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Aaron's A to Z Garden of
Information
Gardening on a Budget
Gardening on a Budget
by Arzeena Hamir
Gardeners who need to make frugal decisions at this time of the year can take
heart in a number of alternatives that will not only lower the cost of
gardening, but will also enhance the pleasure! Here are five steps every budget
gardener should follow:
Plan ahead
Make a list of what you'd really like to see in your garden and stick to it.
There's no use growing winter cabbage, regardless of how lovely it looks in the
frost, if no one in your family eats cabbage. A list will also keep you under
control when you see the end-of-season sales and are tempted to purchase
something on a whim. In addition, if you plan exactly where plants are going to
go, you won't make last minute mistakes such as placing sun loving plants in the
shade.
Start a compost pile
It's surprising to see how many gardeners haven't constructed their own compost
pile and still pay to have their grass clippings and leaves hauled away and
then, in turn, purchase fertilizers every year. Compost is free food for the
garden! It helps break up heavy clay soils, absorbs water in sandy soils, and
encourages microbial life, thereby decreasing that chances of any one disease
becoming rampant in the garden.
Compost piles don't require anything fancy. The walls can be made of recycled 2
x 4s, chicken wire, or even hay bales. All that you need is access to the pile
and enough space to turn it every now and again.
What can you put in the pile for free? Grass clippings and leaves are a great
choice since you probably have your own source as well as your neighbours'.
Check with local tree care companies to see if they have any wood chips to give
away. Coffee grinds from the local café make excellent compost, as does shredded
newspaper. Don't forget to include your vegetable scraps and egg shells. Once
you get hooked on composting, you'll even start going after the local barber for
hair, and even saving dryer lint!
If you're an apartment gardener or are cramped for space, a great alternative to
a compost pile is a worm bin. The requirements for a successful worm bin include
a good size container, usually a Rubbermaid bin, about ˝ lb of red wiggler
worms, shredded newspaper, and then a steady supply of kitchen scraps. The
resulting "worm casts" make excellent fertilizer for garden & potted plants. For
more information, City Farmer has this article on worm composting: http://www.cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.html#wormcompost
Recycle
Many of the expenditures that gardeners make for containers and equipment can be
cut down by re-using items you already have at home. Margarine tubs, yogurt &
cottage cheese containers and egg cartons are fantastic for seed starting. Old
gardening boots, wheelbarrows, and toolboxes can make whimsical substitutes for
expensive outdoor containers. Window frames can be converted into cold frames
and plastic milk jugs and pop bottles can be used to make a mini greenhouses or
hot caps.
Start from seed when you can One packet of tomato seed is often equivalent to
the price of one tomato start yet you get the potential of at least 30-40 plants
in each packet. While it may take longer and require advance planning, starting
the majority of your plants from seed can be a big savings, especially if you're
using recycled containers. No need for expensive heat mats - the top of the VCR
or water heater is ideal. Fluorescent tubes make a suitable substitute for
expensive grow lights and can be rigged up under a table or on a shelf in the
garage.
Don't forget to try to save your own seed during the season. Not only will you
save on the seed purchase the following year, but you'll also be able to select
seed from plants that you know did well in your climate. Most communities now
arrange for seed swaps in the early spring where you can trade your excess seed
for new varieties. Make sure that you save seed from non-hybrid plants.
Choose plants that keep on giving
In the vegetable garden, climbing peas, tomatoes, beans & squash tend to provide
more produce than their bush equivalents. If you're limited in space, growing
these plants vertically can be very successful. In addition, plants like
zucchini are notorious for their yields. Trade with neighbours for food you
didn't grow.
Among the flowers, try growing multi-purpose plants to get more bang for your
buck. Many flowers like bachelor's buttons, violas, calendula, pansies, & roses
are edible as well as beautiful. Yarrow, alyssum, fennel, cumin, & coriander all
attract beneficial insects as well.
Find a friend
Not only can you share ideas with a gardening buddy, but you can also share the
costs and make it cheaper for both of you. Very few of us require a whole packet
of seed for the gardening season; most packets contain 40-100 seeds. Why not
split the packet with a friend or else trade seed for a variety you didn't buy?
A gardening buddy is also a great person to share tools with. If you've got a
fantastic hoe and your friend has an excellent pitchfork, why double up?
Sharing with a gardening partner will also allow you to purchase certain inputs
in bulk. If you require potting mix, why not go for the bale size instead of the
small packages? Compost, if you can't make your own, is much cheaper if
purchased by the yard and shared with a friend or two.
Joining a garden club is a great way to meet gardening enthusiasts if no friends
or family are willing to team up with you. Most clubs also hold plant exchanges
or sales where you can get plants for a real steal.
Arzeena Hamir may be contacted at
http://www.tvorganics.com
arzeena@tvorganics.com
Arzeena is an agronomist and garden writer for Organic Living Newsletter.
Subscribe to this free e-newsletter at
http://www.tvorganics.com |
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