Introduction

Gardening is a labor of love, but it doesn’t have to be a labor that costs you lots of money. It’s possible to landscape your yard and grow fruits and vegetables without breaking the bank. Here are some tips for gardening on a budget:

Use trash cans as planters

A trash can is a great way to start your garden. It’s cheap, it’s easy to find, and it’s portable. Just keep the lid on and you’ll be able to keep out pests (like cats or raccoons) while still letting in enough light for your plants!

The best part about using a trash can as a planter? You don’t have to worry about drainage holes! Do make sure that whatever container you choose has enough room for your plant (and remember: bigger containers are better for growing plants).

Grow fruits and vegetables in your living room with hydroponic kits

Hydroponics is a great way to grow vegetables and fruits indoors. It’s better than growing them in the soil, because you can control the environment that your plants are in. You can also save money with hydroponic gardens because it takes less time and effort to maintain a hydroponic garden than it does to maintain a traditional garden.

These kits include everything you need: lights, water pump, tubing, sprayers (which are used for misting), net pots (little containers that hold the seeds) and nutrients that help your plant grow strong roots and healthy leaves. The best part is that these kits cost around $200-$300!

Make plant labels from old labels and toothpicks

A great way to make plant labels is to recycle old stickers and toothpicks, but make sure your labels are the right size, shape, color and orientation.

First you need to decide what type of label system you want for your garden. Are you going to go with a complicated system of colored tags or just have some old coffee filters with little sticky notes on them? The answer is obviously the latter—sticky notes will save you time and money because they’re already free! They also come in different sizes so you don’t have to buy anything extra. As far as orientation goes: it doesn’t matter how the sticky note is oriented so long as it sticks onto something — usually dirt—and doesn’t get blown away by the wind when someone opens their window too wide while watering their plants in summertime (it happens).

Use burlap or newspaper to keep weeds under control

Burlap and newspaper are great alternatives to mulch because they work just as well at keeping weeds from growing and helping retain moisture. They’re also biodegradable, so you don’t have to worry about your garden looking unsightly over time (like plastic sheeting would).

You can use burlap or newspaper in a number of ways:

• To cover seedlings and keep them warm in the spring.
• As an alternative to mulch in areas where water tends to pool on the ground. The paper absorbs water and drains it away easily, preventing the formation of mud puddles that might otherwise lead to root rot or other issues with your plants’ health.
• To cover your garden during winter months when temperatures drop below freezing; this will prevent any frost damage from occurring on top of soil before any plants have had time  to set roots down deep enough into it for protection from cold air pockets forming above them (which could cause early bud loss).

DIY your own soil

Soil is important for healthy plants. You can make your own soil mix by mixing compost, peat moss and manure together. If you’re not sure what to put in the compost bin at home, check the ingredients on your bagged soils to see if they already have those things in them.

If you want to get even more involved with this project, you can buy a soil mix and add in some other things like sand or perlite (a type of rock) yourself!

Create a garden watering system using an old rain barrel and PVC pipes

A rain barrel is a great way to collect water and save money on your watering system. It can be used in conjunction with a PVC pipe setup to move water out of the barrel and into your garden.

The first step is to connect a pump to the bottom of your rain barrel, which will then pump water into an additional PVC pipe that runs along your property line. This pipe should snake through as many plants as possible, so consider leaving it exposed for easy access during watering efforts or covering part of it with mulch or gravel for aesthetic purposes. A timer will automatically turn on the pump at designated times throughout the day (or night), sending water from the barrel directly into the soil and keeping it moist at all times.

Buy seeds instead of plants

Gardening is a fun, rewarding hobby that doesn’t have to break the bank. If you want to save money while still enjoying your yard, consider these tips:

• Plant seeds instead of buying plants. You can get more variety and often find better deals on seeds than pre-potted plants. This is also true for flowers: you’ll be able to grow pretty much anything from seed if it’s available as an annual in your area, including flowers like petunias or impatiens that are much less expensive when purchased as seedlings rather than grown from seed!

Share a space with a friend

• Share a garden space with a friend.
• Share a greenhouse space with a friend.
• Share a garden space with your neighbor.
• Share a greenhouse space with your neighbor.
• Join or create a community garden in your area where you can share resources and knowledge.

Have a plant swap with neighbors

The next time you have a group of neighbors over for dinner, consider inviting them over to participate in a plant swap. If your neighborhood is big enough to support more than one type of plant, this can be done by neighborhood. Or if you’re lucky enough that all of your neighbors enjoy gardening and plants, invite them all!

• Plant swaps are when people bring their extra plants/seeds/bulbs and trade with others who have items they don’t have or can’t use themselves. It’s a great way to get the most out of what you grow without having to spend money on new seeds or bulbs every year.*

Make it fun by organizing an event beforehand: maybe even make it into a potluck with each person bringing something related to gardening (like soil amendments). You could also host an afternoon tea after everyone has exchanged their plants so that everyone can chat about how well their swaps went as well as what they learned during them!

Some great ideas for saving money on your home garden.

• Use trash cans as planters.
• Grow fruit and vegetables in your living room with hydroponic kits. (Don’t have a green thumb? Try these easy-to-grow plants.)
• Make plant labels from old labels and toothpicks.
• Use burlap or newspaper to keep weeds under control, rather than expensive plastic mulch mats that can be hard to find and difficult to reuse when they get dirty or old.
• DIY your own soil by combining chicken manure with composted leaves, grass clippings and other yard waste on top of black topsoil—the result is an inexpensive alternative that will help keep your garden healthy without breaking the bank!

Conclusion

We hope this blog post has given you some great ideas on how to save money on your home garden. As you’ve seen, there are so many options for growing your own food at home without breaking the bank—in fact, you’re probably already seeing the ways that gardening can save money in your life. If all this talk about saving money makes you want to try out a new savings plan of your own, why not check out our other blog posts on managing your finances? You can learn more about how to invest in stocks, start investing today with no money down, or even how to build wealth as a freelancer. The possibilities are endless!