There’s no better feeling than cutting down expenses while beautifying your home. Starting an indoor garden can often be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be Today, we’ll be looking at ways to save money in the garden and how to make the most while spending as little as possible. Without wasting any more time, let’s get right to the tips!
Propagate and Multiply Your Plants
One of the easiest ways to grow your garden without spending a dime is propagation. Once you have enough plants that have been properly established you can begin the process of propagating them. Doing so will add to the number of plants that you can grow in other areas of your garden.
Aside from multiplying the number of plants, you also encourage the mother plant to be healthier. By pruning and trimming the mother plant to make propagated seedlings, you keep it well-maintained.
Propagation can be done through cuttings, layering, and even root division. Additionally, if your plants have offsets, you can set them aside to propagate the baby plants.
This will give you more plants without spending on them. With these new plants, you can now place them in other areas of your garden or home.
Buy Bare-Root Plants
If the plants you’re looking to cultivate have bare-root options, select these. Most bare-root plants tend to be available during the dormant season.
Given that they come without soil, they’re more affordable than those that come fully rooted in soil. All you have to make sure of is that your bare-root plants are healthy, and you’re good to go.
With bare-root plants, you can choose almost any variety to grow. From perennials to shrubs and even trees, bare-root options will help you reduce expenses while allowing you to invest in more plants.
While they can require more care at the start, bare-root plants are easy to cultivate once they become established. Simply look for reputable sellers that can provide you with strong bare-root plants to help you get started.
Shop Online
There are now so many online plant retailers than ever before. Homeowners are no longer limited to their local gardening center when it comes to planting selections.
Aside from offering variety, online shops tend to feature seasonal sales and discounts for their customers. All you need to do is check several reputable sellers for their available plant stocks, select the ones you like, and pay for them to be delivered.
With online retailing becoming even more popular, you have a world of plants right in front of you. A few taps here and there, and your plants are on their way.
Just make sure that the plants you select are suitable for your area. Additionally, double-check if they are considered invasive in your state. If they are, we discourage purchasing them no matter how beautiful they might be.
Check the Discounted Selections
The reduced section of your local garden center tends to have plants that most customers passed over. Most of the time, these plants are not visually appealing due to several factors.
Sometimes, it can be due to how it is shaped. Other times, it could be that it has lost some leaves and looks visually unappealing. There are rare occasions when plants end up in the reduced section because they look like they’re about to die.
If you’re one of those gardeners who can easily bring these plants back to their former glory, then you can benefit by checking them out. This is especially true if it’s just a cosmetic issue that landed it there. Usually, plants in the discounted section have drastically reduced prices.
All it takes is a caring touch and plenty of attention to get these plants beautiful again. Look past the current state of the plants, and marvel at their potential instead.
Join a Gardening Group
A local gardening group will help you connect with people who have similar interests as you. You can even make new friends who may swap their seeds or seedlings with yours.
This way, both of you end up expanding your plant selections without paying for them. Aside from this amazing benefit, your gardening group can become a form of community support.
Community support is important as it allows members to share their gardening experiences, techniques, and tips for better flowers and fruits. Plus, it fosters a better connection with like-minded individuals.
Gardening groups don’t have to be limited to physical ones either. Look for online groups that share your passion. Social media is a great place to start. You might have interests that your local garden groups don’t possess, so looking for an online community can be a great option.
Reuse Materials
There are so many ways to reuse household materials that would otherwise go to landfills. Here are a few examples:
- Cut old plastic bottles into plant labels.
- Reuse plant labels by writing on them with pencils.
- Wash seed trays because they are still reusable.
- Repurpose old net curtains into garden nets to protect your plants.
- Use biodegradable toilet rolls filled with potting mix and compost for seedlings.
- Create cloches from old plastic bottles to keep snails and slugs from eating your plants.
- Make cold frames from old windows.
- Reuse old pallets to make garden displays and furniture.
- Grow plants and vegetables from burlap bags and sacks.
- These are just some ideas to help you lessen your gardening costs while lowering your contribution to local landfills. Even if you reused or repurposed these materials you can always clean them again until they become too damaged to use.
Join Recycling Groups
Recycling groups and networks are great places to look for gardening materials for free. These types of groups encourage people to reuse, recycle, or upcycle household items for their gardening needs.
If homeowners have excess or unusable materials, they can easily put them out there for other people to use. The principle of “another man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has never been so apt in this concept.
You can join a local recycling network. If there isn’t one, you can always start one within your community. Plus, you can always try finding some online or ones that are the nearest to your state. You can even pick up used garden pots from your local garden centers.
Creativity and resourcefulness play an important role when it comes to lowering gardening costs. Use your imagination and skills to make the most out of it. To start, try looking on social media as it has become a popular place for groups like this to live
Ask About Community Savings
Sometimes, your area can have incentives for homeowners who are able to reduce waste or save on water consumption. Usually, these incentives come from the local council to motivate residents.
Depending on the incentives, you can save on gardening materials, such as compost bins and sturdy water butts. Discounts are usually offered on these, making them more affordable compared to garden centers.
Not only do homeowners get to save on gardening material costs, but they also enjoy free compost and harvested rainwater. These two elements contribute greatly to the overall health of the garden soil.
Make Your Own Compost
Buying compost is a gardening expense that can quickly accumulate over time if you’re not careful. Instead of purchasing it, you can make your own compost.
Most homeowners mistakenly think that making their own compost requires a large space. Contrary to popular belief, you can even make your compost fit into whatever area you have in your garden or home.
Simply ensure that you have the right materials to make your own compost. Basically, compost is made up of carbon-rich materials, nitrogen-rich sources, water, and oxygen.
Carbon-rich materials come in the form of twigs, plant stalks, and dry leaves. Nitrogen-rich sources can include food scraps or even grass clippings. To get both working together, add some moisture and allow the mixture to breathe.
For the compost bin, you can always look for discounted ones from your council or ask around in your community or recycling network. You can even make one yourself from existing materials that you may have lying around the house.
Reuse Cooking Water
Throwing away cooking water can be a wasteful habit. Instead, cultivate a nurturing one by taking cooking water aside and allowing it to cool.
Once the cooking water has cooled, it can be used to water garden soil. Cooking water can be full of nutrients, especially when you use it to boil vegetables, eggs, or pasta.
Water from rinsed rice is also quite beneficial to plants. In fact, rice water is rich in vitamin B, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, and zinc.
The next time you’re cooking food, be mindful of the water you use. Set the water aside and reuse it to give moisture and nutrients to the ground and allow your plants to absorb them.
Mulch Your Soil
Water consumption adds up over time, especially when you live in dry areas that don’t receive a lot of rainfall. By putting mulch on top of your soil, you help retain the moisture.
When the soil has adequate moisture due to the mulch, you tend to water it less. This means you end up cutting back on your water bills.
Aside from reducing your water consumption, mulch also prevents weeds from sprouting. Weeds can compete with plants for soil nutrients, so preventing them will greatly enhance the productivity of your plants.
Mulch at least three inches using dried leaves, chips, shreddings, or even compost particles. Just make sure that these are free of pests or diseases to protect your plants from any harmful infestations or infections.
Check Local Classifieds For Free Items
Things like the Facebook marketplace are another great place to look for items people are giving away. You can find a lot of free items here with the only requirement being you’ll usually have to go pick them up.
If you’re looking for deals, check back every few days. People are constantly posting new items, so each day you can find something different. It doesn’t take long, and can be a great way to find local items for free.
The Takeaway
There’s no limit to the number of ways you can save on your gardening expenses. We’d love to know what your favorite ideas are, and if you have other ways to save money for the garden, let us know about them!
