Save Money with a Garden

Hobbies do not always have to be expensive. When it comes to gardening, expenses can quickly add up, but this does not have to be the case. There are several ways to avoid spending a lot of money when gardening that can come with careful planning and a little foresight. Employing these simple tactics can ensure that your Summer garden is full of a bounty harvest:

save money with a garden

Growing Plants from Seed

One of the easiest ways to save money while gardening is to grow your plants from seed. A packet of seeds is extremely inexpensive and growing from seed takes relatively little work. You can take this a step further and harvest your own seeds from plants that you grow and save them for next season. Separating sprouts is another way to save money yet have enough plants in order to have a full garden. Another route to explore is exchanging seeds with friends and neighbors.

Purchasing Plants

If you don’t have time to grow your own plants from seedlings, you can save money by purchasing plants that are not fully grown. It is usually the case that the larger that plant, the more expensive it will be. Additionally, transplanting plants when they are small is less stressful on the plant. A third attractive option is to buy a large plant and divide it into several smaller pots.

Plant Swap

If you find find yourself with too many of one type of plant or seed, you made consider hosting a plant swap. Everyone has too much of something, and a plant swap is a great way to acquire new plants that you may not be able to find in a nursery. Another great option if you have a group of people who are interested in gardening is to buy in bulk. Online stores provide for an easy way to buy in bulk from an assortment of different options.

Composting

A valuable money-saver that can be made right in your backyard is a compost pile. Yard refuge, dried leaves, and other household waste can all be thrown into the pile to make rich compost that will keep your plants happy and healthy. Additionally, many items that we typically throw away are great for using in your garden. Newspaper make great weed barriers, as well as a means to retain moisture at the bottom of pots. Seedlings can be started in many food containers that have been washed out.

Watering

A large expense that is faced by many gardeners is continuous watering. Although it may seem like an expensive feat, it is relatively cheap and can save you a lot of money in the long term. Another option that is slightly more complicated is redirecting a faucet. This may require the help of a professional but the savings can be huge.

Maintaining a healthy garden does not have to be expensive when implementing these few money saving tricks. It is also important to consider the money saved by growing your own food which should be factored in when determining how much money to spend on your garden.

10 thoughts on “Save Money with a Garden

  1. Growing a garden can be expensive but very fun! The first thing I am planting at our new home is a mango tree. I never knew until a couple of weeks ago how many free ways there were to get plants. I get a lot of rain down here maybe too much so watering is never an issue.

  2. Great and straight forward tips. We have 2 little patches on our patio that can be used for gardening. I’d really love to have spinach and perhaps one other veggie grow out there, but first we need just a bit more time to devote to the project!

  3. Growing veggies from seed is key to saving money. We got started on our garden late this year so we only grew pumpkins from seed and bought the rest as plants from a grocery store chain. We’ll definitely be more organized next year! Great post!

  4. In regard to watering: where I live you have to pay for the water AND a sewage fee for each gallon of water you use. However, if you have a “credit meter” installed you don’t have to pay the sewage fee on water you use outside. Ask your water company about it.

  5. I planned on growing a garden this summer, but money was tight, so I decided next year would be better and it would be better cuz my girls would be 3 and 2 then, so Id be able to tend to it more regularly. I will definitely take these tips into consideration!

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