By Julie Chai, Sunset associate garden editor

I love a good deal. And getting a good deal on something that's already a great value can make me happy for days. Which is why I was so excited to learn that Renee's Garden, one of our favorite Western seed companies, is having a half-off sale on all remaining 2008 seeds through this Thursday, November 20.

You've heard us say over and over how much money you can save by growing your own food and cut flowers, but I'll say it again: Growing your own can save you a fortune!

Here's just one example. A single packet of lettuce seed costs less than $3. Each packet contains hundreds of seeds (and if you buy high-quality seed, you can count on most of them germinating.) Let's say a head of organic leaf lettuce costs about $2. At that price, if you were to plant 300 lettuce seeds over a season, you'd potentially get $600 worth of lettuce out of a $3 seed packet. But wait—if you buy the seeds at half off, that's $600 worth of lettuce for $1.50! Now THAT'S what I call a good deal.

Renee's 2008 seeds will be perfectly viable for planting in spring and summer of next year—and possibly much longer—if you store them in a cool, dry place. (I'll be stocking up on Paris Market Mix mesclun blend, Jewel Toned Blend beets, and 'Junior' container sunflowers among other things...) Just enter END08 as the coupon code when you check out.