Planting leaf cuttings, growing seeds and using old milk and juice cartons makes it cheap and easy.

A friend came to visit and she didn't have a garden at her old home but is now the proud owner of one at her new one.  We went out for the day and bought several things to start her on her project of growing some vegetables and fruit in containers.  This will make it easy for her to tend and is less hard work than digging up the plot.

We bought some beautiful large plastic plant pots,seed potatoes and seeds.

I have grown things in pots for years, runner beans, peas, potatoes, courgettes, carrots, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, etc. as my back is not up to digging a vegetable plot so it is easy gardening.

You can grow things in virtually any container, old sink, plant pots, wine boxes....

Also,if you are taking cuttings you can use old juice cartons with the side cut out and the top lid left on. Fill with compost and it is perfect to growing cuttings or seeds on a window sill.

I have propagated African violets for years, taking a leaf cutting and popping it into the seed tray or container and wait... it might take a few months but soon you will have new plantlets which you can repot into their individual pots - new plants for free. You can also use old Marmite jars with water.Cover with a piece of foil as a lid and poke a hole in and pop in the leaf. It will root in the water. you can put several leaves into one jar. About six say. You will see the new leaflets growing under the water after a few months and you can take them out carefully and pot them up in compost in pots.  

African violet leaf cuttings

Another great use for milk cartons (plastic) is to cut the top off and use the base as a container for cuttings and seeds and also cutting up the remaining plastic piece into plant labels.

Plastic milk carton cut in  half makes a great container

and plant labels