Ways to Garden Frugally

Cheap Garden Tips For When You are on a Low Budget

When we first moved into our new home, back in winter of 2022, we knew we wanted to build a garden, but our budget was so low that I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to afford it. So, I started researching and networking and building ideas for when springtime hit. Here is a list of all the things are family has done in order to have a frugal garden.

Know how you want to garden. I realize that sounds obvious, but understanding what method you want to do can help you save money. Our family utilized a technique we learned from watching “Back to Eden Gardening” documentary. It is a regenerative, no till method. This method has helped us garden efficiently and frugally. We had to alter it slightly by using raised beds to give a visual barrier for kids and dogs.
Making your raised bed. We used what we could find. We made raised beds out of free pallets, free wood, and some 4x4s that were given to use by a family friend who just had some sitting on his property. You can also use brick, or cinder blocks. Look on FB marketplace and see what’s available. Ask around. You might be able to find what you need for free or relatively cheap. Or alternatively, you can just make mounds of soil on the ground and not use a raised bed at all.
Laying the groundwork for your garden. We started off with cardboard at the bottom. We put it right on top of our grass. After that we put in our composted soil. We got a truck load of aged manure to use as soil. This was free to us, but I have also seen it on FB marketplace for a cheap price. The manure is aged so it acts more like soil now, rather than, well, manure. Then, we topped it off with wood chips. I happen to see a tree trimmer guy across the street and asked him if he could drop the chips off in our yard, and he did. The chips have now been there so long that the bottom of the pile is also now soil.

Planting time. A cheap tip for gardening is start with seeds. And growing little seedlings indoors first and then transplanting them. Another affordable way is to buy young plants at local farm greenhouses that sell them by the flat.
Barter. Bartering is always fun. Do you have lots of extra tomato plants, and your friend has extra cucumber? That’s a great time to exchange plants.
Leave your plants alone when they die. When the season is over, leave your plants alone. Frequently, new plants sprouted up from a fallen tomato, or a lettuce when to seed, and grew new lettuce the next year. Free plants!
Turn your produce into plants. You can do this with so many plants, like lettuce. Cut off the top of your lettuce, and just stick the rest of it in the ground and watch it make new lettuce. It’s like magic.

Gardening doesn’t have to be expensive. You can garden on a low budget. The key is knowing what resources you already have, and researching what is around you for free or a very low price.

Do you like to garden? If so, would love to know what YOU have done to keep it affordable.