An outdoor enthusiast from SAVVY shared how he created a budget-friendly little oasis using inexpensive items.
They created a DIY “poor man's grow box” that produced a bountiful edible crop.
Reddit user Kofi_kat is a financially responsible gardener who uses his creative skills to find goodies.
They revealed in a post how they got their lettuce from a local food pantry.
The roots were still attached, so it had a chance to grow.
“What's the goal here? To make the lettuce bloom,” another Redditor asked.
“Yes! Just harvest the leaves until they emerge,” he replied.
A Reddit user asked, “If I just harvest the leaves, will they grow back?”
“Yes you can! It's called 'cut and go'. Just harvest the outermost leaves as needed and let it continue to grow without harvesting the whole thing, and you should be able to get several harvests,” replied another.
Kofi decided to make a “poor man's grow box” out of cardboard boxes.
One person commented, “You're not poor by any means. You can get heart vessels and stamina!!”
Coffey showed a photo of flower heads neatly arranged in a medium-sized cardboard box surrounded by dirt.
The four walls of the box were lined with coconut fiber carpeting.
“The coconut fibre prevents water from soaking into the cardboard and there are holes in the bottom in case you can't put a tarp over it before it rains,” he explained.
Coffey agreed, clarifying that the focus was on the recycled boxes, not the vegetables themselves.
In another photo, she shared a close-up of her DIY garden, complete with a small goddess figurine.
Pictures showed the lettuce leaves looking vibrant, smooth and fresh, with some even suggesting they hadn't finished growing yet.
“They'll get bigger,” someone said. “You'll get two or three times as much yield before they stop tasting like butter.”
In the final photo they shared, a thick head of lettuce sits on the kitchen counter, its fully grown roots fully exposed.
They are ready to eat and Coffey said they are “already munching.”
Other Redditors couldn't resist how delicious it looked.
“My doctor has recommended intermittent fasting. It's almost 3pm and I haven't eaten anything today. I just wanted to say that butter lettuce looks amazing,” one person said.
Easy gardening tips to save money, maximize space and repel pests
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- Banana peels, vinegar, and coffee grounds are often recommended as natural fertilizers.
- Dollar Tree sells 4 packs of seeds for $1.25.
- To make more use of a small space, try a vertical planter like the Mr. Stacky 5 Tier Stackable Planter ($35) from Amazon.
- To keep vegetable-eating bugs away, use netting like Amazon's Garden Netting Pest Barrier ($8).
- To reduce pesticide use and keep pests out of your garden, try sacrifice planting. Intentionally growing certain plants to attract agricultural pests can keep them away from the plants you want to protect. Examples include marigolds, lavender, catnip, and chives.
- For those pesky weeds in your yard, Amazon's Grampa's Weeder – The Original Stand-Up Weed Puller Tool with Long Handles ($45) is a convenient tool you can use without bending over.