Have a green thumb and a tight budget? I have found that if I go to garden centers in the big box home improvement stores on the day after their vendors go through the plants, I can find some real bargains. I have bought some puny plants that were in planters which cost more than the plant was reduced to!
Ask your local gardening center for any torn or broken bags of mulch, potting soil, woodchips, fertililzer, etc. They sell these at discounted prices to move them out.
Here are some money saving tips on gardening equipment and supplies from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own here.
Spring gardening can sometimes add up to quite a chunk of cash. Instead of burying your money in the soil, plant some of these seeds and grow some savings.
Having beautiful flower beds doesn't have to be just a dream. I have found many frugal ways to fill my gardens with perennials, bushes, and trees.
Spring is right around the corner. Here are some tips for saving money on gardening. Post your own ideas here.
We're encouraged to use raised garden beds for our veggies here. Aside from our incredible compost bin, Chris wanted to mix Black Cow with the soil he'd bought.
I'm frugal, but do afford myself the "luxury" of buying the small plants for my backyard raised garden and flower beds. Today I decided to get started with the planting and stopped to by a few plants from a mom and pop's roadside stand not far from home.
I just moved into a house at the beginning of March. I am excited to finally have a yard, but have found that supplies to beautify the yard are very expensive. I would appreciate any suggestions. Namely, any ideas about where to get free plants?
Hardiness Zone: 5a
By Tamara Jestice from Loveland, OH
You can buy seeds very cheaply. Dollar Tree often sells them for 10 cents a package. Start them in the house and then put them outside. If you want to spend a bit more you can buy coleus seeds.
The best way to make a garden is to build a raised bed,this picture may help you,do not have to remove grass,just put down several layers of news papers or plastic,put cement blocks around it,on top of the paper or plastic to hold it down & to keep the grass & weeds from growing, then fill it with composted manure from Lowe's,get a bag of 10-10-10- fertilizer from the same place. After you have it filled sprinkle a light layer of the fertilizer on top then rack it in with a yard rack, you are ready to plant.
Ask, ask, ask! Most of us with established gardens would happily share cuttings and divisions of plants. The same with tools and some other materials. I bet there are lot of us who have an extra trellis, or planter in the garage that would love to share! Garage sales are a great place to find shovels, etc. Watch the clearance areas in the garden centers or garden parts of stores. Often plants that are past their bloom time will be on clearance.
But don't be hesistant to ask people! Put a note up at church, make a few calls, check craiglist! Good luck!
You guys are wonderful! This is one of my favorite sites! Thank you so much for all of the wonderful suggestions!
I moved into my home 4 years ago & also didn't own any gardening supplies. I found some of my larger tools at garage sales, some of the smaller ones I bought at the dollar store (buy 2 because they break easily) & some of the best deals I got at liquidation stores like Big Lost. Big Lots sells quality garden hoses & tools for half the price of Home Depot.
Top get my plants I propagated my own English Laurel hedges (nearly free). All it took was 2 bags of playground sand in a flat box that I lined with a garbage bag. You'll have to buy rooting soil & just Google "Propagating" or the words "rooting plants". Some root better than others.
And don't forget about Farmers Markets for less expensive plants. I bet you could also work for some of these people in exchange for plants! There are also seed exchange clubs on the web.
Check out the website freecycle.org. I don't know if you are wanting to plant flowers or veggies, but this site is good for flowers. Please know that if you sign up for freecycle.org you will get posts that will let you know everything that is being posted, but everything on this site has to be FREE....so be patient. (you might find other things you are looking for for free ie gardening supplies) Every so often there is a post stating 'free xx flower come get and you can have'. As for veggies....farmer's market. I live in central IL so I thought that the idea of a farmer's market would not be near me. I found out differently. They are great! Enjoy your gardening!
I have a large yard with a lot of trees that requires a lot of work. I am always having to pick up limbs, spread mulch, etc. Then I came up with the idea to use my 30 gallon large garbage can on wheels that I had purchased from a discount store.
This page is about starting a garden on a budget. With some work there are many ways to get what you need for a garden.
This page is about saving money on seeds. End of the season and discount stores seed packs, as well as, seed exchanges can reduce the cost of planting your flower and vegetable gardens.
This is a page about save money shopping end-of-season plant sales. One easy way to save money on plants it to shop at the end of the season.