Of tools and trinkets - what gardening should really be about

Late in the winter and at the beginning of every gardening season, gardeners like me are dazzled by the contents of seed catalogs and gardening magazines, dreaming up of the perfect garden. Memories of neighborhood gardens that we walked by the previous year or even garden displays at our local home and garden stores get our imaginations going in high gear, like a double shot of espresso in a caffeine-free person, if there's still such an unlucky fellow out there.

This year, not satisfied with the garden research I've done while waiting for spring to show up, I decided to follow a group of gardeners, garden designers, gardening bloggers, and gardening enthusiasts on Twitter.

My biggest takeaway from reading their 140-character posts of gardening wisdom? The resurgence of Victory Gardens and the $25 VG quest. Yep, growing a vegetable garden in your home and doing it for $25 or less...really great ideas. I won't go into details about this, since this is not the real subject of my post, but I will give you where to go and get more information:

Start by exploring a great blog on Victory Gardens: Red, White and Grew; then join the $25 Victory Garden Group on FB: The $25 Victory Garden.

Find fellow gardening tweeps at the Twitter for Victory Garden Twitter Group and the Green Thumbs Gardening Group. If you're interested in learning about yardsharing you just must join Hyperlocavore. And those are just a few places to get you started.

Over the last three years, I've spent a pretty penny on gardening books, tools, supplies, seeds, and plants to quench my annual garden fever. Most things I got the first two years, but even now there are things that catch my attention besides seeds: raised bed kits, fancy grow light systems, rain barrels, potting benches, composting systems...the list could go on, and on. And the smart thing will be to do what I did two years ago when I wanted to get a cold frame - look for a more economical way to get a similar product.

It's easier than it seems as proven by my own experience: I researched cold frames and found free plans online. My father-in-law is a handyman and knows how to build stuff. My birthday is in May; I hinted during our Easter lunch that I wanted a cold frame for my birthday present and left a copy of the plans on his kitchen table. Then, voila! I had my new cold frame just in time for hardening off tomatoes and peppers.

This year I'm getting gardening books from the local library. I did buy a new book with a gift card I got last Christmas. Other garden-related Christmas presents I received: a new heating mat, 2 books, row cover fabric and hoops, and a set of 4" self watering transplant pots from Gardener's Supply.

Ok, I'll admit it - it's easier when you have family members that support your gardening "addiction". But from what I've been learning from other people's experiences, we can all save some money by doing simpler things - getting seeds through swaps, recycling pizza boxes and cake plastic toppers as seed-growing containers and domes, asking around for free compost, yardsharing...and again, the list can go on and on.

And at the end, it's you and your soil, your plants, your "babies" - love them, feed them, and talk them into growing tall and strong, and providing healthy, flavorful food for you, your family and friends. Help others get started in gardening, hone your own skills, look for ways to make your garden bigger and better.

Gardening should not be about spending tons of money - in the end it should be about growing your own food and becoming engaged with a growing community of people who love what you do. Be smart, be resourceful, and keep on learning: learn from others and from your own experiences. There's always room for growth.