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Cheap ways to garden

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Cheap ways to garden - The Hot Mess Press

If you’re new to growing your own food, you may feel a little overwhelmed. The gardening section of your local hardware store may be full of containers, different growing mediums, and gardening tools. It can be hard to know just what you need. Plus, a lot of those materials are very expensive and can cause you to spend a lot upfront to get started with a new garden. Whether you’re planning on growing a few pots of tomatoes, or you want to greatly add to your food supply by growing a variety of fruits and vegetables at home, you can save money by shopping around. There are plenty of cheap ways to garden. Get creative and think about what you already have that can be used to grow food.

Used recycled materials

There are no rules when it comes to garden containers. Look around your home for containers you aren’t using anymore. This may include old buckets, plastic totes, and even heavy-duty reusable shopping bags. If you want to start seeds indoors before transplanting them outside, egg cartons work very well. The one thing you want to consider is safety. Don’t use anything that held toxic or hazardous materials since you can’t be that those won’t leach into your food.

Don’t pay a lot for dirt

Potting soil can be expensive and there are so many different kinds available. If you’re new to gardening, you may not know what to purchase. Your soil should be all-purpose and you can supplement with fertilizers and additives to make it healthy for your plants. By keeping a small compost bin, you not only reduce food waste, but you can use this in your soil to add nutrients that plants need to thrive. You can compost most kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and some papers. You can also mix up your own potting mix using a basic recipe that can be found online.

Build your own

Raised beds are easy to build and can be constructed from recycled materials like pallets and wood from demolition projects. You may even be able to get these materials for free. Check your local online classifieds to see if anyone is giving away or selling these materials for cheap. There are plenty of tutorials online for cheap ways to garden. People grow potatoes in cardboard boxes, laundry baskets, and other affordable containers.

Don’t let the upfront costs of gardening hold you back. Get creative with what you have and find containers around your home that you can use. Many people will give away useful gardening materials as long as you’re willing to haul them off. There is nothing better than pulling those fresh tomatoes off the vine in the summer knowing that you grew them yourself. Plus, you can save a lot of money with an established vegetable garden.

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