Growing plants is a very enjoyable hobby, but you may wonder how to save money gardening.
There are a lot of things you need to have a successful garden, so you may wonder how to save money gardening. From supplies to plants to tools, the costs can really add up. But with the following tips, you can enjoy the wonderful hobby of gardening without spending too much. If you’re especially frugal and a good gardener, your garden might even make you a few dollars or at least pay for itself.
Tip #1: Obtain Used Tools and Equipment
There’s almost never a need to buy gardening tools brand new. Simple tools such as knee pads, gloves, hand trowels, shovels and pruning shears are easily obtained for pennies on the dollar at yard sales, rummage sales, garage sales and Craigslist. And if you’re lucky enough to have an active Freecycle community, you can get these things for free.
Tip #2: Plant the Correct Plants for Your Climate and Property
To get the most produce or blooms from your garden plants, you’ll need to ensure the soil, rain, temperature and sunlight are adequate for whatever you’re growing. The last thing you want to do is choose a certain flower or vegetable to plant, then learn you don’t get enough sunshine or the soil can’t support it. Not only is this disappointing, but it will also be a waste of money (although you’ll at least learn a valuable lesson).
Tip #3: Use Non-Gardening Things for Your Garden
Using pots, planters and specialized garden equipment is convenient and possibly the most effective way to accomplish certain gardening tasks. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t repurpose other items for your needs. For example, you can use volleyball knee pads as gardening knee pads, a toy wagon to carry your plants and soil and used tires or discarded wooden crates as planters. Another example is using popsicle sticks or strips of plastic milk cartons written with a permanent marker instead of buying plastic gardening labels used to identify your plants in a garden.
Tip #4: Rent Expensive Equipment Instead of Buying It
Large and complex gardening equipment can be very expensive. In some instances, it might be worth buying your own equipment if you will use it often. But in most situations, it’s more cost effective to rent the equipment. Not only can you avoid the initial large cash outlay, but you can also skip the maintenance, storage and inevitable repair costs.
Tip #5: Look Around for Free Gardening Supplies
Depending on your location, you can get certain things like compost, soil and mulch for free. For many businesses, these items are a byproduct of what they do, so they’re more than happy to have you show up and haul away their “waste.”
Tip #6: Buy Locally
Not only is it sometimes cheaper to buy supplies and plants locally since it allows you to save on shipping costs, but it will also support a local business and the community. It’s much more satisfying to buy an item from a small mom-and-pop farmer, store or farmer’s market than a big-box retailer while saving money at the same time.
Tip #7: Make Your Own Fertilizer
Saving your food scraps and using it to make compost will create some of the best fertilizer you could ever use. Not only will it produce wonderful plants that grow well, but it will also allow you to avoid buying fertilizer from the store.
Tip #8: Grow From Seeds, Not Plants
It’s more difficult to grow your garden from seeds, and it takes longer too. But when your garden blooms, it’s far more rewarding. And don’t forget that seeds are much cheaper than plants. For the cost of buying one plant, you can get dozens of seeds.
Even if you’re learning how to save money gardening, you may need a title pawn to help you in the meantime. Come on in to Title Tree, and we can help you get the cash you need.