4 Ways to Save Money on Gardening
Published on 9/3/2021
4 Ways to Save Money on Gardening
As the summer starts to wind down, you might find yourself tending to some early fall gardening projects. Whether that’s weeding, raking or otherwise upgrading your lawn and garden, it doesn’t have to cost you big time. Often, gardening and landscaping can get costly. But here are 4 ways to keep the costs down while still maintaining a gorgeous yard!
1. Develop your own mulch and compost
This step may take a bit to get going but it will definitely be worth it! Mulch is essentially just chopped up trees, grass clippings, wood and bark shavings and other organic and decomposing material. You probably have a lot of this in your yard already. To start, keep grass clippings when you mow. And this fall, keep all the leaves you rake up for another good amount that will turn to mulch.
And composting on your own is good for your garden and the planet as a whole. To create your own compost, start by getting a bin for your yard. Food scraps and waste turn into beautiful food for your garden.
2. Set up a water collection barrel
Similarly, you can be collecting your own rainwater instead of watching your water bill skyrocket with sprinklers and watering systems. This is such a good idea if you live in a particularly dry area as well. Set up a large barrel or bin and let it collect the rainwater. Draw from this when watering your garden.
3. Shop local
While it’s tempting to go the potentially easier route and buy plants from large corporate stores, they often are overpriced and perhaps a little straggly. But if you can support local, small landscaping and garden centers, the community (not to mention your wallet) will thank you.
4. Use recycled or lightly worn equipment
If you’re short on gardening tools, one place to try is online buy/sell/trade groups. You might find lightly used tools or pots for far less than buying all that new. You can also recycle items such as egg cartons from your kitchen to use for seedlings. Or what about yogurt containers or other reusable food containers? Get creative to save on those costly potters and pots.
As you tend to your yard this fall, keep these tips in mind to save you lots when it comes to gardening.
