Frugal Gardening Tips to Save Money on Food
While gardening is fun and a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, it can also be a very expensive habit. Don’t completely ruin your household budget! Follow these frugal gardening tips this spring and you will be able to save money on food that you actually grow yourself!
Start from Seed
While starting plants from seed can be a bit time consuming, it will definitely help you reduce the cost of your garden. Watch for sales in the spring at your local nursery and stock up. Make sure you know what plants will grow in your area. Don’t waste your money on plants that look fun to grow if the chance of you harvesting a crop is slim to none.
Look for Second Hand Items
One of the most frugal gardening tips that you need to remember is to not get sidetracked by pretty new items at the garden center. Check out thrift stores and garage sales for used pots, shovels, cinder blocks, tires, and anything else that will work in your backyard garden. Repurpose and buy second hand to save money on food that you grow yourself.
Regrow your Kitchen Scraps
Did you know that you can regrow many of your kitchen scraps? You can grow more celery from the base that you were going to throw away. It is also possible to grow a whole head of garlic from just one clove. Many foods can be regrown to help you save money on food this spring.
Make Your Own Compost and Fertilizers
Buying compost and fertilizer at the nursery can be expensive. Invest in a compost bin or build one yourself and you will never again waste money buying premade compost. Also, check out these ideas for natural fertilizers.
Save Money on your Water Bill
If you are looking for frugal gardening tips that will help you reduce your carbon footprint, cutting back on water usage is a great one. Make sure you water your plants in the morning to avoid evaporation. Invest in a soaker hose rather than using a sprinkler system to maximize how much water gets the roots of your plants. There is no reason to waste water and blow your utility budget when growing your own food. Also, check out these 4 frugal DIY drip irrigation systems!
Don’t Neglect Your Garden!
One of the most important frugal gardening tips to remember is to be vigilant about taking care of your garden. If you neglect your garden, it will die and you will have wasted a ton of time and money. Water regularly, feed with fertilizer at appropriate intervals, and keep your eye out for pests. You can make your own homemade garden pest killer to save money if insects become a problem. If you haven’t planted your garden yet, check out how to get rid of bugs in garden soil.
Gardening can be a fun hobby and a great way to save money on food. However, it can get to a be a pretty
expensive pastime without setting yourself a budget, so be prepared.
Do you have any other frugal gardening tips to share?
addy
Thursday 10th of January 2019
Great tips!! Growing your own food has a lot of benefits and you can save a few dollars and use them on other projects. I like your idea of Regrowing Kitchen Scraps at it can reduce your expenditure especially when on a tight budget.
Thanks for sharing.