Obtaining plants, trees, seeds etc on the cheap?

Can anyone recommend inexpensive or free ways of obtaining perennial fruit, trees, herbs, flowers, seeds etc? I am in the process of designing my farm on a budget (hubby just got laid off) I am planning a market garden for next year, a chicken forgage garden etc. I live in New Hamsphire, USA.

Oikos Tree Crops is a good nursery with inexpensive stock. I've bought plants that are easily propogated from nurseries and then propogated them to fill in space (i.e. currants, gooseberries, blackberries ect) I wildcraft some plants when there is a nicely populated stand of them in the wild (ramps, wild ginger, black cohosh, mulberries) you can also grow a lot of trees from seed but it takes longer. I also have been interning at a permaculture farm all summer and have been able to get plant stock for free that way.

Pinetree Garden have inexpensive seeds that have done well for me: https://www.superseeds.com/

www.Davesgarden.com has great plant and seed swap threads, but not so much for fruits and trees. However, it's well worth the membership fee, as I think you have to be a paying member to see the swap threads. Old timers there won't usually swap with someone who isn't a paying member anyway. Some of the swaps are trading something we have for something we want, but a whole lot (esp. seeds) are sent just for postage. Over the last 10+ years I probably have had trades of close to 500 plants and seeds. (Seeds are everything from veggies and herbs to flowers, and occasionally some tree seeds.)

NAFEX facilitates scion exchanges, as do many local home orchard societies.

If you are looking for trees and shrubs from seed,
http://www.treeshrubseeds.com/catalog.asp are hard to beat.

Great variety, good prices.

Try your library for a book on propagating plants at home. And another on seed saving. There will be many plants in your neighbourhood, or local area that you can propagate yourself.

In my car I have an insulated bag and garden shears for taking cuttings, and several plastic bags for collecting any seeds I might spot on my trips to town.

in our area right now the oak and nut trees are beginning to drop their seeds and also if you are in an area that the fruits didn't freeze you should be able to find some drops on the ground soon as well..all of these can be gathered and planted on your properpty.

I have done some gurilla gardening this week when going for my morning walks..gathering up the acorns that have fallen on the pavement, and filling my pockets, and then as I'm walking, tossing them here and there where they would be welcome to grow along side the roads..

also a good time to look for black walnuts, hazelnuts, etc..pears and apples are coming on in some places..

also when you are eating fruit check out the seeds, some will already be beginning to sprout in the cores of apples..and you can take that core and bury it in your garden areas...remember not to go too deep

Email me with your mailing address, and I'll send you out a care package of mostly medicinal herb seeds.

edcolmar at gmail dot com

Leela Olson wrote:Can anyone recommend inexpensive or free ways of obtaining perennial fruit, trees, herbs, flowers, seeds etc? I am in the process of designing my farm on a budget (hubby just got laid off) I am planning a market garden for next year, a chicken forgage garden etc. I live in New Hamsphire, USA.

My favorite way is to have a plant exchange for friends and neighbors at my house. Almost all of my plants, shrubs and berries and landscaping plants have come through a network of growers in our county. I'll try to find the thread that I started and bump it up for you.

What area do you live in? I'm sure there is a permaculture buddy somewhat close to you.

For getting seeds on the cheap, I'm sure you've noticed that at online retailers they often sell seeds in bulk at lower prices. Find a nearby buddy and go in with them. The prices get lowered AND, because you're buying large quantities, you typically get better seed. I've got two gardening buddies and we plan out our gardens together in order to do this.

Thanks for the great ideas everyone! I live in New Hampshire. I am active with a couple of Permaculture groups on Meet-up. I have a network of small farmer friends that I will start to put some feelers out to for goodies. I look forward to the day I can offer them something in return.

Leela
Kindred Hill Farm
NH

You might be able to get seeds out of veggies you buy. Maybe you try an organic stall at a local farmers market to make sure you get locally adapted seeds. They might be hybrids and the second generation will split up.
For a property which is farm sized I would like to learn how to graft trees, but that is as well time you lose as you want to have fruit ASAP. Christmas is soon just make a list of seeds or trees you would like and tell everyone that that would be the best present.
Some seeds I get in the organic shop from the spice aisle because they are selling it in bulk like coriander, chia, dill, fenugreek or goji berries. You can get broad beans and other beans there too or you can get them in the supermarket too. Ethnic shops are interestig sources too, I found edible lupine at an Indian grocer or our green grocer sells watercress, a bunch is enough for a hundered or more cuttings.
There are some fruit trees which grow reasonably from seed, most must be grafted though.

The cheapest way of acquiring new plants is to gather seeds and cuttings from wild and domesticated areas. I am sure you can find some great plants in your area if you know how to look. Find farms and orchards nearby and ask if they will give/sell you cuttings in the spring or seeds in the fall. If you like to go hiking, and know the desired plants' native habitat and range, you can find what you're looking for. Now is the perfect time to gather the seeds of many native and domestic plants.

Whatever seeds you can't find locally can be ordered online. https://permies.com/t/8206/plants/Good-fruit-nut-edible-trees