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Gardening can quickly become an expensive hobby. But it doesn’t have to be. There are many ways to garden on a budget and still have beautiful and bountiful beds. Gardening on a budget doesn’t have to be limiting or discouraging. There are many ways to keep the cost down so it’s not so expensive. In this post, I’ll give you five cheap and free DIY gardening ideas that anyone can do.
Your garden doesn’t need the high price tag
It’s better not to buy your tools and equipment brand new; getting them used will save you tons of cash. It’s easy to find used tools, cheaply or even free, at garage and yard sales or online marketplaces.
Another option is to ask your friends and neighbors to see if they have anything you can borrow. Your friend may even have stuff collecting dust in the garage that they would be happy to get rid of.
Make compost yourself
Compost is an excellent soil enhancement, and you can easily make it yourself. You don’t need to buy a fancy bin or tumbler either. Create a dedicated pile, or make a bin from repurposed fencing or chicken wire.
All you have to do is put it right in your vegetable garden, so spreading all that free black gold is a breeze. Check with your city or county too. These days, many of them have inexpensive, or even free, compost available to their residents.
Plants don’t discriminate against water
Without water, you can’t enhance your garden. While a rain barrel can be expensive, you can save money by making your own. Many cities even have programs where they sell them at deep discounts to encourage residents to use recycled water.
Rainwater can be in your outdoor beds or inside your houseplants. Not only will collecting rainwater save on your water bill, but it’s also better for your plants and the environment. You can also try melting snowflakes; it’s the same thing.
Start slow and steady
Another way to save money is to avoid large plants. Rather than buying large perennials, purchase plugs instead. You can usually get a whole flat of smaller plugs for much less than it would be for one or two mature plants.
That means you can fill an entire garden bed for a fraction of the price and stay within your budget. Yes, it will take a bit longer for them to fill in, but the cost savings will be worth the wait.
Swap seeds
Another effective way to build up a large stash of garden seeds when on a tight budget is to trade for them. If you participate in local swaps or organize a trade with friends, you won’t have to spend any cash.
Some websites, forums, and social media groups are dedicated to trading seeds online for merely the price of postage. Sometimes you can find generous people to give them to you, even if you don’t have any to trade.