming up with a way to keep our dog from trampling the garden (this might prove to be the hardest part!).  We&#8217;ve already picked up our seed packs and look forward to a summer crop of cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peas, carrots, strawberries, and a variety of peppers for homemade salsa.  I&#8217;ll keep you posted!</p>
<h3>The Roundup</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.onsimplicity.net/2009/02/15-graceful-ways-to-say-no/" target="_blank"><strong>15 Graceful Ways to Say &#8220;No.&#8221;</strong></a> My first year of blogging I said yes to everything &#8211; every deal, every freelance opportunity, and ever PR pitch asking for a mention.  I did it in the interest of growing the blog, but quickly found out it is impossible to say yes to everyone, so I&#8217;ve become a bit more discriminating to protect my own schedule.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/22/america/22mendota.php" target="_blank"><strong>Severe Drought Adds to Hardships in California</strong></a>.  We were planning to expand our square foot garden this year anyway, but news of water rationing in California (which will lead to higher produce prices this summer) have reinforced these plans.</p>
<p class="entry-title"><a href="http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2009/02/25/cheap-meals-easy-dinner-ideas-recession-dining-under-10-dollars/" target="_blank"><strong>Cheap Meals and Easy Dinner Ideas: Recession Dining For Under $10</strong></a>.  My favorite part of this post was the &#8220;Meals from the Depression&#8221; cooking YouTube video with Clara, a 91 year-old grandmother who cooks recipes right in her kitchen.  Cool stuff!</p>
<p><strong><a rel="bookmark" href="http://genxfinance.com/2009/02/25/mortgage-rates-are-low-but-it-may-still-cost-you/" target="_blank">Mortgage Rates Are Low, But It May Still Cost You</a>.</strong> A good reminder that while rates are hovering near historic lows, there are still plenty of fees to contend with when navigating a new mortgage.</p>
<p><a href="http://moneysmartlife.com/freelance-job-search-find-freelance-job/" target="_blank"><strong>Job Search &#8211; FInd a Freelance Job</strong></a>.  Nice rundown of the places to land a side hustle; something more and more of us may be looking for as traditional employment continues to dry up in many major markets.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/save-money-on-hotels/" target="_blank"><strong>Save Money on Hotels</strong></a>.  Planning a spring break getaway soon? Here&#8217;s a collection of tips to save money on your next hotel stay.  We are not planning an extended trip any time soon, but do plan to squeeze in a long weekend with a short hotel stay somewhere in the mountains this spring.</p>
<p class="post-title"><strong><a href="http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/02/27/a-walkthrough-and-cost-breakdown-of-brewing-your-own-beer/" target="_blank">A Walkthrough and Cost Breakdown of Brewing Your Own Beer</a><span class="post-title-link">. </span></strong><span class="post-title-link">I was at the grocery store last night and they had a deal where you could pick any 6 bottled beers and make your variety six-pack for a special price. It was tempting, but having just read this article hours before I decided to pass and reconsider home brewing.</span><strong><a class="post-title-link" href="http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/02/27/a-walkthrough-and-cost-breakdown-of-brewing-your-own-beer/"><br />
</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bripblap.com/2009/the-pursuit-of-wealth-for-the-sake-of-others/" target="_blank"><strong>The Pursuit of Wealth For The Sake of Others</strong></a>.  One of my motivators to building wealth is that I can give some of it away.  Admittedly, I would also like to help family first, but if I can accumulate enough I have a long list of &#8220;Secret Santa&#8221; missions I&#8217;d like to participate in!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mydollarplan.com/should-we-downsize/" target="_blank"><strong>Should We Downsize</strong></a>?  We recently addressed this same question in a review of our 2009 goals (one of which was to downsize our house).  In the end, we decided to stay put for now, but it remains a long-term goal for us to reduce our mortgage, our utilities, and our stuff.</p>
<p id="post-3741" class="title"><strong><a rel="bookmark" href="http://www.thesunsfinancialdiary.com/shopping/consumer-reports-2009-car-picks/" target="_blank">Consumer Reports 2009 Best New Car Picks</a></strong>.  Still hard for me to get used to the idea that new cars could be a better buy than used, but in this market it&#8217;s true.  Regardless, I still get a little sticker shock at these prices &#8211; a Lexus LS 460 will set you back $64,000 to $77,000&#8230;Ouch!</p>
<p class="title"><a href="http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/the-frugal-dog-the-cost-of-dog-ownership.htm" target="_blank"><strong>The Frugal Dog &#8211; The Cost of Dog Ownership</strong></a>.  Frugal pet owners everywhere will appreciate this one!  I&#8217;ve been a dog owner my whole life, and this list inventories some things even I had not thought about.</p>
<h3>Quick Hits</h3>
<ul>
<li>Bargain Babe is giving away <a href="http://www.bargainbabe.com/2009/02/24/starbucks-bargain-babe-email-subscriber-drive/" target="_blank"><strong>two chances at winning a $25 Starbucks gift card</strong></a> just for signing up to her new blog, BargainBabe.com.  I&#8217;ve followed Julia since her times at the L.A. Daily News, and have found her new blog worth subscribing to, with or without the Starbucks card!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.viddler.com/explore/garyvaynerchuk/videos/76/" target="_blank"><strong>Chasing Dollars Instead of Passion</strong></a> (video).  So many of us have this backwards, and once you&#8217;re headed in that direction, it is hard to turn things around. Are you chasing your passion?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://sidehustleblogging.com/user-testing-provides-valuable-feedback/" target="_blank"><strong>User Testing Provides Valuable Feedback</strong></a>.  WC shared an excellent guest post over at SideHustleBlogging.com.  If you run a blog or website, consider asking a spouse, a friend, or even an unbiased third-party to look over your site and solicit feedback.</li>
</ul>
<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Square Foot Garden Update and Lessons Learned</title>
		<link>http://frugaldad.com/2008/08/08/square-foot-garden-update-and-lessons-learned/</link>
		<comments>http://frugaldad.com/2008/08/08/square-foot-garden-update-and-lessons-learned/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Frugal Dad</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gardening]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frugaldad.com/2008/08/08/square-foot-garden-update-and-lessons-learned/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
It has been a while since I wrote about our garden, and Lynnae&#8217;s recent square foot garden update motivated me to snap a few pictures to share both our gardening successes and our failures.  I&#8217;ve learned a few lessons from the whole square foot gardening experience, and not all of them are positive.  I discovered [...]<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/squarefootgarden080608.jpg" alt="squarefootgarden080608.jpg" /></p>
<p>It has been a while since I wrote about our garden, and Lynnae&#8217;s recent <a target="_blank" href="http://beingfrugal.net/2008/07/23/my-square-foot-garden-overfloweth/"><strong>square foot garden update</strong></a> motivated me to snap a few pictures to share both our gardening successes and our failures.  I&#8217;ve learned a few lessons from the whole square foot gardening experience, and not all of them are positive.  I discovered that I am not, by nature, a gardener.  I did manage to produce a few crops, but hardly the quantity I desired.  One of the things that has scuttled my attempt at <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/aerogarden" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://aerogarden.com';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">gardening</a> has been the weather&#8211;it has been extremely hot and dry for months.  In fact, it looks like the southeast will be going through yet another long drought much like the one we experienced last summer.</p>
<h3>Biggest Success:  Tomatoes</h3>
<p><strong>By far the biggest success from our garden has been our tomato plants</strong>.  They quickly outgrew our <a href="http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/03/how-to-build-a-square-foot-garden/"><strong>square foot gardening</strong></a> table so we transplanted them in the ground in our backyard, adding a couple rows of squash and cucumbers to fill in around them.  The Burpee tomato (&#8221;Early and Often&#8221; variety) has really done well in our little garden, and produced some of the tastiest tomatoes for summer salads.  The dry conditions have kept them a little smaller than we would have liked, but they have thrived in terms of flavor despite the tough conditions.</p>
<h3>Cucumbers and Squash Were a Flop</h3>
<p><strong>Our cucumber crop has been anemic, producing only a few cucumbers of any size</strong>.  The ones that did sprout were delicious, but there were not nearly enough of them to satisfy my cravings for cucumber sandwiches, and cucumbers and red wine vinegar as an &#8220;eat-along&#8221; with salads.  The squash plants were equally unsatisfying, but I planted them a little late, so that&#8217;s probably my fault.</p>
<h3>Will We Have a Square Foot Garden Next Year?</h3>
<p>Absolutely!  But this time we&#8217;ll do things a little different.  <strong>Next year I plan to actually till an area of our yard and add the proper combination of additives to make our soil more conducive to growth</strong>.  I also plan to make a number of square foot garden boxes and dedicate a box for each type of plant that we are interested in growing.  We may also use containers for planting and growing our tomato plants because they tend to take over an area if not staked or caged.  If next summer is as hot and dry as this one has been, I will have to invest in some type of improved irrigation system, such as a drip hose on a timer.</p>
<p><strong>All things considered, square foot gardening has been a positive experience</strong>.  It has introduced my kids to the idea of growing our own food, and has piqued their interest in fruits and vegetables, even if we still have to buy them from a farmers market.  They have helped me water the garden, double dig the soil in preparation for transplanting, and of course they were always eager to help me harvest produce.  Next season I will require even more help&#8211;I hope they are up to the challenge!</p>
<p><em>I&#8217;m interested to hear from fellow gardeners.  Have your crops produced this year?  What type of irrigation system do you have in place?  Recommendations?</em></p>
<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
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		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
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		<title>Money Lessons Learned By Square Foot Gardening</title>
		<link>http://frugaldad.com/2008/04/21/money-lessons-learned-through-square-foot-gardening/</link>
		<comments>http://frugaldad.com/2008/04/21/money-lessons-learned-through-square-foot-gardening/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Frugal Dad</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Finances]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gardening]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frugaldad.com/2008/04/21/money-lessons-learned-through-square-foot-gardening/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[#1 &#8211; Create a conducive environment for growth. The most important step in gardening is to prepare a bed of fertile soil for your plants to grow.
Money lesson: Similarly, investments require an environment where they can thrive. Faithfully contributing money to bad investments, or a bad brokerage, will do nothing but increase losses over time. [...]<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><!--adsense#inline--><strong><font color="#364f00">#1 &#8211; Create a conducive environment for growth</font>. </strong>The most important step in gardening is to prepare a bed of fertile soil for your plants to grow.</p>
<p><strong><em>Money lesson</em></strong>: Similarly, investments require an environment where they can thrive. Faithfully contributing money to bad investments, or a bad brokerage, will do nothing but increase losses over time. Take some time to investigate the various brokerage houses and fund managers before deciding where to invest.</p>
<p><font color="#364f00"><strong>#2 &#8211; Select the right mix for optimal growth</strong></font>. Some plants tend to do better when surrounded by other certain types of plants. Some plant varieties are good are warding off insects (such as marigolds). Carefully selecting the right combination of plants could improve the entire garden.</p>
<p><strong><em>Money lesson</em>: Selecting the right types of investments makes for a more balanced, well-diversified portfolio</strong>. With my own finances, I have a blend of tax-free and tax-deferred retirement accounts from both my employer, and things I have opened on my own. I also have a couple cash accounts for short-term savings goals, and conservatively invested taxable funds for longer term goals short of retirement.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/square-foot-garden.jpg" alt="square foot garden crops" /></p>
<p><font color="#364f00"><strong>#3 &#8211; Tend to your garden often, but don&#8217;t over-do it</strong></font>. Plants need two basic things to grow &#8211; water and sunlight. However, many new gardeners with good intentions kill crops by over watering, or watering too frequently. These overactive gardeners would see improved results if they backed off a bit. Deep watering plants every few days encourages a deeper root system as plants dig down through the soil in search of water.</p>
<p><em><strong>Money lesson</strong></em>: Overactive investors who constantly make changes to their accounts likely see diminished returns when compared to those who buy and hold for the long term. A few active traders can beat average market returns, but keeping up with single investments requires a lot of homework. If you are like me we have other things competing for our time, so a healthy dose of long-term investments set on auto-pilot lowers the hassle factor.</p>
<p><font color="#364f00"><strong>#4 &#8211; Be patient &#8211; results don&#8217;t come overnight</strong></font>. It took nearly two weeks of faithfully watering and tending to my square foot garden before I began to see green sprouts poking through the soil. It would be unrealistic to expect juicy, plump tomatoes to magically appear two days after planting the seeds.</p>
<p><em><strong>Money lesson</strong></em>: <strong>It is also unrealistic to expect double-digit returns on investments in only a couple months</strong>. Select a strong portfolio, contribute to them often and check up on them every few days, but don&#8217;t obsess over the results in the short term.</p>
<p><font color="#364f00"><strong>#5 &#8211; Keep invaders out</strong></font>. The biggest threat to a square foot garden is from outside invaders, namely insects. Aphids, moths and slugs can wreak havoc to a vegetable garden, chewing away on leaves and fruits.</p>
<p><strong><em>Money lesson</em>: &#8220;The Tax Man&#8221; can take chunks out of your profits by eating away at your returns</strong>. Be careful when selecting investment vehicles to be sure you are not overly exposed to <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/turbotax" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://turbotax.com';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">taxes</a>. Taxes are a part of investment life, but some careful planning can reduce the amount of &#8220;fruit&#8221; you have to share!</p>
<p><font color="#364f00"><strong>#6 &#8211; Don&#8217;t be afraid to harvest profits</strong></font>. When fruits are ripe for the picking you must be ready to harvest them. Nothing spoils a garden faster than over-ripened, spoiled fruits and vegetables hanging from the vine. You&#8217;ve worked hard to produce these crops, now enjoy the fruit of your labor.</p>
<p><strong><em>Money lesson</em>: </strong>When investments, particularly those outside of retirement accounts, produce a sizable return <strong>you need to ring the register and take those profits</strong>. It is tempting to let the investments sit to try and earn even more, but this plan usually fails when the investment begins to make a declining correction.</p>
<p><font color="#364f00"><strong>#7 &#8211; Prune back overachieving crops</strong></font>. In one of the garden squares (top right) I planted sugar snap peas. They took off! So much so they soon were crowding out my tomato plants. I pruned them back a bit, but they came back with a vengeance. <strong>I realized that they were probably not the best crop to plant in a square foot garden</strong>, so I transplanted them and planted squash in the empty square.</p>
<p><strong><em>Money Lesson</em></strong>: It is a good idea to rebalance your portfolio at least once a year, <strong>particularly if one of your funds has grown significantly</strong>. For instance, when the <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/ziprealty" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://frugaldad.com/recommends/ziprealty';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">real estate</a> sector was booming a few years ago many investors saw the value of REITs, or similar real estate related investments, increase considerably. These investments quickly represented their largest fund asset. To rebalance their portfolios many fund owners sold off a portion of REITs, investing in other funds to bring individual fund balances back in line with their desired asset allocation mix.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/square-foot-garden-april.jpg" alt="square foot gardening" /></p>
<p><font color="#364f00"><strong>#8 &#8211; Get rid of poor performing crops</strong></font>. Poor performing crops take up space and provide low yield. My strawberry plants were not producing, while other crops were taking off. I ultimately made the decision to cut my losses and remove all but two strawberry plants (lower left square), making room for new investments in a variety of peppers.</p>
<p><em><strong>Money lesson</strong></em>: Many times investors hold on to poor performing investments for too long, either because they don&#8217;t want to record the loss officially, or because they hope the investment will regain some value and lessen the financial hit. <strong>When you are stuck holding an investment you no longer believe in, cut your losses</strong>. Use the loss to offset some gains you registered from another investment. Use the proceeds to fund a new investment you have researched and feel confident will be a winner over the long term.</p>
<p><strong>To learn how to build your own square foot garden, read my popular post, <a href="http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/03/how-to-build-a-square-foot-garden/"><em>How to Build a Square Foot Garden</em></a>. </strong></p>
<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
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		<title>Weekly Roundup:  First Garden Sprouts Edition</title>
		<link>http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/16/weekly-roundup-first-garden-sprouts-edition/</link>
		<comments>http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/16/weekly-roundup-first-garden-sprouts-edition/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:54:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Frugal Dad</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gardening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roundups]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/16/weekly-roundup-first-garden-sprouts-edition/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A couple weeks ago I told you about our family&#8217;s square foot gardening project. This weekend we&#8217;ve started to see our first sprouts &#8211; with the sugar snap peas taking the lead, followed closely by carrots and a single tomato plant. Not much luck with strawberries and cucumbers, but I&#8217;m guessing those are more of a [...]<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img align="right" src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/square-foot-garden-sprouts.jpg" alt="square foot garden sprouts" />A couple weeks ago I told you about our family&#8217;s <a href="http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/03/how-to-build-a-square-foot-garden/"><strong>square foot gardening</strong></a> project. This weekend we&#8217;ve started to see our first sprouts &#8211; with the sugar snap peas taking the lead, followed closely by carrots and a single tomato plant. Not much luck with strawberries and cucumbers, but I&#8217;m guessing those are more of a warm weather crop.</p>
<p>Lynnae decided to get in on the action, too, <a target="_blank" href="http://beingfrugal.net/2008/03/10/building-a-square-foot-garden/"><strong>building her own square foot garden</strong></a> last weekend. Now it&#8217;s a race to see who enjoys the first crop. I&#8217;m betting on her; that garden looked a heck of a lot better than mine!</p>
<p>Ciaran had a nice post this week on the <a target="_blank" href="http://chancefavors.com/2008/03/2008-sep-ira-rules-and-maximum-contribution/"><strong>pros and cons of a SEP IRA</strong></a>. This was a great follow up to last week&#8217;s post which referenced a SEP plan as a way to <a target="_blank" href="http://chancefavors.com/2008/03/self-employed-tax-deductions/"><strong>reduce taxable blogging income</strong></a>.</p>
<p>I really enjoyed Digerati Life&#8217;s post which shared stories of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2008/03/10/serious-savers-who-died-very-wealthy/"><strong>serious savers who died very wealthy</strong></a>. It reminds me that all this frugal living will pay off one day!</p>
<p>If garden clubs aren&#8217;t your thing, how about <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mydollarplan.com/how-to-start-an-investment-club/"><strong>starting an investment club</strong></a>? Madison shared some great ideas on how to start one if you are interested.</p>
<p>If you are a usual reader of Frugal Dad, you know I like to buy things online when I can to save money. Gather Little by Little really took advantage of online shopping, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com/2008/03/13/engagement-ring-online/"><strong>buying an engagement ring online</strong></a>.</p>
<p>Starting a square foot garden was the first time in my life I&#8217;ve ever tried anything of the sort. I am discovering that these types of projects are great for getting out of a rut, instead of falling back on my usual <a target="_blank" href="http://mysuperchargedlife.com/blog/my-best-excuses-for-remaining-in-a-rut/"><strong>excuses for staying <em>in </em>a rut</strong></a> (thanks for the motivation, Jeff).</p>
<p>When you are out doing your &#8220;Easter Bunny&#8221; shopping this week keep in mind these <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mommygetspaid.com/things-to-not-buy-for-kids/"><strong>5 things <em>not</em> to buy your kids</strong></a>. I completely agree with the television!</p>
<p>The garden was also an effort to improve my &#8220;green&#8221; lifestyle, which up to this point has been largely non-existent. I would like to be a better steward of resources, and <strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2008/03/12/spring-is-coming-its-time-for-human-powered-lawn-mowers/">David&#8217;s</a></strong> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2008/03/15/good-human-tip-of-the-week-use-that-toaster-oven/"><strong>articles</strong></a> always have some great tips to help us all be a little &#8220;greener.&#8221;</p>
<p>Bob came to <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/thetotalmoneymakeover" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://frugaldad.com/recommends/thetotalmoneymakeover';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">Dave Ramsey</a>&#8217;s defense this week with the article, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.christianpf.com/dave-ramsey-critics/"><strong>Dave Ramsey Critics</strong></a>. I&#8217;m a fan of Dave Ramsey, and I think you can be a fan of the guy without following his plan 100% to the letter.</p>
<p>Ana is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.debtfree-revolution.com/2008/03/14/putting-teenage-son-on-a-budget/"><strong>putting her teenage son on a budget</strong></a>. Hey, maybe he should get out and build a square foot garden, too! Nothing teaches you the value of food like digging, planting, weeding, and harvesting it yourself.</p>
<p>And last, but not least, it looks like another member of the Life Skills Network is heading off for vacation. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/weekend-roundup-and-link-love-going-camping-edition/"><strong>Ron&#8217;s going camping</strong></a>, but I think he deserves a break after sharing <strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/the-andy-griffith-show-lessons-on-blogging/">two</a> <a href="http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/successful-people-are-usually-fat/">brilliant</a></strong><strong> </strong>articles with us this week.</p>
<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
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		<title>Square Foot Gardening Plans</title>
		<link>http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/03/how-to-build-a-square-foot-garden/</link>
		<comments>http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/03/how-to-build-a-square-foot-garden/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Frugal Dad</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gardening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fruits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[garden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[square foot gardening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vegetables]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/03/how-to-build-a-square-foot-garden/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently stumbled upon an interesting gardening method called square foot gardening, and decided we would give it a try. I&#8217;ve always thought the idea of having a vegetable garden would be a lot of fun. Walking out to your square foot garden and picking a fresh tomato for tonight&#8217;s dinner appeals to the self-sufficient [...]<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>I recently stumbled upon an interesting gardening method called square foot gardening, and decided we would give it a try. </strong>I&#8217;ve always thought the idea of having a vegetable garden would be a lot of fun. Walking out to your square foot garden and picking a fresh tomato for tonight&#8217;s dinner appeals to the self-sufficient nature of most frugal individuals.</p>
<p>I know just enough about gardening to know that I am not very good at it, and that it is a lot of work.  My kids have always been fascinated with the idea of growing things, but our soil and our dog make planting anything in the yard impossible.  <strong>Enter square foot gardening</strong>.</p>
<p><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/square-foot-gardenseedlings.jpg" alt="square foot garden box" /></p>
<h3><em><strong>What is Square Foot Gardening?</strong></em></h3>
<p>The idea behind square foot <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/aerogarden" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://aerogarden.com';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">gardening</a> is that you can plant fruits, vegetables and flowers in raised beds, above infertile soil and even out of the reach of pets. Seeds are planted in 1X1 square foot plots, and when harvested a new plant is installed in the square. Raised beds can sit directly on the ground, or include a bottom layer and be placed on patios, decks or porches. Because of a bad back, and a dog with a propensity to dig up our new plants, we decided to build a 4&#215;2 foot table-top design.</p>
<h3><em>Materials Needed to Set Up a Square Foot Garden</em></h3>
<p>Material costs are variable, depending on the size of garden you plan to build. I personally opted for a 4&#8242; by 2&#8242; configuration because it fit the table we were planning to use. Most people typically start with a 4&#8242; by 4&#8242; design for their first square foot garden. I&#8217;ll share with you what materials I used, but keep in mind the pricing could be higher or lower depending on your local costs of lumber, soil, etc.</p>
<p><strong>(1) Sheet untreated plywood &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$0.00</span> (leftover scrap from a previous <a href="http://frugalrealestate.com/category/home-improvement/" target="_blank">home improvement</a> project)</strong></p>
<p><strong>(2) 2&#215;6x8 pieces of untreated lumber &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$7.38</span></strong><br />
Don&#8217;t get <em>treated </em>lumber because treatments can seep into the soil and contaminate your planting area.</p>
<p><strong>(8) #8 x 3&#8243; Wood Screws (or deck screws) &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$2.94</span></strong><br />
Use these longer screws to connect the corners of the 2&#215;6&#8217;s after cutting to the desired length.</p>
<p><strong>(8) #6 x 1&#8243; Wood Screws &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$0.98</span></strong><br />
These were used to anchor the nylon line to create a grid system for the 1&#215;1 planting plots. I also used a few to fasten the sheet of plywood to the 2&#215;6&#8217;s to create a bottom to my container.</p>
<p><strong>(1) Pack of Twisted Nylon Line &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$4.43</span></strong><br />
I used this and the smaller screws to create a grid system on top of the container, in 1&#215;1 square foot patterns.</p>
<p><strong>(2) 2cu ft. bags of Miracle Grow Garden Soil (for flowers and vegetables) &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$13.54</span></strong><br />
There were more frugal recipes here for soil, such as 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite. However, I could not find the ingredients packaged locally and the individual ingredients bought separately at the larger home improvement stores were more expensive the bags of Miracle Grow.  If you have some compost to mix, such as soil generated from a <strong><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-2799633-10443717" target="_blank">Mantis ComposT-Twin composter</a></strong>, it would really help your soil.</p>
<p><strong>(10-pack) Strawberry plants &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$3.98</span></strong><br />
<strong>(1) Burpee Seed Pack Super Sugar Snap Peas &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$1.57</span></strong><br />
<strong>(1) Burpee Seed Pack Tomato, Early &amp; Often Hybrid &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$2.47</span></strong><br />
<strong>(1) Burpee Seed Pack Cucumber, Burpless Beauty &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$1.88</span></strong><br />
<strong>(1) Burpee Ambrosia Cantaloupe &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$1.57</span>*</strong><br />
<strong>(1) Burpee Danvers Half-Long Carrots &#8211; <span style="color: #ff0000;">$1.28</span>*</strong></p>
<p><em>*These last two were just for fun &#8211; I don&#8217;t expect much yield on these, but I thought it would be fun to try.  I get seeds from Gurney&#8217;s Seed and Nursery Co.  <strong><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-2799633-8064546" target="_blank">Click here to receive $20 off your first order</a></strong>!</em></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Total Start-up Cost: $42.02</strong></span></p>
<h3><em>Building a Square Foot Gardening Box</em></h3>
<p><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/squarefootgarden.jpg" alt="Square Foot Garden" /></p>
<p><em>It was my daughter&#8217;s idea to use popsicle sticks to mark the type of fruit or veggie planted. We will fill in the remaining squares after we eat another round of popsicles!</em></p>
<p><strong>Since we decided to go with raised beds on a table top I checked the dimensions of the table and came up with a suitable size for our square foot gardening container. </strong>Four feet by two feet would allow for eight square foot plots for planting. First, cut the 8ft. long 2&#215;6s down to size. Next, position the 2&#215;6s on the table in a rectangular pattern, alternating corners to make the &#8220;inside box&#8221; dimensions four feet by two feet (I chose <em>not </em>to alternate corners because the table I was working with was only 45 inches wide, so I needed it to be a little narrower). Fasten the sides using the #8&#215;3&#8243; wood screws. If you have trouble with the wood trying to split you may want to first drill pilot holes.</p>
<p><strong>With the sides now fastened it is time to attach a bottom to the container</strong>, unless you are planning to put the raised bed directly on the ground. If this is the case, use some cardboard or weed blocking fabric to discourage grass and weeds from coming up through the soil. In my case, the container will be placed on a table top so I needed to attach a bottom to hold the soil in place. Fortunately, I had some untreated plywood I ripped to size. The bottom doesn&#8217;t have to be thick, so 1/4&#8243;, 3/8&#8243; or 1/2&#8243; plywood would do just fine. Fasten the bottom to the container using the #6&#215;1&#8243; wood screws (assuming you didn&#8217;t use 1&#8243; plywood).</p>
<p><strong>Plan for drainage by raising the box up a couple inches.</strong> I ripped a couple scraps from the remaining 2&#215;6s and used them to attach four 2&#8243; feet for each corner of the box. I also drilled a few 1/8&#8243; thick drainage holes in the bottom of the box to allow standing water to flow out the bottom.</p>
<p><strong>Create a grid system on top of the square foot gardening container using nylon line and #6&#215;1&#8243; screws, </strong>spaced a foot apart across the width and length of the container. Drill the screws about half way into the top of the 2&#215;6s, leaving enough room to tie a knot of nylon line around the screw. If the end of the nylon line frays after cutting (as mine did), use a lighter to gently melt the ends to prevent further fraying.</p>
<h3><em>Irrigating a Square Foot Garden</em></h3>
<p><img src="http://frugaldad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/watergarden.jpg" alt="Watering the Garden" /></p>
<p><strong>*Unless you already have a drip line and timer prepared for your garden, you&#8217;ll have to water manually early on to improve seed germination.</strong> If the air is particularly dry, or hot, you will need to constantly keep the soil moist until seeds have sprouted and taken root. One economical way to do this is to fill used water bottles and poke a small hole or two in one side of the bottle using a safety pin. Use your finger to dig a 1/2&#8243; deep trench the length of the bottle and lay the bottle on its side, pin-prick side down, over the trench. The water will slowly drip into the trench, keeping the soil moist for several hours. Obviously when sprouts begin to appear above the surface you want to be sure not to position a bottle directly on top of the struggling plant.</p>
<p><strong>Perform this routine first thing in the morning so soil gradually soaks and then dries throughout the day, and is driest overnight. </strong>This reduces the chance of fungus or diseases developing. This is even more important when the plants begin to develop leaves &#8211; avoid wetting leaves at all costs as it encourages disease.<img src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=ZRbjiPUOlJc&amp;bids=51252.10000328&amp;type=4&amp;subid=0" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p>
<p><em>*I&#8217;ve since improved on this irrigation system as I became more aware of the dangers of heated plastic leeching bad things into the soil</em></p>
<p><strong>I&#8217;m not sure what to expect from this effort in terms of food yields, but just the process of building the box, filling it with dirt and planting seeds with my kids was worth the $40. </strong>If the small garden yields a few fruits and veggies during the spring and summer then all the better. Who knows, if we can cultivate a good crop we may build more boxes next summer and section off an area of the yard so the dog does not eat our produce.</p>
<p>I think over time it will help my kids understand the true value of things. Those strawberries don&#8217;t just wind up in the produce section of our local grocery stores. As I pointed out to my daughter today someone has to plant the <a href="http://frugaldad.com/recommends/aerogarden" style="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" onmouseover="self.status='http://aerogarden.com';return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''">seeds</a>, water the plants, harvest the crops, clean the strawberries, package them, and transport them to a distributor.</p>
<p><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-2799633-8063077?sid=sqftgarden" target="_blank"></a></strong></li>
<li><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591862027?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=frugaldad0c-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591862027" target="_blank"><strong>All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!</strong></a></em> by Mel Bartholomew</li>
<li><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-2799633-10443728" target="_blank"><strong>Mantis® &#8211; We Make Gardening Easier</strong> ®</a> Take advantage of our best offer ever. Free shipping and a Free Border Edger Attachment.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-2799633-437863" target="_blank"><strong>DirectGardening.com</strong></a> &#8211; Offers quality plants at great prices, come see what we mean!</li>
</ul>
<p>Post by <a href="http://frugaldad.com">Frugal Dad</a></p>
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