Frugal Gardening Tips

• A $9.00 bag of peat in-season may cost you only $3.50 at the end of the season. Buy the majority of your garden supplies in the Fall and pay lower prices from retailers.


• Instead of buying that plant you've had an eye on for your garden, why not trade plants through a local garden club or online plant swap.


• Don't buy that $20 bottle of potent bug poison. You can make your own earth-friendly bug juice at home for a lot less and not only save money, but save the environment as well.


• Make your own compost bin out of wooden pallets. It will do the exact same job as one of those high-dollar plastic ones.


• Use drip irrigation instead of overhead watering. Less water will evaporate and more water will reach the plant roots where the water is needed most.


• Clean your garden shovel at the end of the year by getting a 5 gallon bucket, filling it with sand and running the shovel up and down through the sand several times before storage. Sharpen and give the blade a light coating of 3-in-1 oil before putting it away for the winter. Well maintained tools are easier on your back and your wallet.


• Some city governments make their own compost and mulch. They may make this available in bulk to local citizens for next to nothing, if not free.