Ah…sitting back and admiring the beautiful outcome that you’ve created, indulging in your fresh harvest, and feeling reward gleaming from your dedication, long hours, and hard work. These are all factors that one embraces at the end result of their gardening. In fact, gardening is one of the most fruitful hobbies you can ever indulge in, and for obvious reasons. It not only helps to keep the environment green, but any avid gardener would say that nothing truly beats eating from the produce of your garden and admiring your work. Nonetheless, gardening can easily become yet another expensive hobby, in which you’re finding yourself spending large amounts to maintain, or even to expand…but don’t stop reading yet! Whether you’re a pro gardener or a beginner, we can advise you of some of our best tips that can prevent you from breaking the bank and continuing to do what you love. A win-win, right?!
Make Your Compost
Making your own compost can save you a lot of money at the end of the day, especially in comparison to buying those expensive brands from gardening stores. You may be thinking that you don’t have a large enough space for this, but you don’t actually need a massive yard in order to create your own organic waste. All you need to get it started are a few matters such as grass clippings, twigs, and kitchen waste. These can give you rich compost for your garden, all while keeping your wallet happy. If you choose to begin making your own compost, however, you need to be careful of what you throw into the compost. Some things can damage your soil instead of enriching it, so always be sure to know what should or should not be put in your compost. Simply remain aware, and you’ve got this in the bag – but not literally, because you didn’t buy it from the store this time!
Mulching
To put it plainly, mulch will be your landscape’s best friend. The importance of mulching cannot be emphasized enough! It has many great benefits, like helping to insulate trees’ roots, prevent unwanted plants from overshadowing your crops, and it reduce herbicides. Along with these assets, mulching saves water and improves soil fertility and it’s structure. As a gardener, you should maintain a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around your plants to protect them from exploits of weather.
Take Advantage of Citrus Peels
There is a tendency that your plants may suffer from a mild infestation from time to time. Some of these “infestations” can be helpful to your garden, while others will not. You can avoid detriment by using citrus peels to ward off unwanted pests. You should avoid using chemical pesticides, because they cost money and can put your health at risk. To utilize citrus peels, cut citrus skins into small pieces and spread them around affected plants. Although it may not be as effective as using chemical repellents in your garden, it will be a healthy and organic way to keep your garden looking beautiful and pest free.
Use Cardboard to Stop Weeds from Growing
Cardboard is one of the best organic solutions you can use to prevent grass from growing inside of your garden or in areas where you don’t desire to have it. It is biodegradable, and lasts for two-three planting seasons. To use cardboard, trim existing weeds in your garden to ground level, and place pieces of cardboards above weeds or your unwanted plants. After doing this, slightly soak the cardboard using a garden hose and cover it with layers of mulch.
Bigger is NOT Always Better
If you love planting trees, but you do not want to leave a massive hole in your budget, it is advisable to go for the bare-root seedlings. This alternative may cost far less than the big trees that cost hundreds of dollars. Mulch your garden to help your bare-foot trees grow faster, and water deeply during the growth stage to enhance deep and sturdy roots. Also, fertilize your soil during the springtime.
Add Coffee Grounds and Tea Bags to the Soil
You read that right, your tea bags and coffee grounds do can do more for than be your morning spike. They nourish your plants every time that you water your garden by improving soil structures, increasing the nitrogen levels and providing yummy snacks for earthworms. Make sure to pick up this tip and stop throwing your old coffee grounds or tea bags away. Put them to good use by pouring them on your soil!
Your Results
As you can see, there are many wonderful alternatives to spending large quantities of money on something you love to do, and what’s better than doing something you’re passionate about while saving? Quite the bargain, in our opinion. If you find that your garden or landscape isn’t turning out quite how you like it, and you’re spending too much to not have your desired outcome, you can always research further tips and tricks that may help. If this still doesn’t seem to help, as a last resort, contacting a professional may be in your best interest. Although you may initially think that you’d be spending more by hiring an expert, you may actually save less if they are capable of creating the product you wish to have and can save your time, effort, and stress.