Money Saving Tips for the Garden

The price of pretty much everything has gone up recently and gardening and horticulture are no different, but there are still money-saving and cost-effective ways of buying. Some will even help save the planet in the process.

Plan what you need ahead of time, rather than on the spot decisions, and take advantage of garden centres clearance times in autumn. Garden furniture and plants are reduced for the simple reason it’s the end of season and they need to make way for those Christmas trees and decorations. Many plants are discounted, but still perfectly healthy. Buying bare root and root ball plants whilst dormant in winter will be cheaper than buying potted.

Gardening tools and containers can be picked up second hand from charity shops, reclamation yards and even in the pre-loved section of the recycling centre. Other items can be re-purposed such as wooden coffee stirrers as plant labels.

Avoid buying bedding plants which only last one season. Instead grow hardy-annuals from seed which, if then left to self-sow after flowering, will germinate and come through the winter for another year of flowers.

Buying smaller plants saves money too. 9cm pots or plug plants will be far cheaper than buying in 10, 5 or even 3 litre plants. Just be mindful that you will need patience watching them grow and they will need more care initially whilst small.

Propagate your own plants by saving seed, taking cuttings or dividing plants. Over time seeds naturally adapt to your gardens growing conditions, so when saved year-upon-year it means you should have plants more suited to your garden conditions. Try swopping with friends and family too so you have more choice.

Buying things such as compost in bulk can be more cost effective and saves packaging. Although compost will only retain its nutrients for around 6 months, spent compost can still be used as mulches to prevent water evaporation. There is even a product called compost rejuvenator which can be added to depleted compost to reinvigorate it for another growing season.

Although smelly, making your own fertilisers from natural sources just takes a little bit of time and effort. Seaweed, comfrey, nettle and dandelion all make excellent liquid feeds when collected, chopped up and stewed in water. Far cheaper than buying fertilisers. Ditch all the pest sprays too and go organic by encouraging natural predators such as birds instead.

With many of us having water metres in the village going in, the amount of water we use outside could easily be reduced by investing in water butts. One won’t make much of a difference, but with 3 or 4 connected to downpipes, it can tide you over in dry periods.