Stretch Your Dollars
Gardeners aren’t cheap. We’re thrifty! If not by choice, then by necessity. We find creative ways to give new life to throwaways and sniff out freebies wherever they may be found. Buying plants, soil amendments, tools and all of the other accouterments of our chosen occupation can get quite expensive if we go to the store each time a need arises.
Here are ten easy, money saving tips to help you pursue your passion within your budget:
- Start Plants From Seed: When you need lots of plants, as in vegetable gardens or annual flower beds, starting the plants from seed at $2-3 per seed pack beats paying $1 per plant for garden center seedlings.
- Take Cuttings: Whole hedges of hydrangea, forsythia, lilac can be had for free, as can rare heirloom roses and other shrubs, if you propagate them yourself.
- Divide Perennials: Dividing root crowns of perennial plants gives you more plants, and it’s good for them!
- Trade with Other Gardeners: Your best resource for cuttings, divisions, seeds, materials and even labor is your gardening network.
- Look for Bargains: Shopping in the off season, or at the end of the season are two strategies for finding great deals.
- Select Double Duty Plants: Get privacy and beautiful flowers, medicinal properties while attracting pollinators, and more great combination benefits by creatively selecting multipurpose plants.
- Get Free Mulch: Save hundreds of dollars by accepting the “waste” from tree service and utility companies, to cover your garden paths and other informal areas.
- Save Your Grass Clippings: Leave grass clippings on the lawn to reduce fertilizer needs, or save them to use as mulch or compost.
- Make Your Own Compost: Use the natural soil-building process to your advantage by breaking down weeds, vegetable scraps, fallen leaves and grass clippings to enrich your garden.
- Water Wisely: Water when and where your garden needs it; no more; no less.