9+ Frugal Gardening Tips for Spring

Spring is finally here and that, for many, means growth and new life. Time to get out in the garden and stretch those green thumbs! I’m not much of a gardener myself – having an apartment right in Boston isn’t exactly conducive to a lot of outdoor gardening. But one day, I hope to have a nice garden oasis, just like this one…

…(a girl can dream!) where I can grow all sorts of goodies and save money on fresh produce, like many of you do!

For those of you that have gardens to tend to, here are some fresh tips for spring to help you get started. Please share your own tips, tricks and ideas with us in the comments section below the article!

Getting Started

  • Check Your Water Equipment: if you have damaged hoses or missing equipment needed to water your garden, make sure to figure that out now. You can also start to think about creating your own water containers out of recycled items you already have, like empty milk jugs or laundry detergent bottles.
  • Sharpen and Prepare Your Tools: make sure that these are in good shape to get started. If your tools are a bit dirty, you can even wash them in the dishwasher if they don’t have wooden handles.
  • Spring Clean Your Garden: get rid of all of the stuff that’s accumulated in your garden area so that you have a fresh area to work with. Rake away the dead leaves from flower beds, take pruning shears to your shrubbery, cut back existing perennials, etc. Then make sure you collect the debris. Here’s a tip from expert Melinda Myers:

    As you move around, drag one of those plastic saucer sleds behind you to collect clippings and cuttings. Then it’s easy to drag to your brush pile or to the street, if you have pick-up.

Getting Going!

  • Get Free Seeds:

    Before you go looking for seeds to buy, check out the many free options that may be available to you!

  • Use What You’ve Got:

    Check your property for plants that you have already that are out of place. You can move these to other spots to improve the look of your landscaping.

  • Opt for Perennials:

    Perennial plants are a frugal guy or gal’s best friend when it comes to gardening. While annuals have the advantage of blooming right away, perennials will continue to grow year after year, and even spread with new plants in some cases.

    Here’s some advice from Families.com:

    When purchasing perennial plants opt for smaller ones in four-inch pots. They will be less expensive. These small plants will grow and catch up to the more expensive quart plants by the following year.

    If you do want immediate results, sow some annuals from seed, the least expensive option, to fill in while you want for the young perennials to mature.

  • Use Free Compost:

    Mix food waste, like eggshells and coffee grounds into your soil to add nutrients and create a better environment for growth.

  • Use Recycled Water:

    No use in wasting water that you’ll have to pay for. Instead, simply reuse rainwater or find other methods of reusing water that work for you!

  • Make Your Own Weed Killers:

    Check out this article I wrote a little while back that has some great weed killer recipes utilizing household staples like vinegar, salt, and liquid dish soap.

  • Plant Things That Will Thrive in Early Spring:

    Here’s what DIY Frugal has to say on the subject:

    Cold crops such as carrots, beets, broccoli, kohlrabi, salad greens, peas, spinach, radishes, and scallions are first to be planted in early Spring. Use a source such as garden.org/zipzone based on your zip code this will determine the Hardiness zone for planting.

    • Here are some other Tip Hero tips to help you out with your gardening efforts this spring:

    Have any other great tips for other Tip Heroes with green thumbs this spring? Please share them with us in the comments section below. Thanks for being a Tip Hero!

    Sources: Fabulously Frugal, Trib Local

    Photo credit: The Garden Cottage