Free Bleeding Hearts Plant from Michigan Bulb

You can get a free bleeding hearts plant from Michigan Bulb: http://www.michiganbulb.com/ if you claim it by Sunday.  You only have to pay for shipping.  You can estimate shipping before checkout.  For my zip code, shipping was estimated at $8.75.  If you sign-up for their emails, you can also get a $20 instant coupon.

Harvesting Marigold Seeds

Photo 1: Dried marigold flower head full of seeds

Photo 2: Dried orange petal fluff removed.  Base of plant is holding a bunch of marigold seeds.
 

Photo 3: Base of plant holding a few marigold seeds.

Photo 4: Bag full of marigold seeds

My marigolds are dying back in the garden and the stems have turned brown, which means it is time to harvest the marigold seeds.  Collecting marigold seeds will take very little time and effort, and you will end up with an abundant supply of marigold seeds.  Share them with friends or grow them next year from seed.    

Marigolds are easy to grow from seed, are pretty, drought-tolerant, and are very hardy plants.  I plant marigolds throughout the vegetable garden because the roots secrete a substance that kills nematodes.  The smell of marigolds also deter some pests that munch on other crops (e.g., whiteflies).     

How to Collect Marigold Seeds

Materials: 

• Plastic snack bag or other seed container
• Small rock or weight if using a plastic bag
• Scissors
• Bowl

Directions:

1. Identify flower heads that have died back, and where 1 to 2 inches of the stem has turned brown.  See Photo 1.  Snip off these flowers (with the stems) and place them in a bowl.  
2. Place a small rock or weight in your bag to keep it from flying away.
3. Using your fingers, remove the "orange fluff" (i.e., the dry, brittle marigold flower petals) and discard them.  I throw the fluff right back into the garden.  See Photo 1 & 2.
4. Several marigold seeds (i.e., black and tan slivers)  are in the base of the flower.  See Photo 2 & 3.  
5. Remove the seeds and place them in the plastic bag.  Seal the bag when you are done.  If you used dried flower heads, then you should not have any condensation.  If you do notice condensation inside the bag, re-open the bag and allow the seeds to completely dry out before storing them.     

Seeds from Flower Arrangements

Photo: Flower from Flower Arrangement Setting Seeds

It looks like a flower in my flower arrangement produced seeds.  I can't tell if they are good seeds, but I decided to chuck them in the garden anyways and see what happens.  Maybe one will sprout!

Free Garden Soil and Plants

craigslist

Craigslist.org can be a good source for free garden soil, plants and other free stuff.  To see what is free in your area visit their website and select your location.  Look under the "for sale" category, and select "free."

Important: Practice caution and use your common sense when posting or responding to these ads.  Below are some safety tips to consider:

• Tell a friend or family member where you are going and when you expect to return.
• Bring a friend or family member with you.
• Bring a cell phone with you if you have one.
• Request that the free stuff be placed outside the home for pick-up if possible.  
• Trust your instincts.  If your gut is telling you something is wrong, then leave immediately.
• If you are posting an ad to give away free stuff, place the items in front of your house to avoid having strangers in your home.  
• When posting an ad for free stuff, keep in mind you are posting an ad for the world to see so be careful of what information you put out there.  I do not post my address, full name or phone number.  I only list my city and a nearby cross street.  I also use the anonymous email option provided by Craiglist.  I then ask people to email me with their name and contact information.  This allows me to screen emails and I can narrow the number of people I give my address and phone number to.  After I have found a person to pick up the stuff, I delete the ad.     

The Dinner Garden Gives Away Free Seeds

http://www.dinnergarden.org/

About The Dinner Garden
This organization's mission is to stop hunger in the United States.  They provide people in the U.S. with a packet of free seeds to start a vegetable garden of their own.  Their website also has information on battling pests, how to make inexpensive green houses, techniques on saving seeds, planting guides, recipes and more.

Free Dinner Garden Seed Packet
The Dinner Garden will mail you free seeds by filling out and submitting a request on their website.

Donations
This is a great cause, and any amount you wish to donate goes really far here.  For example, "$1.72 provides 10 different types of vegetable seeds for one family to grow a full garden."  That is a lot of bang for a couple of bucks.  Click here to discover the several ways you can support this cause.

Asparagus Anyone?

Photo: Asparagus Jersey shoots started from seed

If you are lucky enough to have an apartment with an outdoor balcony, chances are your balcony is still not large enough to hold all the plants you want.  I used to stuff my old apartment patio with several plants in various containers, resulting in a chaotic and unattractive space.  I have learned to be more selective in what I grow.


I have turned my attention to decorative, edible plants.  Under the right conditions, asparagus could be a wonderful and unusual apartment gardening jewel.  These mass of spears would look wonderful in the right container, and it will also provide fresh asparagus for future meals.  You can grow ordinary green asparagus or sweeter purple passion asparagus.  It is a perennial so it will continue to grow back each year, spreading more and more.  The down side is that it requires full sun, is a heavy feeder, and if you start them from seed, it will take a few years to grow spears large enough for consumption.  

It is a lot easier to grow asparagus from crowns.  Our local Home Depot were selling asparagus crowns in early spring, which is the ideal time to plant them.  I like a challenge so I started mine from seed.  It is currently in a 4-inch pot, but I will eventually transplant it in a container about a foot deep and two feet wide.  

In The Garden: New Seedlings

I planted some seeds in my re-useable seedling containers about a couple of weeks ago and left them outside.  I was afraid I might have jumped the gun on planting season because I was not seeing any signs of life the first week, but on the eighth day I discovered most of my seeds have sprouted.  The Cosmos and Calendulas were the first to emerge.  Now my African Daisies, Poppies and Gysophilas have also peeked through the soil.

Get Free Seeds

~Free Milkweed Seeds to Save the Monarch Butterflies
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for Butterfly Seeds to:

Live Monarch Foundation – Seeds 3003-C8 Yamato Road #1015 Boca Raton, Florida 33434

For more information visit: http://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds.htm


~6 Packets of Seeds to Winter Sow for Free
Send a self-addressed #10 business-sized envelope with two first-class stamps for postage to:

WinterSown.Org Six Pack 1989 School Street East Meadow, NY 11554

For more information visit: http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Free_Seeds.html


~Free Heirloom and Hybrid Tomatoes
Send a self-addressed #10 business-sized envelope with two first-class stamps for postage to:

WinterSown.Org Tomato SASE 1989 School Street East Meadow, NY 11554

For more information visit: http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Tomato_SASE.html


~Free Poppy and Shasta Seeds
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with two first-class stamps along with your 1st and 2nd choice to:

Free Seed Offer P.O. Box 31342 Walnut Creek, CA 94598

For more information visit: http://biblicalgardens.org/


~Free Wild Flower Seeds to Save the Bees
Visit Burt’s Bees and fill out the online request form to receive your free seeds.


~Free Four-o’clock Seeds to Show Support for Cancer Survivors
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Four-o'clocks Around the World P.O. Box 8931 Metairie, Louisiana 70011-8931

For more information visit: http://www.symbolofhope.com/


~Free Flower Seeds (e.g., cosmos, bachelors buttons, marigold, etc.)
Supplies are limited, and are given on a first come, first served basis. There is a limit of 1 order of 10 seeds per mailing address per year. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Free Flower Seed c/o DataWorkZ.com P.O. Box 394 Robbinsville, NC 28771

For more information visit: http://www.freeflowerseed.com/