Day 1 of Making it in March - My Indoor Garden #MIIM

Day 1 of 31 - Attempting to Make Something Every Day in March

 

Here we are in March already! The day began bright and then there was a tremendous downpour here, but it soon cleared and the sunshine actually brought a tiny bit of warmth with it. By mid-morning, it was looking positively spring-like, although I'm not easily fooled, after last March!

 

This month's challenge in the frugal forums is called 'Making it in March'. It is all about making things rather than buying them, making decisions not to spend, making our way along the frugal path of life, pretty much making anything we want to try making, really. I have been sharing dozens of ideas and suggestions via my Facebook pages so I can check back to see which to try making this month.

My 'makes' for today were fairly simple and all of them free! I made the decision to pull on my boots and go for a walk, in an effort to regain some fitness and start losing the many pounds in weight I have gained over winter. This is always so much easier said than done but having challenged myself to blog every day about these challenges, it might provide me with some extra incentive.

The outdoor gym - slow pace, beginner level

Today I went to the free outdoor gym and did 3 miles on the local treadmill. While there, I took some photographs to make an online album of progress. You should be able to see the full album HERE without needing to register or log into Facebook.

Lunch was a cup of soup with a slice of bread and then it was time to make something constructive. First, a wander around the garden and into the greenhouse to check progress on some cuttings.


Close up of the tiny flower emerging from House Leek in the garden

I am quite amazed that succulents can survive our cold climate but mine are doing rather well. In fact, this one, which is outside in the garden planted in a recycled car wheel with tyre still fitted, is showing signs of flowering! The cuttings from this plant are growing well, as are all the others. This gave me an idea!

My homemade, indoor succulent garden

Neighbour had sent me along some leftover salad stuff for feeding to the Frugaldom hens and rabbits, so I recycled the disposable plastic bowl into a mini-succulents garden by filling it with a mix of compost, vermiculite, pebbles and the cuttings I had in the greenhouse. I'm not up on names of plants, so I'd to search online and guess. The rosette shaped one turns deep burgundy, almost black in summer sunlight, it is a Black Tree Aeonium, apparently also known as houseleek tree or Irish rose. Alongside this I have a couple more cuttings from my money plant (also known as Jade Plant), a tiny Aloe Vera, a rooted cutting from Phyllis, my aging Epiphyllum (Easter Cactus) I got via Freecycle about 6 or 7 years ago, some Sedum and cuttings from my House Leek, which is the one that's about to flower outside in the garden.

I'm really pleased with how my tiny oasis turned out and really hope that it flourishes. My mini-succulents garden shall be counted as my 'make' for the first day of the 'Making it in March' challenge. Cost = NIL, as I had everything I needed to put this together.

While outside 'paying' in the garden, I made up a couple more plastic tubs as mini propagators and have now sown a few salad leaves and some cayenne pepper seeds. It will take them some time to germinate, even indoors is less than 10 degrees C first thing in the morning before the fire gets lit, but it's a start.

Off to do an hour's blanket sewing now, hope everyone has had a good day and please feel free to join in this month's moneysaving challenge to 'Make it in March'.

NYK, Frugaldom