The economy is still in disarray and all of us are trying to find ways to do things cheaper and more efficiently even in the garden.  Fortunately gardeners are experts at finding ways to be cheap.  Let’s look at some easy to do ideas that can help keep your garden budget as low as it can go!

5 Money saving Gardening Ideas

Save Money On Seeds

Growing your garden with seeds instead of transplants is going to save you money right off that bat.  A packet of seeds can cost you $1-5 and for more common plants could contain anywhere from 20-200 seeds.  The number of seeds varies with the type of plant.  When you figure that the cost of one packet of seeds might equal one transplant then you know you have already save a bunch of money.

Share you seed packets with other gardeners and split the cost of the seed packet.  You may not need 20-30 tomato plants of the same variety.  You may only want 5. Keep a couple extra seeds to make sure you have success with what you need then swap leftover seeds with a friend or divide the packet.

Save your seeds in the fall from any heirloom plants that did well to plant for next year’s garden.

Save Money With Compost

You probably already do this but saving kitchen scraps and tossing them in a backyard compost pile/bin/spinner is going to make you garden very happy later!  A good mix of green and brown compost material speeds that compost right along.

Check with local farmers on the availability of manure.  Often they need people to take it away for them.  Ask if it’s aged and how long.  If its aged at least 6 months toss it where you want it.  If it hasn’t been aged long enough pile it up in the compost bin and it will be good stuff for later.

Save Money By Upcycling

Upcycling is awesome. Reusing an old thing for a new purpose can be a very creative and cheap thing to do to add value to your garden.  One of my favorite upcycling ideas is the most common one around – using old windows for greenhouses or coldframes.  My garden shed upcycled 7 old windows, 1 set of French doors, 1 paneled door with glass windows on the upper half, 3 glass patio doors, and two storm door windows.

This past year I put together a birdfeeder station and lamppost combo using an old porch post and some old closet rods.  Use your imagination or seek out inspiration online at places like Pinterest and your favorite garden blogs!

Save Money By Getting Plants for Free

Free plants are always fun.  Always!  I love to propagate plants and I’ve never been able to keep that a secret.  Perennials and annuals generally are the most fulfilling since a cutting or division grows into a full fledged planting very quickly.  Trees and shrubs are save you the most money but take time to grow. Which ever type of plant you propagate you’ll benefit from that free plant!

Plant swaps are fun too.  Check in your area to see if a group has a plant swap already organized and if not start one yourself.  Gardeners always end up with extra seedlings and plants that they would love to swap for something they don’t have. A swap doesn’t have to just be with plants.  I’ve seen seeds, garden items, and even composted goat manure at swaps!

Save Money By Finding Useful Stuff Online

Using online resources like Craigslist or Freecycle to find very cheap or even free stuff for your garden is a great way to find cheap stuff or your garden.  My upcycled glass windows and doors I previously mentioned came from an ad I found on Craigslist.  I also found a bunch of bricks there too that are now part of the shed floor.