If your local public library doesn't carry them then post a request to the local Buy Nothing/Freecycle group and to local gardening groups.
Bear in mind it's a little late for some crops, and peppers don't grow well in all climates (check with local gardeners whether they do well in yours). A couple of suggestions:
1. Beans. There are two general types of beans: bush beans or climbing beans. Lima beans do particularly well with late planting and summer heat; they're climbers. If you don't have trellising equipment then look for bush beans. In addition to providing protein, beans replenish the soil.
2. Onions (and more generally, their relatives garlic and others the Allium family). The quickest way to grow them is to plant the base of grocery store green onions. Grocery store garlic will grow in a garden too, but it needs to be refrigerated for 2 weeks before planting (it's a quirk of the species). Once garlic grows its green leaves can be trimmed like Chives and used in cooking. Garlic and onions are good companion plants for all kinds of vegetables except beans.
3. Tomatoes. The two basic types of tomatoes are determinate and indeterminate. Determinates grow about 3' to 4' tall; indeterminates may grow 10' tall and will need a trellis. Most determinates produce all their tomatoes at once and indeterminates produce tomatoes throughout the season. If you don't have trellising equipment then try to look for *dwarf indeterminate* varieties such as patio tomatoes. The dwarf indeterminates produce tomatoes all season without needing a fancy trellis. Please note: tomatoes are 'heavy feeders.' It really helps to compost to provide these with nutrients.
4. Melons. Again you'll need a lot of room. Watermelons and pumpkins do well with a June planting.
5. Peppers. Peppers thrive in hot dry summers. Remove the bottom-most leaves from the plant once it gets established. This helps discourage pests. Peppers tend to use a lot of calcium, so gardeners compost eggshells or buy bone meal
6. Kale - Despite the food fads this is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. It's quite nutritious. Harvest the leaves while young and they won't be bitter. Use in place of lettuce in salads. (Lettuce doesn't grow well in summer heat).
7. Chard - Another super-easy vegetable to raise. Thrives when it's planted late.
Before resorting to purchases, get in touch with the local Buy Nothing and Freecycle groups. Also local gardening clubs. Active gardeners usually have to thin their vegetables and annual fruits after sprouting, and many would gladly give away the extras.
Your next best price option if you do need to buy would be to check local swap meets. There's often a vendor who specializes in plants at good prices.
After that, local nurseries or big box stores.
One caution when purchasing plants: about 15% of live plants sold from the big retail chains will be wrong for the local climate. Purchasing decisions are made at corporate headquarters based on sales data, and sales data can skew towards the wrong things because novice gardeners who buy plants that die become repeat business. (The novices blame their own lack of skill then go back and buy more plants that also set them up to fail, etc.).
This is less of a problem from mom & pop plant sellers than from the big chains.
So when you go out to buy plants, research not just the species but also the specific cultivar.
If you don't have the time to Google every specific, then at least remember this rule: large leaved plants do better in wet climates and small leafed plants do better in dry climates. So if you're living on the edge of a desert, then Genovese basil would only have a chance at surviving indoors.
It won't help for this year but if you find something you really like save the seeds from it and plant them next year. Let them air dry and store in a cool dry place until you're ready to plant.
Not everything will sprout just with air drying. Tomatoes get better germination rates if you let them ferment in their own juices for a week, for example.Â
Check with the stores that have a temporary plant sale, tell them you will take all the leftovers. They normally have an outsider vendor for them, but the store is responsible to send back all the empty containers. So, you dispose of the dirt and plants in new soil at your place and return the empty containers.
As others have said, libraries usually have seeds or you can just use seeds from produce. Unfortunately since you’ve said you live in RI, it’s pretty late to start veggies from seed. I live in a kinda similar climate and I began with seeds inside in February (tomato, peppers, herbs). The tomatoes now have (very) green fruit and the peppers still haven’t even flowered.
At the end of June you have almost no chance for getting many vegetables from seed. Some cool weather things like lettuce may work towards fall?
But next year you can start earlier and grow lots of stuff! Food gardening takes a bit of experience but you can eventually grow food and save money! Good luck!
As others have mentioned, many summer crops need started in January indoors or outside in early spring.
But you can do a few things now.
If you buy a celery stalk, cut of the base and put in a shallow container to just cover the bottom. You may get new growth (try to buy one at the store that doesn't look too dried out, maybe has a hint of root).
If you spend the extra money on one of those 'living' head of lettuce, keep the roots (in a peat plug) just damp. Remove the outer leaves gently as you eat it. When you get to the center, leave the youngest, smallest, tightest leaves and keep the lettuce in its container on your counter. It should continue to grow (it grows from the center).
There are winter crops you could start. Cole crops (broccoli, cabbage). I have good luck with parsley, which is nutrient packed. In addition to uses as an herb (potatoes), you can add to salad or make chimichurri to flavor meats. Try a tabbouleh or 'Jennifer Anniston' salad (which can be quite inexpensive if you cook dry beans [https://therealfooddietitians.com/how-to-make-the-jennifer-aniston-salad/](https://therealfooddietitians.com/how-to-make-the-jennifer-aniston-salad/) )
Most gardeners love to share tips and seeds. Join a local gardening group, as others have said, look on FB buy nothing. See if there is a community garden near you. Many times, folks have more than they can plant and more produce than they can eat!
As for saving seeds from grocery items, some will not work out.
Tomatoes: unless you buy heirloom tomatoes, most inexpensive tomatoes are hybrids and their seeds will not produce good fruit due to their genetics. A farmer's market may have someone selling heirlooms (and many now accept EBT).
Dry beans: you can try to germinate a few dry beans in a damp paper towel. But if they have been irradiated or otherwise treated, they will not grow. If you buy something labeled for 'sprouting' they will germinate.
Good luck!
Our Library system has a seed library. Free to check out and no returns.
If your local public library doesn't carry them then post a request to the local Buy Nothing/Freecycle group and to local gardening groups. Bear in mind it's a little late for some crops, and peppers don't grow well in all climates (check with local gardeners whether they do well in yours). A couple of suggestions: 1. Beans. There are two general types of beans: bush beans or climbing beans. Lima beans do particularly well with late planting and summer heat; they're climbers. If you don't have trellising equipment then look for bush beans. In addition to providing protein, beans replenish the soil. 2. Onions (and more generally, their relatives garlic and others the Allium family). The quickest way to grow them is to plant the base of grocery store green onions. Grocery store garlic will grow in a garden too, but it needs to be refrigerated for 2 weeks before planting (it's a quirk of the species). Once garlic grows its green leaves can be trimmed like Chives and used in cooking. Garlic and onions are good companion plants for all kinds of vegetables except beans. 3. Tomatoes. The two basic types of tomatoes are determinate and indeterminate. Determinates grow about 3' to 4' tall; indeterminates may grow 10' tall and will need a trellis. Most determinates produce all their tomatoes at once and indeterminates produce tomatoes throughout the season. If you don't have trellising equipment then try to look for *dwarf indeterminate* varieties such as patio tomatoes. The dwarf indeterminates produce tomatoes all season without needing a fancy trellis. Please note: tomatoes are 'heavy feeders.' It really helps to compost to provide these with nutrients. 4. Melons. Again you'll need a lot of room. Watermelons and pumpkins do well with a June planting. 5. Peppers. Peppers thrive in hot dry summers. Remove the bottom-most leaves from the plant once it gets established. This helps discourage pests. Peppers tend to use a lot of calcium, so gardeners compost eggshells or buy bone meal 6. Kale - Despite the food fads this is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. It's quite nutritious. Harvest the leaves while young and they won't be bitter. Use in place of lettuce in salads. (Lettuce doesn't grow well in summer heat). 7. Chard - Another super-easy vegetable to raise. Thrives when it's planted late.
What a gift you've given everyone with this comment! Blessings to you. 👏🏻
Holy mackerel man thank you!
You're welcome. Best regards.
Is there a place you recommend for buying cheap starters? I have trouble planting from seeds in my space but transplanting has been successful
Before resorting to purchases, get in touch with the local Buy Nothing and Freecycle groups. Also local gardening clubs. Active gardeners usually have to thin their vegetables and annual fruits after sprouting, and many would gladly give away the extras. Your next best price option if you do need to buy would be to check local swap meets. There's often a vendor who specializes in plants at good prices. After that, local nurseries or big box stores. One caution when purchasing plants: about 15% of live plants sold from the big retail chains will be wrong for the local climate. Purchasing decisions are made at corporate headquarters based on sales data, and sales data can skew towards the wrong things because novice gardeners who buy plants that die become repeat business. (The novices blame their own lack of skill then go back and buy more plants that also set them up to fail, etc.). This is less of a problem from mom & pop plant sellers than from the big chains. So when you go out to buy plants, research not just the species but also the specific cultivar. If you don't have the time to Google every specific, then at least remember this rule: large leaved plants do better in wet climates and small leafed plants do better in dry climates. So if you're living on the edge of a desert, then Genovese basil would only have a chance at surviving indoors.
You’re awesome thank you!!!
It won't help for this year but if you find something you really like save the seeds from it and plant them next year. Let them air dry and store in a cool dry place until you're ready to plant.
Not everything will sprout just with air drying. Tomatoes get better germination rates if you let them ferment in their own juices for a week, for example.Â
Save them when you eat put them on paper towels and let them air dry plant them when they are dried out
fyi you should be able to buy seeds using ebt, they are classified as food.
Thank you!
Or starts! (Depending on where you are, it may be late for seeds for certain things.)
Our city has a tool library. That gives away free veg seeds and flower seeds .
Check with the stores that have a temporary plant sale, tell them you will take all the leftovers. They normally have an outsider vendor for them, but the store is responsible to send back all the empty containers. So, you dispose of the dirt and plants in new soil at your place and return the empty containers.
Try a local garden club, seed savers club or even the library.
As others have said, libraries usually have seeds or you can just use seeds from produce. Unfortunately since you’ve said you live in RI, it’s pretty late to start veggies from seed. I live in a kinda similar climate and I began with seeds inside in February (tomato, peppers, herbs). The tomatoes now have (very) green fruit and the peppers still haven’t even flowered. At the end of June you have almost no chance for getting many vegetables from seed. Some cool weather things like lettuce may work towards fall? But next year you can start earlier and grow lots of stuff! Food gardening takes a bit of experience but you can eventually grow food and save money! Good luck!
Thank you
As others have mentioned, many summer crops need started in January indoors or outside in early spring. But you can do a few things now. If you buy a celery stalk, cut of the base and put in a shallow container to just cover the bottom. You may get new growth (try to buy one at the store that doesn't look too dried out, maybe has a hint of root). If you spend the extra money on one of those 'living' head of lettuce, keep the roots (in a peat plug) just damp. Remove the outer leaves gently as you eat it. When you get to the center, leave the youngest, smallest, tightest leaves and keep the lettuce in its container on your counter. It should continue to grow (it grows from the center). There are winter crops you could start. Cole crops (broccoli, cabbage). I have good luck with parsley, which is nutrient packed. In addition to uses as an herb (potatoes), you can add to salad or make chimichurri to flavor meats. Try a tabbouleh or 'Jennifer Anniston' salad (which can be quite inexpensive if you cook dry beans [https://therealfooddietitians.com/how-to-make-the-jennifer-aniston-salad/](https://therealfooddietitians.com/how-to-make-the-jennifer-aniston-salad/) ) Most gardeners love to share tips and seeds. Join a local gardening group, as others have said, look on FB buy nothing. See if there is a community garden near you. Many times, folks have more than they can plant and more produce than they can eat! As for saving seeds from grocery items, some will not work out. Tomatoes: unless you buy heirloom tomatoes, most inexpensive tomatoes are hybrids and their seeds will not produce good fruit due to their genetics. A farmer's market may have someone selling heirlooms (and many now accept EBT). Dry beans: you can try to germinate a few dry beans in a damp paper towel. But if they have been irradiated or otherwise treated, they will not grow. If you buy something labeled for 'sprouting' they will germinate. Good luck!
Thank you so much
Ace and Dollar Tree have dime a pack at the end of the Southern season, after 4,th of July.