Disclosure: This post on gardening on a budget: cheap gardener ideas to save money contains Amazon Affiliate links. It means that I may receive a commission if you click an Amazon link and purchase a product. It won’t cost you any extra money. Read the full disclosure here.
Gardening is a great way to get your hands dirty, improve your health, and connect with the world around you. Gardening can also be expensive if you rely on ready-made objects from the market (as many others do).
If you want to start growing your own food but don’t want to break the bank on seeds or soil, there are plenty of cheap tricks for getting started in no time. You should apply budget garden ideas to make your outdoor space beautiful.
Gardening doesn’t have to be expensive.
Gardening is a great hobby and doesn’t have to cost a fortune. If you want to get started on your backyard garden but don’t want to spend much money doing so, there are several ways you can save money on gardening:
- Look for places where plants grow naturally. These include your yard or around houses where there isn’t much soil available for planting seeds/plants.
- Beautify your mini garden in a cost-effective way with railing planters for decks available at Flower Window Boxes. You may also use these to spruce up your deck with some greenery.
- Don’t buy too many plants at once.
- Make your own compost by using manure and kitchen scraps.
- A DIY storage at home would help you use garden tools and old wooden crates to make garden furniture, coffee tables, and shelves where you can place terracotta pots and small trees.
- Use propagating plants in your garden and give them a new lease on life.
Here are some cheap gardener gardening ideas:
1. Garden Furniture: Use plastic pots.
Plastic pots are lighter than clay ones, so they can be moved around more easily. They’re also cheaper and more durable than clay ones. You can place the potted plants anywhere, such as in garden centers.
On the other hand, plastic pots don’t hold moisture as well as clay, but this issue doesn’t come up in most cases. If you live where it’s hard to store your plants for winter and springtime blooms, go for plastic bottles or hanging baskets.
2. Outdoor Space: Reuse clothespins.
Use clothespins to hold plants and seedlings. When growing more than one plant, it’s easy to lose track of which one is where. It can also be challenging to track what kinds of plants you’ve got in your garden, so make sure each one has its own clothespin. This will help with both tasks (planting and monitoring).
Label plants with a bright-colored marker or fabric pen as soon as they are planted. It will help ensure they don’t get mixed up later on down the line when the seeds start sprouting up around their feet.
Use these same markers/pens when labeling your seed packets so none gets lost in translation between yourself, who may or may not know how many varieties there are.
3. Use a water bottle to water plants.
You can use a water bottle to water plants. Fill a plastic, glass, or metal bottle with tap water and place it near the plant. The plant will drink more when it has access to fresh water, so ensure you don’t leave any standing in the sink overnight or when you are not at home.
For effortless garden maintenance, you can rely on the mulch supplier found here to ensure a steady supply of mulch for filling your garden once or twice weekly (more often after heavy rainfall). It helps keep down weeds while retaining moisture and keeping roots cool during the hot summer.
Moreover, you can also use plastic bottles as plant pots or hanging planters. Cut the bottle according to your requirements. Add the potting soil and a few seeds of flowering plants. Ensure to add some compost to the heap for the growth of flower seeds.
You can hang the plastic water bottles in baskets or place them on the garden table. It is a cost-effective idea that saves money for your summer garden parties.
4. Make your DIY insect repellent.
You can use kitchen scraps as compost and insect repellent.
You can make insect repellant using water, vinegar, and peppermint oil. First, mix 1 cup of water with 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 2 teaspoons peppermint oil in a spray bottle. Then use it to spray on plants that attract insects like aphids or scale insects.
You can also use this mixture in the garden soil as a pesticide (just add some extra peppermint oil).
It will protect your plants from infestation by mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus or other bugs that feed on aphids or scale insects and won’t damage them at all. Moreover, you can also use garden waste and manure to increase the absorption of micronutrients.
5. Use coffee grounds.
Coffee grounds are a great source of nitrogen, which plants need to grow. They can be added to your compost pile or mixed with soil as mulch in the garden or pots.
Coffee grounds also work as an effective weed killer. Just add them to your garden and walk away. They will protect the existing plants from nitrogen deficiency and won’t let the weed grow.
6. Upcycle car tires as planters.
You can use these tires to grow your plants, but you’ll need to do some prep work first. First, clean the tires with a hose or pressure washer, so they’re free of debris and dirt. Then drill holes in each tire using a drill bit that’s just big enough for the plant (or seeds, if you want).
Use nails for extra security and ensure they’re not too close together—you don’t want them falling over when it rains.
Finally, place your chosen soil mixture inside each tire at an angle, so water drains out quickly. Add more soil if necessary until there’s about an inch of excess space at one end of each tire.
You can plant bedding plants in them to make patterns that will enhance your outdoor space. Moreover, you can place these tires on the garden edging and string the fairy lights, giving the garden designer a dramatic look.
Solar lights are also a great idea for garden ornaments.
7. Create your own DIY twig teepee trellis.
Here is how to make your own DIY Twig Teepee Trellis:
- Find some sticks (or branches) to use as the trellis.
- Tie the twigs together to create a teepee shape, then insert them into the ground so they’re at least 6 inches underground, but not more than 1 foot underground. It will help them grow straight up instead of curving over one another in the wind, which can cause them all to break apart during high winds or storms.
- Attach your DIY twig teepee trellis securely in place using stakes, twine, or other materials that are strong enough to hold up against any weight (like heavy raindrops).
8. Attract pollinators with plants that bloom at different times of the year.
There are a wide variety of plants that attract pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. These insects are essential to the success of your garden because they help pollinate your flowers and fruit trees. To attract these insects:
- Plant flowering shrubs or vines that bloom at different times of year—for example, snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima), and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). These will provide food for the bees throughout their lifetime.
- Install nectar feeders in your yard to see if insects visit your yard when you’re not looking.
9. Transform old windows into a vertical garden.
This great method enables you to repurpose old windows and create a vertical garden. You can use any type of window, but it’s best to have some at least 6 inches wide (or whatever size your plants need). The process is simple.
- Create holes in the glass using a drill. Make sure they’re large enough for the plant roots to fit through, then stick them into the sill or frame with nails and hammer them securely.
- Fill up the space between each window with dirt, then add some compost or other growing medium so that when you water your plants, they don’t dry out too quickly or get overwatered by rainwater runoff from storms on top of their roofs (which would cause rot).
- You can also use wooden pallets to make a vertical garden.
10. Grow strawberries in a hanging basket.
Growing strawberries in a hanging basket is an easy and inexpensive way to grow them on your own. All you need to do is place the pot on the ground and hang it from a tree or structure with strong branches.
The hanging basket will allow for better airflow, which means that your strawberries will be able to thrive in their new environment. Once you’ve planted your strawberry seeds, they’ll increase within a few weeks.
If you’re looking for an easy way to keep track of how many plants are thriving in their respective containers, consider purchasing some soil-testing kits. These kits are inexpensive and come equipped with small cubes that measure how much water each container needs per day (and whether there’s too much or too little).
Build a thriving garden on a limited budget!
Gardening is a great way to get your kids involved in your own garden. It can be a good way for them to spend time outdoors, learn about plants, and exercise. Plus, they’ll love having their own unique herb garden at home.
Gardening does not have to be expensive. With the correct information and skills, you can build a thriving garden on a limited budget. You can use these cheap gardener ideas to make a massive difference in your gardening endeavors!
Need more cheap gardening tips! Check out our posts on container gardening!
- 10 Practical Container Gardening Tips for Beginners
- Herbs for Container Garden – All You Should Know
- How to Plant an Indoor Container Garden: Tips and Ideas
- How to Protect Container Garden from Animals
Has this post helped you? Take a second to PIN it!
