We share some tips for flexing your green-fingers without breaking the bank.
With the arrival of summer and the longer, sunnier days, it’s likely you’ll feel inspired to get out in the garden. Whether you want to renovate your existing garden, start a new garden design from scratch, or begin growing your own vegetables, there are ways to do it without blowing your summer budget.
Many of the costs of gardening can be reduced by recycling, sharing, and swapping instead of paying premium price for things at your local garden centre. We show you how you can get into gardening for less.
Picking and potting your plants
- When deciding which plants to buy for your garden, choose smaller ones to start off with. It’s more economical to buy younger plants, and over time they will grow to fill space. Try attractive space-fillers such as lavender and calendula to start you off.
- Instead of buying new pots for your plants, improvise with the resources you already have. Any old containers such as margarine tubs, egg cartons and yoghurt pots will work well for seeds. Similarly anything that holds soil can be used as an outdoor container, as long as the roots have room to grow – you could even use a wheelbarrow or an old wellington boot.
- Planting hardy annuals is a good way to get your garden going. Although they will perish with the first frost, you won’t have to replant again because annuals such as these are self-seeding; they sow their own seeds. Try poppies, calendula, and cornflowers; see the Royal Horticultural Society website for more suggestions.
- When buying plants from garden centres, scout out the reduced plant area. These may appear a little wilted, but if you give them some new compost and prune off any dead foliage, they should recover quickly. You might also like to check your local market for reduced-price plants.
- Select plants that are native to your area. Non-native plants are more expensive to buy and to care for, whereas native plants will easily thrive with the minimum amount of care. You can find out which plants are native to your area here.
- Line plant pots with newspaper before adding soil, as this helps to retain water.
- Buy big pots of flowers such as bluebells, coneflower, and bee balm, and divide them into several smaller plants. They should then grow and thrive on their own.
- Choose flowers that are multi-purpose. As well as looking pretty flowers like roses, calendula and pansies are also edible. It’s worth noting too that plants which attract beneficial insects for your garden include fennel, cumin and coriander.
- Mint, lemon balm and thyme are good herbs to try growing in pots – they are quite hardy and will grow to fill small spaces. Herbs are also relatively easy to grow, provide lots of ground coverage, require minimum care, and can be used in your cooking, too.
- You can also easily grow plants from cuttings, either provided by friends or by using your existing plants to grow more of the same variety.
- Pot plants successfully by first lining the bottom of the pot with shards of stone to improve drainage. Then, fill the pot with compost but make a well in this for the roots of your plant. Place your plant in position so that it sits about 3cm below the rim of the pot, then fill in and firm the compost around it.
- When choosing your plants, check the overall health of them before you buy to make sure your plants have a longer life-span. Look for signs such as green, healthy-looking leaves, and moist soil.
Sowing your seeds
- It’s cheaper to grow plants from seed, and you can find plenty of inexpensive packets in DIY shops and home stores. Most packets of seed cost less than a pound, and you don’t need to use the whole packet - a pinch or two will do, then you can seal the rest in a foil sachet in a dry place for next year – but remember to check the expiry date too.
- Try using leftover seeds from store-bought fruits and vegetables to grow your own plants. For example, with tomato seeds you can fill a jug of water and leave the seeds in there for 2 days at room temperature. The ones that sink to the bottom are the ones that are more likely to grow well. Dry these in direct sunlight, and store them in a recycled margarine tub until you are ready to use them.
- Swap seeds with your friends. If you know others who buy seeds regularly, why not swap leftover seeds with each other to get lots of different varieties, and to ensure that none are wasted.
- You can also do this on the internet with sites such as Seedy People, Seedy Sunday, and Allotments UK.
Trade, swap, and get online
- As well as swapping seeds with your friends, you could also swap cuttings of each other’s existing plants. These can flourish into plants of their own if given a good amount of soil, light, and water.
- When buying garden furniture or equipment, try to avoid the expensive high street shops. Instead, look on Freecycle or Gumtree for equipment being given away for free in your area. You can also try sites such as Preloved, Friday Ad, or Garden Swap Shop, for a good variety of second-hand equipment.
- Alternatively look through your local classifieds, charity shops, and car boot sales for second-hand equipment.
- Instead of forking out for expensive gardening manuals, why not use the web to unearth advice. Sites such as the Royal Horticultural Society and BBC Gardening have a wealth of information available for the budding gardener. Alternatively, you may be able to find useful gardening books in your local library.
Be a DIY gardener
- Make your own compost. You can do this by mixing ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ at regular intervals onto a compost heap. ‘Greens’ that are good to use include tea bags, grass cuttings, vegetable and fruit peelings, old flowers, nettles, and egg shells. ‘Browns’ can include cardboard, fallen leaves, bark, and shredded branches. Find out more about how to make your own compost here.
- Toilet paper rolls can be used as economical and effective seedling protectors.
- Using a blender, blend up organic scraps from the kitchen and add it to heavy feeders such as roses. This will boost the soil around them and keep them healthier for longer.
- When you are digging up soil, save any rocks you find. These can be used as borders on plant beds, footpaths and so on.
- If your garden is plagued by pests, there are cheap and easy ways to drive them back without resorting to expensive pesticides. If slugs are causing you strife, lay egg shells around the problem areas. They won’t try to climb over these sharp edges, and the shells are biodegradable.
- You could also try spreading seaweed as a slug barrier, as slugs are repelled by it.
- To get rid of aphids, spray a soap solution on the affected areas.
- To get rid of ants, try sprinkling some talcum powder on the ant hill, or use boiling water with bleach.
- Full strength white distilled vinegar is an effective weed-killer. Spray it on footpaths to stop weeds creeping through cracks. It can also act as a deterrent for ants.
- You can also collect your own rainwater for keeping your garden fresh and green, by installing a water butt in your garden.
- Try growing your own vegetables too. Potatoes, runner beans and other greens are good vegetables to try your hand at if you are a gardening novice. Find out more about growing your own produce from BBC Gardening or the Royal Horticultural Society.
- Find out how to watch out for the signs of diseased plants and treat them here.
