Five Cs of a less expensive garden

Starting a garden sounds like it might be a costly endeavor, but if you’ve got a small plot of dirt at your house already it’s really not that bad. Consider also, that growing some of your own food (especially organic produce) saves you money in the long run at the grocery store.

Compost – Composting is one practically free way to enrich your soil and ensure a better harvest. Composting also saves you money on your monthly garbage bills. Plus it helps to eliminate costly and dangerous chemical soil additives.  Composting can even be accomplished in a small kitchen with The Urban Kitchen Compost Bin shown above.

Caffeine your soil – Even if you don’t compost, plain old used coffee grounds can be sprinkled in and on top of your soil. Coffee grounds enrich your soil and bonus, keeps pesky pests like snails and slugs away.

Choose area-specific plants – If you choose plants that typically thrive well in your area, you’ll use less water, need fewer soil additives, and eliminate more bugs and pests naturally than if you choose non-native plants. To find native plants for your garden check with a local nursery or visit a regional gardening planning website such as Better Homes & Gardens, the National Gardening Association, or Gardenplace.com.

Cut the grass – Grass is an expensive landscaping choice to care for. It requires lots of water and more of your time plus it doesn’t provide any long-term gains, like a tomato plant does. If you eliminate grass in exchange for more garden area, you’ll be able to grow more food and save money.

Collect seeds – If you collect seed packets from last year’s garden, the seeds may be viable, meaning you won’t have to buy new. Before you go seed shopping check your old seeds:

• Place a damp (not sopping wet) paper towel on a cookie sheet.
• Place about six seeds each packet you’ve saved onto the paper towel.
• BE SURE to mark which seeds are where – one year I forgot this part and that meant I had to start all over. Another year I wrote right on the paper towel (duh). I suggest marking them by placing a wooden popsicle stick on the tray near the seed and mark which seeds are which on said stick with a waterproof marker.
• Cover the seeds with a damp paper towel and set the tray somewhere slightly warm – say, on top of the fridge or on a table near a sunny window.
• If most of your six seeds sprout within three days, then your seeds are good to go this year. If fewer than four sprouted, toss them.

Do you have more tips for an inexpensive garden? They don’t even need to start with C -  share in the comments…