Amazon Gardening Finds
If you’ve been around here before, you know I’m located in Arkansas which is Zone 7 for my gardening friends. That means we are very close to being considered a “tropical” area but just shy of that because we unfortunately still get snow in the winter. We are all aware of inflation and how it has absolutely wrecked our budgets, but I didn’t realize until a few months ago how much plants and gardening equipment has gone up in price too. Last year a 6-pack of vegetable starters was about $3.50. This year that jumped to about $6 for a 6-pack. That’s absolutely ridiculous when most gardeners are planting upwards of 20 plants of each type of vegetable. So most gardeners decided that this was the year to switch to starting plants by seed because of costs but most of us were not prepared for the swift in methodology that comes with seed starting. Seed packets last year were about a dollar each, this year they’re about two dollars each for anywhere from 10-100 seeds. If you’re doing the math, the seeds are a lot cheaper in the long run. Here are some helpful tips/tools to make seed starting easier this year.
Seed Starting Heat Mats. Most seeds will not germinate unless they are in soil that is heated to about 70 degrees. Even if you start your seeds indoors, it can be difficult to maintain that temperature. Amazon has these heat mats that were very helpful for me starting seeds this year. Ideally, you could put these on a flat surface in your garage or near a window so the seedlings can also get light. In our apartment, we don’t have a garage, so these mats went beside my sewing machine on a desk in a room with a window. Zinnias are typically pretty easy to start as seeds, along with veggies like squash and cucumbers. Be sure to transplant them when they have their second or third set of leaves.
Grow Lights. These are a dream! If you’re starting seeds inside, these are a must! They also help give off enough heat that the seedlings germinate but also since seedlings grow towards a light source, this ensures that your seedlings grow straight up instead of leaning one way or another. Again, ideally you would want to start your seeds in a garage or other space where it can be easily monitored but left to do it’s thing. Since it’s a little harder to start your veggies from seed, you want every tool at your disposal to give them the best chances to grow big and strong.
SEEDS! Yes, you could buy these directly from your box store or a local nursery, but the thing to be cautious of is whether they are NON-GMO and Heirloom. This simply means that they are not modified in any way and that the seeds are not treated with any kind of coating. Heirloom plants tend to perform better and at the end of the season, you can learn how to collect seeds yourself, save and store them, and be able to plant those next year. Plant what you’ll eat or want to learn to eat. My family really loves peppers, tomatoes, and squash so that’s a majority of what I grow. Don’t forget flowers to attract pollinators to your garden!
There you have it! These are some simple, fairly cheap Amazon gardening finds to help you have the best garden possible this year! Happy Gardening!