How to Maintain Your Gardens on a Budget

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Gardening is a great way to relax and cut down on your grocery costs by growing your own food. In fact, 55% of Americans participate in gardening work. With the right diligence, you can cut down on related costs. Here are ways you can maintain a garden while saving money.

Protect Your Crops

Weeds are a very destructive crop that creates a loss for many homeowners. All those beautiful carrots, tomatoes, greens, string beans, and flowers that you spent time and money buying seeds and topsoil for can be destroyed because of uncontrolled weeds taking over. Your average food crop competes with 10,000 species of hungry insects. One of the best ways to protect your crops from destructive insects and weeds is by using the right fertilizer. If you’re unsure what fertilizer to use, your local landscapers can help. Quality fertilizer is essential for adding extra nutrients to the soil while preventing weeds from sprouting up. Mulch protects by blocking sunlight from reaching the top layer of soil. As a result, this mulch blockage prevents weeds from growing while protecting plant roots.

Save Seeds

Don’t throw your seeds away from healthy plants. Remember to collect seeds as your plants grow. You can save seeds from vegetables and fruit that have seeds inside of them. When your potatoes begin to sprout, cut off the sprouting part and re-plant it to regenerate more potato plants later on. Extract seeds from pods or husks. Use a paper towel to spread them on and completely dry them out over a week. Use airtight containers for storage.

Plant Perennials

There are some plants that you can rely on to come back year after year. These plants are known as perennials. In addition to adding beauty to your garden, some may have herbal uses, such as chrysanthemum. There are about 40 species of the Chrysanthemum genus. Asiatic Lilies, Blanket flowers, and Black-eyed susans are other popular perennials to plant.

Use Compost

If you understand the value of recycling and reducing waste, now is a good time to start using compost. Use your compost of broken-down organic items to further fertilize your garden. From banana peels and apple skins to eggshells to discarded coffee grains, you can naturally and organically fertilize your garden without spending money beyond your typical food budget. Plus, you know the things you eat won’t have any pesticides, and the soil will be extra nutritious.

Buy Used Equipment

You don’t need the newest tools and products for a successful garden. Consider online marketplaces like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or garage sales. Swap items with friends and neighbors. Wait for sales at local home goods stores. You may find things at thrift stores as well.

Use Plant Cuttings

One of the easiest ways to expand your normal yield is by using clippings. Take cuttings or sprouts from mature plants and replant them. Start by selecting a healthy stem and cut off a three to six-inch piece at a 45-degree angle. Keep these cuttings in a warm and bright location that has indirect sunlight and mist them frequently, but don’t overwater them. You can transfer them to the soil once you see roots develop. Then, you won’t have to keep rebuying seeds each year.

As you can see, saving money while maintaining a garden is easy. From recycling to preventing weeds to using cuttings, your garden budget will quickly go down. Enjoy the fruit and vegetables of your labor more than ever without breaking the bank. Have fun this summer and future seasons by following these tips.