10 Steps to Frugal Gardening & Landscaping

Posted by Guest Poster at 1:57 am

Jun 032010

Frugal Gardening

The following guest post was written by Marcy Tate, a blogger at Networx, a home improvement Web site for homeowners and contractors. Its mission is to provide the latest information on how to fix, renovate, and decorate your house using the smallest amount of resources for the best value. Subscribe here to the Networx blog.

10 Steps to Frugal Gardening & Landscaping

If you are a homeowner who enjoys gardening and landscaping, then chances are you are looking for ways to cut your gardening and landscaping budget without compromising the beauty of your garden and landscape. Editor’s note: If you’re new to gardening, first check out our Gardening Tips for Beginners.

The good news is that there are simple steps to frugal gardening that will help you save. The following frugal gardening tips are not only good for you and your wallet, but are good for the environment as well. Take pride in frugal gardening and start saving today.

1. DIY Gardening and Landscaping. This step may seem obvious to some, but not to others. Cut back on any professional landscaping maintenance services. Set aside a few extra hours each weekend and take care of the weed pulling and bush trimming on your own. Not only will you save money, but you’ll get some extra physical activity.

2. Seeds. Grow your own seeds or buy seed packets. Seed packets can be purchased at gardening stores or even your local dollar store. They cost about $.25 a packet and can yield close to 50 plants. Vegetable plants cost close to $2.00 each – you’ll really see the savings here. Be aware that you’ll need to plan early with seed planting. Purchase the seeds in March or April and plant them indoors. When the weather in your area is warm enough, transplant them to your outdoor garden.

3. Manure. Find free manure to use in your garden. Head over to a local farm or stable and they’ll likely be willing to share some manure with you.

4. Organic Fertilizer. Make your own organic fertilizer by sprinkling coffee grounds in your garden. It’s best to sprinkle used grounds around plants before watering. Coffee grounds don’t contain enough phosphorus, the most important ingredient in fertilizers for flowering plants. Therefore, do not use coffee grounds to fertilize shrubs and blooming flowers.

5. Mulch. Create your own mulch by saving your grass clippings. If you need more, ask your neighbors for theirs. Also, check with your city as many cities across the US offer free mulch at local public farms or at a local municipality complex. Adding mulch to your garden and landscape also helps reduce the need for watering and fertilizing.

6. Compost. Make your own compost and use it in your garden. Compost is an excellent alternative to chemical-based fertilizers. Making your own compost involves some trial and error and can be made in an outdoor or indoor compost bin. To a successful compost pile, do some reading on the web as to learn the best combination of what should be added to your pile.

Success will depend upon using the right combination of browns, such as dead leaves and branches, and greens, such as vegetable waste and grass clippings. Spreading the compost over your soil will eliminate the need to purchase fertilizers. Editor’s note: To learn more about compost, read our Gardening guide to Compost for Beginners.

7. Tools. Use the tools that you have or borrow from a neighbor. For additional savings, select hand-powered tools instead of gas or electric-powered tools. Not only will you save by eliminating the need to buy oil and gas, you’ll help decrease the amount of harmful gases entering our atmosphere.

8. Water. Wisely Cut back on the amount of time you water your lawn. For additional savings, avoid using in-ground sprinkler systems. Instead, use a drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation systems use about half the amount of water as in- ground sprinklers as well as limit water runoff. Other water saving ideas include:

Before watering, check the weather forecast to determine if rain is expected. Forgo the day’s watering if rain is expected.
Water your lawn in the early morning hours. 5 a.m. is the ideal time in most areas. Watering in the early morning, before the sun comes out, avoids unnecessary evaporation and allows the grass to absorb as much water as possible.
Harvest rainwater for even steeper savings. Collect and store rainwater to be used for your lawn or garden. It takes a few hours to set up a rain collection system. You’ll need to purchase a few basic supplies if you don’t already have them, such as a rain barrel, a small screen to cover the barrel and some bricks. There are simple DIY tutorials on the Web to help you get started.

9. Planters. Make your own planters out of any plastic container you no longer need. Yogurt, cottage cheese and dessert whip containers are just the right size for small plants and flowers. Other ideas include an old boot, tea kettle, coffee tin, empty paint can, or an old Easter basket. I have seen some kids get creative and make a flower planter out of Legos. Editor’s note: Read more about Container Gardening on a Budget.

10. Maintenance. Landscape maintenance will help you in early identification of any problems, as well as help prevent any problems. Homeowners who tend to their gardens and landscapes on their own save money by noticing problems such as a fallen downspout or gutter, cracks in cement and soil problems.

There are other perks associated with growing your own vegetable or fruit garden. A vegetable garden can provide lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and lower your grocery bill by eliminating the need to purchase fruits and vegetables. Vegetable and fruit gardening also encourages healthy eating habits. Follow the tips here and you’ll surely be able to call yourself a fun and frugal gardener.

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