Being Thrifty In The Garden

In this week's blog post we want to focus on ways anyone with any budget can be thrifty with their garden. Starting a garden economically involves making thoughtful choices and utilizing cost-effective strategies. Here are some tips for economically starting a garden:

1. Save Seeds: Instead of buying new seeds, save seeds from fruits and vegetables you consume. This can significantly reduce costs. Watch this video on How To Save Seeds. You can also start saving your own seeds from the garden year after year, just make sure you are saving them from heirloom varieties. Save Seeds Packets.

1. DIY Compost: Create your own compost using kitchen scraps, yard waste, and other organic materials. Composting is an inexpensive way to enrich the soil. Compost Bin*

2. Choose Low-Cost Plants: Opt for seeds or seedlings of plants that are known to be prolific and easy to grow. These often include herbs, some vegetables, and certain flowers. Shop our Top Easy To Grow Picks, here.

3. Container Gardening: If you have limited space or poor soil quality, consider container gardening. You can use recycled containers, buckets, or even old tires as planters.

4. Borrow or Rent Tools: Instead of purchasing expensive gardening tools, consider borrowing or renting them. You may only need certain tools periodically, making it more cost-effective. If you can only chose one tool to invest in, make it a hand trowel, Trowels are a forever tool for the garden, including planting, transplanting, weeding, digging small holes, and cultivating soil. Its compact size and pointed blade make it easy to work with in both small and large gardening spaces.

5. Mulch: Mulching helps retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. Use organic materials like leaves, or grass clippings as mulch, which can often be obtained for free. Contact your local waste facility for any leads in where you can find this organic matter for free or for cheap!

6. Rainwater Harvesting: Set up a simple rain barrel to collect rainwater. This can reduce your reliance on tap water, which may save on water bills. You can use a repurposed barrel, sometimes sold on facebook marketplace or, we found this beautiful rain saver, that doubles as a planter as well, *  this company makes an array of designs that can help perfectly blend with your landscaping and home.

7. Local Resources: Check for local resources such as gardening clubs, community gardens, or plant exchanges. These can be great sources for advice, plants, and even gardening materials. MIgardener also has a gardening discussion group on facebook, allowing gardeners to connect worldwide with any gardening related questions!

8. Start Small: Begin with a small garden plot or a few containers. This allows you to manage costs more effectively and learn as you go. It can be anything as easy as a 5 gallon bucket or check out our MIgardener Fabric Grow Pots.

9. Use Household Items: Repurpose household items like egg cartons, yogurt containers, or newspaper for seed starting. This reduces the need to buy specialized seed-starting materials. If you are looking for something that will free you from using any container, you might want to invest on a soil blocker, check them out here. These handy devices allow you to sow directly in soil without having to start your seeds in containers. Woo!

We hope these tips help you with sticking to gardening and getting creative with things you may already have access too. Below are some gardening things we love using in our own gardening practices! Enjoy!

Garden Source Links

1.  Save Seeds Packets 12 ct. $3.99 2. Compost Bin* 3. Hand Trowel  $8.99 4.Fabric Grow Bags 3 Gal - 20 Gal 5. MIgardener Easy To Grow Picks 6. Soil Blocker 8 Block $39.99

*MIgardener may earn a commission from purchases made through this link.