From starting seeds to maintaining full-grown plants, there is equipment for every step of the way. Almost anything you can buy for those jobs has a free or cheap substitute. Seed-starting pots are available in plastic or peat. There is no reason to pay for either. Save pots and flats whenever you purchase plants and reuse them. If you purchase less plastic, then you will not have to pay to throw it away.
Soil thermometers can help you decide when to seed temperature-sensitive plants. However, with practice, and perhaps a little trial and error, you'll soon develop a ''feel" for soil temperature that's just as dependable. Just touching the soil will tell you if it's warm enough to plant.
Dibbles make holes in soil for placing seeds. A stick, pencil, or finger performs the same.
Labels are useful for remembering what you planted. Make your own by cutting waxed milk cartons into strips and writing on the plain side with a permanent market. Or push a stick through the seed packet and into the soil.
Plant ties and supports hold plants in place as they grow. Instead of using ties from the garden center, substitute cloth strips, plastic garbage bag ties, twine, or twist-ties, and your plants will never know the difference. Wire tomato cages are too small to support most mature tomato plants. They are great, though, as supports for many types of flowering plants. Use a pair of wire cutters to snip the cage just above the first horizontal wire for two small flower supports. For tomatoes and other vining crops, welded wire fencing, hopefully salvaged, makes a good support. Twine is great for many garden jobs, and it is often free from anyone who feeds baled hay to livestock. Metal fence posts are available in various lengths, are reasonably priced, will last forever, and will support the weight of any crop.
Plant protectors from waxed paper hot caps to entire greenhouses, can really extend the life of plants.
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