Gardening on a Budget

Six Ways To Save On Gardening

Gardening doesn't have to be expensive. Here are six wallet-friendly ways to save on gardening.

Look for Plant Sales

During planting season, there are always a number of weekly sales. However, the best sales are toward the end of season when plants, trees and, shrubs are significantly reduced as greenhouses are preparing to close up shop for the season. 

Repurpose and Upcycle

Plants are costly enough, but planters, pavers, arbors, and other hardscape materials are where the budget goes quick. But as the saying goes, one man’s junk pile is another man’s goldmine, right? Planters can be fashioned out of everything from an old bathtub to used wooden pallets to old pales, wagons and more. Do exercise restraint as one upcycles: when you go overboard, upcycling can make you feel like you have a yard full of junk and the neighbors won’t be pleased.

Muscle Power over Equipment Power

If you want to buy lots of gardening equipment it is definitely available. But if you are working on a budget, then you’ll want to focus more on the muscle power than the equipment power. Yes, gardening on a budget can be back-breaking work; however, gardening can be a great source of exercise and will help you produce healthy food and beautiful plants without costing you an arm and a leg. 

Compost

Composting is a zero cost way to fertilize your own garden and reduces the amount of waste your house produces. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, yard trimmings and food scraps make up nearly 16% to 30% of waste produced by the average household. In Minnesota, 12% is food scraps and up to 18% is yard waste. By composting leaves with kitchen scraps you can create a dark, crumbly mixture that can be used to improve the soil and reduce your use of fertilizer and water.

Harvest Your Own Water

Using a rain barrel can save you a significant amount of money in a season. For each inch of rain that falls on a 500 square feet of roof, you can collect 300 gallons of water to use in your containers, houseplants, garden or even your lawn. 

Plant Perennials

Although perennial plants cost more than annual plants, perennials can be a great way to save long-term.  Different from annual plants that you replant each year, perennial plants grow back year after year saving you the yearly cost-to-replanting.