This is the time of year when many people struggle with the winter blues. For gardeners and plant lovers, the cure is to begin thinking about and planning for the upcoming gardening season. But, are gas and grocery bills making a dent in the garden budget? Follow along below for a few tips on how to do more in the garden for less.
While every gardener longs for an expansive budget to implement dream projects, rarely do we have unlimited funds to do so. Maybe your budget is tight to begin with or maybe you are planning on a garden splurge, like installing a fountain, leaving less for other garden purchases. There are ways to make your garden dollar go further. All it takes is a little extra time, planning, and the willingness to do a some extra work.
What is one of the biggest regular expenditures for the garden? Plants, of course! With the high cost of perennials and flats of annuals, creating a new garden spot or filling in some bare areas can get pricey pretty quick. However, with some advanced planning you can spend pennies on the dollar by growing your own. Seeds are pretty inexpensive; not only that, there’s a world of new and special cultivars and varieties available as seeds compared to plants available for purchase at the local big box store. Some of the most beautiful flowers and best tasting tomatoes are really only available to those who are willing to grow from seed. To grow those seeds you may also need to purchase potting soil and possibly, depending on your situation, basic “grow lights” (if natural light in your home is limited). You can buy seed starting trays or you can save money by getting creative, such as by using toilet and paper towel rolls to make small planting pots. Simply cut the cardboard tube into 4” or so lengths, fold one end of the tube inward to create a bottom, and fill with moistened potting soil. You’re ready to go! You can really get creative with using household items for seed starting, including milk jugs, the plastic containers loose lettuce comes in, even eggshells! Some things, such as zinnias or lettuce, you can even direct seed into the ground after the last frost date. Free seeds are available from N.C. Cooperative Extension, Richmond County Center’s extensive Seed Library! Seeds for flowers, herbs, and veggies are available; just call the Extension office at 910-997-8255 for more information!
If you don’t have the time or space to start from seed, you might look to your own garden to see how you can create more from what you’ve already got. If you’re a plant person, you probably have a lot in your garden already. Consider what plants in your garden can be divided! Many plants actually perform better if they are divided, especially if they’ve been in the ground for several years. Daylilies, Iris, black eyed Susan, hosta, and Lenten rose, to name just a few, are easily divided to make new plants. The key is to learn what time of year is best for dividing, as it does vary. Lenten rose is best divided after blooming, which would be in the early spring. Black-eyed Susans can be divided either in spring or fall, irises a month or two after blooming, and daylilies in the fall. In general, plants benefit from being divided every four years or so, depending on how vigorous they are. By dividing your perennials you’re making more plants for your garden while also making them healthier.
Another way to be thrifty in the garden is to purchase items like compost or pine bark mulch in bulk, rather than by the bag at a garden center. This does require access to a pickup truck to haul the material, but it can provide substantial savings. The Extension office has resources where bulk purchases can be made. Better yet, rather than buying compost and pine bark mulch, make your own compost or use “home grown” mulch such as pine straw and autumn leaves as mulch. By using autumn leaves you’ll save money over pine bark as well as provide over wintering habitat for important pollinators, critters such as frogs, and food for birds, which will scratch around in the leaves for insects and seeds. A win-win!
One final tip for thrifty gardening: come to the Richmond Roots Garden Club! The garden club meets monthly at the N.C. Cooperative Extension office at the Ag Services Center, 123 Caroline Street in Rockingham. In addition to talks on gardening, hands on projects such as creating garden art or inoculating your own mushroom log, the club also has annual plant swaps and seed planting events, sure to help you make your garden even better!
For more information on gardening, thrifty or otherwise, contact the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Richmond County Center, at 910-997-8255, visit our website for program information and follow us on Facebook.
