Missy's Homestead Part 7 - Plant Sharing

Missy's Homestead 7 - Plant Sharing 

I love sharing.  I love sharing food a bottle of wine, sharing my time with people who need it, carpooling...you get the idea.  During the spring when I was growing my veggie starts I couldn't afford to buy all the seeds I needed.  My sister in law was also starting some veggies in her garden but she had purchased different seeds than I had.  We decided that it would make sense if we both shared our starts with each other.  So she gave me half of her crops and I gave her half of mine.  Not only did we save money on seeds and space to grow those starts but we also got to double our crops.  That got me thinking that maybe next year I should organize some type of seed exchange!  I could coordinate with everyone about what they were growing and have a little exchange party all while drinking some homemade beer!  This would be similar to doing a clothing exchange with your friends.  Something that has become rather popular these days.  Getting new cloths, saving money and getting ride of those cloths that you no longer want taking up room in your closet.

Another great plant sharing that I have recently gotten into is succulent sharing.  Succulents have always fascinated me because you can take an arm off a plant, put it in water, and it will grow its own root system.  My mother in law recently gave me a few cuttings from a christmas cactus that her grandmother gave her cutting from.  It now sits on my table and I currently have a few arms in water that have broken off from my plant.  I am planning on giving my best friend her own cutting next time I see her.  This is a great way to give someone something special without spending a lot of money but is very meaningful. My childhood neighbor growing up was a huge succulent fan.  She use to have cactuses that were like the size of her house.   Last month my mother mentioned to her that I was looking to start my own little succulent garden.  Slowly over the past couple months anytime something would break off her larger plants she was put that piece into the dirt and save it for me.  I found an apple box for a dollar at a yard sell and put them all in the apple box.  It looks so cute and cost nothing but is so meaningful to me because she gave me all of those cuttings from her plants that she has cared for for years.  

Buying new plants is always fun.  And sometimes you have to buy new plants in order to get what you want because you may not be able to propagate a new plant from a cutting.  But why not try doing a little plant sharing with your friends.  You might find yourself with something new and interesting.

Consume Move, Buy Less. Until Next week.

Cheers!   Missy