Spring gardens on a budget
April 14, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Eco Simplicity, gardening
Now that spring has arrived you might be planning your spring and summer gardens. Gardening is overall a budget deal because it saves you money on fresh veggies and fruits (seeds cost way less than store-bought produce). That said, the cost of starting a garden can add up. Here are some ways to save.
Only use reusable or recyclable planting gear: Old egg cartons can be used to start seeds or you can make your own growing pots with recycled materials you’ve got laying around the house. If you’ve already got plastic seed starter posts make sure to reuse them (just wash well).
Never buy new garden tools: Thrift stores and garage sales carry every garden tool you’ll ever need, you just have to look. It’s silly to buy shiny new garden tools anyhow, they’ll just get dirty!
Make homemade fertilizer: This is cheaper than store-bought, plus a very eco-friendly way to grow a garden. You can compost all your old coffee grounds, food scraps, grass clippings and more for a healthy soil additive.
Make your own non-toxic weed killer: Mix 1 ounce orange oil and 1 teaspoon liquid soap with 1 gallon of 10% white vinegar. Shake it altogether in a spray bottle and spot treat weeds. You should also learn about natural garden pest control ideas that save you money on store bought pest control.
Save your old seeds: Check to see if they still work – often they do.
Trade with friends: You can trade and share garden tools, plants (i.e. cut and share), seeds, gardening books, and more. You can even arrange to grow different crops. Say you grow corn and your pal grows tomatoes – then share.
Water the garden at night: This saves you water and money because overnight the water has a chance to absorb well, vs. drying up in the hot daytime sun.
Learn about gardening where you live: If you jump into gardening unprepared, you might get lucky. OR you may just waste time and money. Learn about gardening topics that are relevant to your local area. Plants made for your climate will thrive better than exotic plants.
BONUS: Don’t forget, gardening is a super cheap summer activity for the kiddos. You don’t have to pay for an outing if your garden is cool enough. Check out 10 Fun Organic Gardening Projects for Kids for ideas.
Fabulous tips:-)
Wonderful tips! Although your idea of utilizing ‘garage sales’ must be very effective but I guess, trading with friends may not be a great idea. I had bitter experience in the past. May be – I’m little unfortunate.
Thanks Linette! @Nilz – yeah, one bad experience can ruin the whole trade deal. But on the flip side, not all go that way.
Flower seeds are so expensive and I still have a hard time looking at the metric measurement they give on the seed packets. The past 2 years I have purchased flower seeds from a company in Texas. The prices are good and you either can buy by the packet, ounce, 1/4 lb., or by the pound. The prices are very good and you would be surprised how many seeds are in an ounce! And then, if you are careful and don’t plant all the seeds you will have seeds left over for the next year. Check out http://www.wildseedfarms.com/
a few drops of peanut oil in a can of warm water is a great and very inexpensive way to kill white mold on roses.