As we enter the spring season, many of us are getting ready to put our gardening gloves on. The not-so-fun part is how much it’ll cost to transform the garden into a blossoming oasis. However, there are many tips to help prep your garden for spring without having to spend so much. This article is about five of those tips, so let’s unearth them.
Repurpose household items
Buying new tools is one of the easiest ways to waste money during the spring prep season. Of course, your rake is rusting, and you need a tool to transplant seedlings, but what if we told you those tools are in your home already?
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From brushes in your bathroom to old spoons in your kitchen, you can repurpose different items as garden tools. For instance, you could use old brushes to wash small gardening tools and use a plastic spoon to move your seedlings.
Harvest your seeds
Even beginner gardeners know seeds are another major expenditure when preparing for a spring garden. An important tip is for you to collect seeds from your vegetables.
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Collect seeds from plants like cucumbers, peppers, or tomatoes after they have matured. Then, store the seeds in a cool, dry area until it’s time to plant them.
Make your own compost
We often buy compost from stores to fertilize the soil of our garden; that cost can also be reduced to the barest minimum. You can fertilize your garden without breaking the bank by making a compost rich in nutrients.
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Create a pile of organic material like fallen leaves and kitchen scraps in a compost bin. Then, turn it bi-weekly to aerate it and keep it moist for it to decompose. You’ll soon have rich, dark compost for your garden.
Make plants from your plant cuttings
Of course, you can plant only seeds all over your garden, which is why buying new plants seems compulsory. If you have plants like peppers or tomatoes in your yard, you can make new plants!
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Cut a 4 to 6-inch stem from a mature plant just below a leaf node- then remove the lower leaves, put the cutting in a loose potting medium, and bury the node. Then, all you have to do next is to transplant the cutting into your garden once the roots have formed.
Collaboration is key!
One good thing about this season is that everybody is doing the same thing in their gardens- preparations. You could partner with your closest neighbors to share useful gardening ideas and tips.
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Aside from the social aspect, collaborating with your neighbors helps you save money because you can swap seeds with them instead of buying. You can also share gardening equipment with them since they are nearby.