The number of Americans who love to garden has increased each year to reach nearly 120 million gardeners since 2008 proving that gardening is becoming a popular thing to do. Tending to our gardens helps us live a healthier and greener lifestyle and can be highly rewarding when we eat the food grown from our backyards. And the best news? It doesn’t have to cost us a fortune in order to reap the rewards from our hard work. If you’re one of these green-fingered people and you need some thrifty gardening ideas to save you money while your garden grows then these tips will inspire you.
Recycle and reuse
There are countless household items that have probably been put into the recycle bin without their true value being realized. However, the next time you throw out an empty toilet roll, yogurt pot, tin can, milk and eggs cartons or plastic bottle, think again. Many of these items can be re-purposed as pots, containers and seed raisers. Pretty much anything can be reused again as a plant pot holder provided you make holes in the bottom for drainage when necessary. The only thing that is stopping you is your imagination. So next time you’re about to throw out an old pair of shoes, a damaged basket or broken saucepan, consider where they can be placed in your garden instead.
Using tools for multiple purposes
There are some items that we need to buy for the garden but that doesn’t mean they’re not a good investment. A multi-purpose tool is a cost-efficient way to tackle all those jobs that have to be done in the garden. For example, buying a trowel with a serrated edge means you can use it for cutting plants as well as digging. Similarly, a leaf blower is a multifaceted tool and can be used for several jobs such as cleaning gutters, removing debris from air vents, clearing up snow and even drying your car! Multi-tools are also a perfect solution if you don’t have much space to store numerous gardening tools or when you can’t afford to buy multiple pieces of specialized equipment.
Use leftovers to grow food
Did you know you can get more from your garden by regrowing food from leftovers? Celery stalks, garlic, spring onions, potatoes, basil, avocado and ginger are just some of the food you can re-grow. If it can’t be regrown, any other uncooked food can be used for composting. In doing this, you are not only saving money but reducing your household food waste too. Similarly, don’t throw away coffee grinds as it’s very versatile in the garden: it works as a fertilizer by adding nitrogen to your compost or can be placed around plants to deter slugs, snails and even cats.
Being creative with your gardening tools and reusing everyday items from your home is a great way of helping the environment whilst saving yourself some money at the same time.