The Frugal Gardener

Gardening is a million-dollar industry but it doesn’t need to be. The basics of a garden are to grow produce and plants not to break the bank.

Here are a few tips on the gains without financial loss in gardening.

Seeds:

Growing the garden from seeds instead of buying plants at a nursery will save a lot of money. There are several ways to obtain seeds:

• ~Buy them in prepared packets.
   

• ~Harvest them from the previous year’s garden.
   

• ~Barter with a fellow gardener.

Keep in mind that seeds generally go on sale late February to early March and then again in August. The seeds should be kept in a dry dark place at room temperature until ready to be planted. Which seeds to buy is a choice based on personal taste. Keep in mind that vegetables and fruit will lower the grocery bills while flowers may look pretty but offer few financial benefits.

Tools:

When it comes to gardening tools two rules are true:

1) Less is more: which means do not buy a tractor for a small row of carrots.

2) Quality counts: when it comes to buying gardening tools the top quality brands should be bought either first hand or second hand depending on the budget. When it comes to tools quality counts. The less expensive tool will end up costing more in the long run due to the frequent cost of replacement.

Creativity can also save money on gardening equipment. Here are a few examples:

• ~Poke holes in empty peanut butter cans and start growing seeds in them.
   

• An old garden hose with holes can irrigate the garden.
   

• ~Sprinkle some human hair around the garden to keep some animals out.

Fertilizer:

Manure can be found in many different places for free or very little
money. Try to find some horse stables close or relatively close by. They generally have great deals on manure.

If you live in an urban area, head over to the horse races and talk to management. They hire people to clean the horse droppings and would be more then happy to have the job done for free.

Books:

Two books to check out of the library to learn more about frugal gardening are:

Dirt Cheap Gardening by: Rhoda, Hart

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Gardening published by Alpha Books

Frugal Fanatic Tip:

Learning the process of canning and freezing the produce after harvest will ensure the most financial gains. By canning and freezing the produce from the garden the rewards of gardening can be enjoyed throughout the year.