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Budget garden ideas: how to be a thrifty gardener

March 24, 2015 by Catherine 9 Comments

If you’re looking for budget garden ideas, I’ve got lots of thrifty gardening tips for you!

It’s that time of year when the weather really makes us want to get out in the garden and create some loveliness.  My head is full of plans, wish lists and jobs to get done outdoors, and any spare time spent inside feels like a bit of a waste.

All this planning and excitement can end up costing you a fortune though; I think this is the hardest time of year to control your spending on the garden.  I’m definitely guilty of getting it wrong and wasting money as a result, especially in my early gardening days.  With that in mind, here’s my list of gardening blunders and how to avoid them, so you can be a thrifty gardener.

My top budget garden ideas

gardening on a budget - avoid buying too many plants Don’t buy too many plants

Obvious, but probably top of everyone’s list for ruining all good thrifty intentions.  A moment of weakness at the local plant market, a 3 for 2 deal at the garden centre, or just plain old desire for beauty – it’s really, really hard to resist buying more and more plants.  But if you can make yourself think about exactly where each plant is going to go in your garden, you stand a chance of only buying what you can fit in and not wasting money.

cheap garden ideas - dividing plants to create more for free

Use your existing plants to make new ones

I’ve only really got the hang of this one recently and it’s a real light-bulb moment when you work out that you can make loads more plants from the ones you already have.  For free!  Most plants can be propagated by dividing, taking cuttings or collecting seed.  Give it a try, there’s nothing to lose.

kids tools for planting seeds

Look after your kit

Being a thrifty gardener doesn’t stop at plants.  It’s common sense, but we’ve all neglected expensive things like secateurs, lawnmowers and frost-tender terracotta pots.  A little bit of maintenance can make your equipment last longer and save you a fortune.

ranunculus are great flower seeds to sow in march

Match your plants with their ideal conditions

A shade-loving plant won’t thrive in direct sunlight; a plant that needs alkaline soil will struggle in acidic conditions; a ‘thug’ of a plant will take over a border if left unchecked.  Read the plant label before you buy and if you can’t provide the right conditions, put it back on the shelf (you’re allowed a longing sigh) and move on.

established garden with pathThink longer term

We all want our gardens to look amazing right now, thank you very much – but if you want to embrace gardening on a budget, try to think longer term and put things in place that stop you wasting money every year.  Instead of buying annuals, build up your stocks of perennial plants that will bloom year after year for free.  Get yourself set up with a compost bin, and you’ll spend far less on things like fertiliser and plant food.  Buy smaller and therefore cheaper plants which will get bigger over time rather than splurging on older, bigger ones.  Which brings me nicely onto:

plants for a summer garden rosesLook after your plants!

None of us has endless time to dedicate to gardening, but this is a hobby where neglect can cost so much money.  If you know your gardening time is likely to be a bit stop-start, then choose tough plants that can cope with being ignored now and then.  It’s far better to be realistic than to waste money on high-maintenance plants that just won’t survive.

If you garden as a hobby, by nature you’re not going to get it right every time.  But I think we can all learn from each other, and it’s just as important to share our failures as it is our successes.  Hopefully my mistakes will help someone else save some money and turn their garden into a thrifty thing of beauty – and if you’ve got any more cheap garden ideas, please share them!  You could also check out some more thrifty garden tips from Becky over at Thrifty Home.

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Gardening doesn't have to be an expensive hobby: here's how to be a thrifty gardener.  Save money, avoid mistakes and still have a beautiful garden with these cheap garden ideas.
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Filed Under: Garden Tips Tagged With: Garden, gardening, Maintenance, Plants, Seeds, Thrifty, Tools, Top Tips

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Comments

  1. Dominique says

    March 29, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    A great post for a beginner like me! We have moved into a house with a big garden and I don’t have a lot of experience in this area. I will definitely be following the tips on here! Looking forward to the weather improving so we can get out and get started

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      March 29, 2015 at 5:42 pm

      Happy to help! How exciting having a big garden to put your own stamp on 🙂

      Reply
  2. Rosie @Eco-Gites of Lenault says

    April 1, 2015 at 6:16 am

    Can I add Team up with a friend”? A friend and I share seeds from one packet. Also she is better at starting runner beans than me and I do tomatoes well … so we each start what we are good at and then swap seedlings.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      April 1, 2015 at 11:55 am

      That’s a brilliant idea – can’t believe I’ve never thought of seedling swapping! It’s funny how we’re all better at growing some things than others isn’t it?

      Reply
  3. Jane Taylor says

    April 15, 2016 at 5:52 pm

    My OH is the gardener and he says I have lists for everything except the grocery shop…I think he could do with this list next time he goes to the garden centre!!!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      April 16, 2016 at 1:34 pm

      I find it so hard to resist the lures of the garden centre, for me it’s almost as difficult as staying away from shoe shops!

      Reply
  4. Gemma Garner says

    April 17, 2016 at 8:26 pm

    Some really good tips. I haven’t tried dividing anything yet but I collected seeds from some of our plants last year — we currently have 15 sweet peas starting off in the back garden for free 🙂

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      April 19, 2016 at 10:03 am

      Ooh it always feels so much nicer when those little seedlings came from your own plants doesn’t it. I’m willing quite a few of my plants to get big enough to divide, it’s a bit of a waiting game but very addictive once you start!

      Reply
  5. Margaret Gallagher says

    April 20, 2016 at 9:37 pm

    Thanks been getting thrifty on my garden for a few years now
    Already growing my petunias marigolds pansies and violas seeds I collected last year
    Thanks for more useful tips
    Primulas have been thriving for years started with 2 -now I have 16 x

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Catherine. Welcome to Growing Family, a top UK home & garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
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