10 Thrifty Gardening Tips!

Hi everyone!

We have been gardening on a tight budget for years. Gardening can get expense but, we have learned over these years there are ways to cut costs dramatically.

Here is our Top Ten Thrifty Gardening Tips!

1.) Look for and visit local Plant Swaps

This was one of the first things we did when we decided to install a perennial flower bed. Now our flower bed is so full that we need to thin it out and will take many of the thinned out flowers to our local plant swap to share with others. Garden lovers are very generous people and love to share!

2.) Save your own seeds.

There are some good tutorials out there for saving your own seeds. Check them out and try it out this year. Remember to save your seeds properly so you can use them next season.

3.) Swap Seeds

Once again, gardeners love to share with each other!

4.) Use Newspaper for weed control.

This is not 100% perfect but, it really does help control the weeds. And the newspaper breaks down eventually.

5.) Compost!

Compost all year long for great soil the following season. You don’t have to have a huge compost area. You can do something as small as a large storage container or trash can.

6.) Watch for free gardening materials

This is a picture of a recent haul of free wood. It was listed on Craigslist. We have found a lot of freebies via Craigslist or Freecycle. Check both places daily. Also, check out trash day. yes, do a little curbside free shopping. One year we found a bunch of like new potting containers that someone threw out.

7.) Let friends and family know you want to start gardening

Just put the word out. Tell friends, family, co-workers, church members that you are in need of this or that.

Facebook is a great place to ask friends or family if they have something you may be needing for gardening.

8.) Reduce water usage.

Collect rain water. You can use a trash can or any other large container. Use “gray” water from your home. Example: the water from boiling potatoes or pasta.

9.) Learn how to take cuttings

Once again, gardeners are generous and when asked, love to share cuttings. Ask your neighbors or friends for cuttings. Take cuttings from your own plants and create more of them.

10.) Think outside the box

Look for different uses for everyday items. If you want to do some containers for plants, look around your home and see what could work before heading out and buying pots. Also check out Pinterest and other sources online for great thrifty alternatives and ideas.

I hope this helped get you thinking about gardening and how to do it inexpensively.

Do you have any thrifty gardening tips to share?