You’ve started a garden to save money, not to spend it! Who knew that it could be such a costly operation? Mulch, soil, fertilizer…the list seems to go on and on. Before you shell out a lot of cash, you may want to try thrifty alternatives for some items. Here are a few things I do to make gardening frugal:

• Make friends with a farmer. If you know a farmer, paying for expensive fertilizers will be a thing of the past. I asked my neighbor if I could buy a wheelbarrow of aged cow manure and he dropped an entire backhoe load of manure in for me and wouldn’t take a dime. Even if you pay for manure, odds are that it will be cheaper than the stuff that comes in bags at the store. (Make sure it is aged, though. Fresh manure can burn your plants right up!)
• Swap plants with friends and neighbors. I found a good price on parsley – a four pack for $2. I split it with the rest of the family. I also gave away over 30 of my prolific strawberry plants. They hopped out of their bed to grow in the path. In return, I’ll get help digging out a few big things I need to move. In years past, I’ve gotten tomato seedlings, peppers and a ton of perennials.
• Use cardboard and newspaper. I lay cardboard on my temporary vegetable garden paths before I put down a layer of mulch. This way, I can make the layer of mulch a lot shallower and still keep weeds at bay.
• Collect leaves in the fall and chop them up with your mulcher or by running over them with a mower. (Make sure there aren’t any sticks, first.) Chopping leaves gives you a head start on leaf mold, which sounds unpleasant, but is rich crumbly stuff that plants love. This can replace expensive bags of hummus.
• Head to a real farmer’s market. We have one of those overpriced markets where plant nurseries set up booths, but there’s also a local market at the local auctioneer’s barn every Monday. That market is filled with booths of veggie plants that are downright cheap.

Katelyn’s first love is holidays, but she also enjoys living a thrifty lifestyle and has been gardening frugally for many years.

image (c) Linette Gerlach

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

You can plant a garden even on a shoestring budget. For very little money you can grow enough food to help feed your family through the winter.

Here are a few tips to help get you started:

• Start your plants in recycled pots, or containers you make yourself. You can make your own plant pots out of newspaper, or egg cartons.
• Buy your seeds at the local farm store. There you can buy as much or as little of each type of seed as you want, and you’re paying by the weight. You don’t have to buy extra if you only want a few watermelon seeds, and the seeds are usually cheaper than purchasing pre packaged seeds.
• Swap seeds and plants with neighbors. If you have extra tomato plants, or chives trade them with your neighbor for peppers, or thyme.
• Save your own seeds. You can save your own seeds from many plants for next years crop. Before you save a particular seed do a little research to make sure the plant will grow back true from seeds.
• Start a compost pile, and make your own fertilizer for your garden. This is a huge money saver, and you’re also recycling your waste at the same time.
• Make your own potting soil, by mixing about half regular soil, with half compost. You may have to play around with the mixture a little to suit your soil.

If you have tips for saving money in the garden, feel free to share them in the comment section.

Linette shares more gardening advice at Mother Earth’s Garden, and cooking and gardening advice at The Home and Garden Cafe.

Image L Gerlach

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So try growing something this summer with your kids.  I bet they will have a ball.  And Lindsey is right, if they help you grow it, I bet they will help you eat it too!  What a great way to get some veggies in your kids without a fight.

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Marlene

Each hour today, we are blogging for charity.  Please consider making a donation to The Children’s Hunger Fund. 

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If you’re willing to be patient, there are some ways that you can save a lot of money while gardening.

1) Post an ad on freecycle or Craig’s list. Many gardeners are willing to share their excess plants. I am a member of freecycle and I have seen several ads lately for gardening supplies.

2) Buy perennials instead of annuals. Perennials come back each year and they usually need to be divided every 3-5 years. When you divide them, you’ll have more plants to put some place else.

3) Swap bulbs with neighbors and friends. One year we dug up our flower bed and found hundreds of daffodil bulbs. Needless the say, the previous owner hadn’t separated them in many years. It’s nice to give away extra bulbs to friends, family, and neighbors. If people know that you’re interested in gardening, many times they will offer you their extra bulbs or cuttings from their plants.

4) Use seeds instead of buying plants. You can get a lot of plants from an inexpensive package of seeds, where as plants can costs a few dollars each. Plant the seeds indoors a few months before you need them. An egg carton, dirt, and pan are all you need to get started.

5) Be on the look out for volunteers. One year we dug up the volunteer bushes in my parents’ yard and planted them in our flower beds. We saved a lot of money and the bushes did very well. Sometimes you can even find plants in your yard that are offsprings of your neighbor’s plants. You can dig those up and put them in places where you need plants.

6) Purchase low maintenance plants. One year I bought some impatiens and they needed to be watered every day. If I didn’t water them every day, then they would start to shrivel up. Forget going on vacation. Some plants require special fertilizer and pesticides. Buy something that isn’t going to cost you a lot of money to maintain.

7) Get creative with planters. You could spend hundreds of dollars just on planters and pots. Search around your house for items you could use as planters. Some people use old boots, wooden boxes, wheel barrows, tea pots, tea cups, wagons, baskets, and baskets.

Get reference information from the library or internet. There’s no sense in buying expensive books and “how-to” guides when you have free references at your tips. There is a wealth of information that can be gotten without having to spend money. There are also online gardening forums where you can ask others questions. Gardeners are usually helpful people.

9) Get seeds from flowers and foods you already have. I have a lemon tree in my house that came from lemon seeds. Save your apple, plum, watermelon, and flower seeds.

10) Check out clearance sales. Sometimes you can find some deals on plants that haven’t received proper care. Sometimes all they need is a little TLC. Also, at the end of the season is when you can find potting supplies, edging, hoses, tools, etc on clearance. Target is good for putting those items on clearance quickly.

11) Save old coffee and tea grounds for fertilizer. Sometimes Starbucks will have free bags of used coffee by the entrance of their store. I’ve put coffee grounds on my new shrubs twice this week.

12) Water your plants at night. This will allow the plants to get the water before it evaporates.

13) Collect your rain water to water your plants. You can also save your bath water or install a rain barrel. This is especially helpful if there are water restrictions.

14) Make a compost pile. Fill it with yard and kitchen waste. The compost will condition and fertilize your plants.

15) Join a gardening club or plant swap. You’ll probably learn tips for plants which grow well in your area and you can swap seeds, bulbs, volunteers, and clippings.

What thrifty tips can you add to this list?

image: Me 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy