Gardening on a shoestring

Gardening is one of those activities that doesn’t have to cost the earth to give you satisfaction and a garden or potted plants to enjoy.
What can you do to save dollars when gardening, and gardening activities that don’t cost a lot? Let’s take a look. 

What can you make from scratch?

• Grow from seed: Seeds are by far the cheapest option when growing edibles and annual flowers. Use egg cartons, toilet rolls and newspaper pots as starter containers.
• Propagate plants from cuttings. 
• Glass bottles and jars for indoor plant cuttings and mini terrariums.
• Compost all your vegetable kitchen waste to make your own soil additives.
• Build a worm farm from recycled materials.
• Make plant tags made from yoghurt containers cut into strips.
• Borrow tools from a tool library.
• Join a local garden club to learn from seasoned gardeners
• Barter your gardening time and labour – many hands make light work.
• When buying plants, choose tube stock over more advanced plants.
• Mulching can reduce your water usage = reduced water bill.
• Make your own liquid fertiliser by steeping comfrey leaves or compost/manure in a bucket for a day and straining the liquid off.
• Homemade pest and disease remedies quite often can be made from a few simple ingredients found in the home.
• Create pots/containers from a variety of random items; old boots, strawbales, washing machine drums, wooden crates, teacups and tea pots… if it can hold potting mix and have a drainage hole it can be a vessel to hold a plant.
• Recycled plastic pots can often be easily sourced online from your local community.
• When it comes to garden art and furniture try second-hand shops and even build your very own garden installation piece.
• Regrow vegetable scraps like beetroot and carrot tops, celery and onion bottoms, cut end pieces of sweet potatoes and more.

There’s one thing you shouldn’t skimp on and that’s good quality Australian standard premium potting mix that has all the ticks on the bag.

Join us in the Autumn 2023 Better Earth Secrets Competition... Send us photos of some of your gardening on a shoestring hacks. If your photos are used in the next Better Earth Magazine you will win a Rocky Point Prize Pack.  Competition Ends 4pm on the 20th April 2023. Email keepgrowing@rockypoint.com.au.