Tips for gardening on a budget

There’s no denying times are tough right now, so we need to find ways to save. Fortunately, there are easy ways to save your money when it comes to gardening. Here are some things I do:

Here’s me enjoying my bargain galvanised bathtub from the local antique warehouse! This cost a fraction of what a pot this size would have cost & looks much more interesting in the garden.

1. Make second hand shopping your friend.
   From greenhouses to pots, plants to paving slabs. You can find so many gardening gems second hand - and often for free. So keep checking all the usual online sites regularly and you just might bag a bargain.
   
   
   

2. Join local facebook groups.
   There a lot of community gardening pages on Facebook where you can meet local likeminded gardeners, doing this means you can seed swap, plant swap and get a heads up when anyone is getting rid of anything.

3. Reuse household recycling.
   Who said you have to sow seeds in pots or trays? You can totally use your household recycling to do this. Why not start your sweet peas off in the cardboard of a toilet roll? Or use an old mushroom punnet as a seed tray! I’ve even seen people growing stuff in milk cartons. Also this is a much more sustainable way of gardening, vs buying lots of plastic pots.
   
   
   

4. Shop at plant nurseries, not garden centres.
   I know It’s hard to resist a little trip to the garden centre, BUT if you are after anything then head to a plant nursery instead. Nurseries are often cheaper AND usually the plants are healthier too, in my experience.
   
   
   

5. Buy plug plants!
   And If you’re buying plants, it’s cheaper to buy them as plugs earlier in the season and grow them on yourself, instead of buying them as established plants. I often do this for anything I’ve not had success in growing myself.
   
   
   

6. Grow from seed!
   Seeds are mega cheap and usually have hundreds, if not thousands in the pack - so if you take your time you could fill your garden for a very small cost, as apposed to buying established plants. You don’t even need a greenhouse, just a sunny windowsill to start them off in and then a plastic box in the garden will do just fine. But also you can get cheap ‘zippy’ greenhouses on amazon if you want one! They’re great.
   
   
   

7. Take cuttings!
   Did you know you can turn your plants into more plants simply by taking cuttings. This isn’t necessarily for beginners, but I’m a fan of giving stuff a go anyway! There’s nothing better than free plants!
   
   
   

8. Car boot sales, charity shops & antique warehouses.
   If you’re after pots, then I always find mine second hand - as buying new can often cost a lot! Check out your local car boot sales, charity shops & antique warehouses as often you can get pots for much cheaper than in the garden centres.
   
   I’m sure there are lots of other ways to save £, but these are things I do to help make sure I’m not over spending.