Make your garden a stress-free zone with a few frugal tips.
Frugal gardening is a win-win situation. Many money-saving tips and thrifty methods for green thumbs help the environment and simplify your gardening experience as they decrease expenses. Investing wisely in your garden may pay off down the line, as a garden increases the overall value of your home; the American Society of Landscape Architects and "Money" magazine report a 100 to 200 percent return on investment for quality landscaping projects.
Shopping Tips
Come up with a simple plan for your garden before buying anything. Decide on a herb garden, a vegetable garden, a unified color scheme or another streamlined theme and keep to the plan when shopping to avoid frivolous purchases. Stick to home remedies like making your own compost or using baking soda as an insecticide to save money at the garden store. Visit wholesale plant outlets or local greenhouses or join the National Arbor Day Foundation to get cheap seeds, plants and saplings. Avoid gas-powered gardening tools; go manual to save money at retail, reduce emissions and cut down on gasoline costs.
Planting Tips
Don't waste money on plants that aren't likely to pan out. Avoid buying seeds for plants that have failed in the past; observe plants that are flourishing in your neighbors' gardens and follow suit. Choose native plants to increase your chances of a worthwhile investment. Use self-naturalizing bulbs to keep growing new flowers year after year without purchasing new bulbs and plant shade trees to lower carbon emissions and save up to 25 percent on your cooling bills.
Water Conservation
Conserving water in the garden not only reduces your utility bills, it cuts down on environmental strain. To put money in your pocket and save the planet, remove water-sucking weeds and improve vital drainage by regularly aerating your garden's soil. Use drip watering to efficiently water your garden and mulch to retain moisture. Plan your garden's layout ahead of time and group plants with similar watering needs near each other to reduce waste. Set out rain collection bins and recycle natural water as it accumulates.
Prevention
Invasive plants and animals -- such as ivies, vines and hungry deer -- can ruin gardens, leading to costly reconstruction efforts. Spend a little money up front to avoid spending a lot of money in the future. Consult the U.S. Department of Agriculture's list of invasive plants and weeds and visit your local USDA cooperative extension system office to learn prevent local invasives. Use cheap and natural pest repellents -- including bloodmeal for deer, castor oil for moles and onion or garlic powder for beetles -- to ward off potentially damaging garden pests.
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