Gardening is a hobby that doesn’t have to be expensive, but if your plants keep dying, or you find yourself frequently buying fertilizers, pots, and soil, the costs can add up quickly. The following tips will help you save a lot of money, so check them out and see which ones work best for you.
1. Make Your Own Compost
Making your own compost is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to enrich your garden. Plus, it’s great for waste recycling. You can use many everyday kitchen scraps as compost materials, such as fruit peels, vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, and even tofu waste. Yard waste like fallen leaves, grass clippings, and small twigs can also be added to your compost.
Making compost is easy: get a compost bin, mix the organic materials with a bit of original soil, add some water, and stir everything together. After about six months, you’ll have nutrient-rich compost ready for your plants.
2. DIY Newspaper Seed Pots
If you don’t have seedling pots and want to start planting, you can use newspaper instead. Simply roll the paper into a cylinder, fill it with well-draining soil, and transplant your seedlings. Since newspaper is biodegradable, it can be planted directly into the soil when the seedlings are ready to be transplanted. And the best part? It’s free!
3. Use Burlap Sacks to Grow Potatoes
You can repurpose old burlap sacks for growing potatoes. Potatoes need deep space to grow, and a regular flower pot won’t do. Burlap sacks are perfect for this!
During the potato plant’s growth, fold the sack down. As the plants grow taller, keep adding soil to the sack, which encourages stronger root development and allows the plants to produce more potatoes underground.
4. Propagate Plants by Cuttings
If you see a plant you like and your friend or neighbor has it, there’s no need to buy it. You can simply take a cutting from their plant and propagate it yourself!
For better success in rooting, you can try the “layering” method: bend the branch into the soil, and once it starts sprouting roots, you can cut it off and have a new plant. This way, you can grow more plants without spending money.
5. Mulch to Conserve Moisture and Prevent Weeds
When planting vegetables or flowers, if you want to save water and prevent weeds from growing without using herbicides, you can use mulch. Materials like pine needles, straw, dry grass, or fallen leaves work great as mulch. Simply apply a 4-7 cm (1.5-3 inches) layer on the soil surface to retain moisture, keep the soil cool, and suppress weed growth.
6. Use Citrus Peels to Repel Pests
Citrus peels can help repel light pests and reduce your need for chemical insecticides. Cut the peels into small pieces and scatter them around your plants. You can also poke a few holes in the peel and hang it on the plant stems. While it might not be as effective as commercial pesticides, it’s a natural and organic alternative. Just make sure to replace the dried-out peels when they lose their scent.
7. Use Cardboard to Suppress Weeds
If you want to prevent weeds from taking over your yard without using pesticides, try using cardboard. Lay sheets of cardboard directly on the soil, then water them regularly to keep the soil moist. The cardboard will also improve the soil’s fertility and will break down over time, usually within 2-3 months.
These are the 7 simple and practical gardening tips that can help you save a lot of money while still enjoying a beautiful garden. Let me know if you need more ideas or tips!