I have been working really hard this year on my garden. My three goals were : to not spend a lot of money, use what I had, and learn something I did not know last year. Each year is different in our garden. One year the zucchini will grow great and the tomatoes will not. Other year’s we will have a ton of tomatoes and nothing else. Each year I try hard to have a frugal home garden. Frugal home garden’s are part of the purpose of having a garden. Spending a lot of money to have a garden when buying plants and garden supplies can be avoided.
My goals were accomplished because I used most of the seeds that I had from last year, and that took care of goal one and two. My final goal was to learn something that I did not know last year. Our peas we planted in late August did well.
Here are some ways I implement to save money in frugal gardening, yet hold onto the yield that I want to receive from the garden. Sometimes savings takes a different view.
Plan out the garden layout.
Summer gardens are popular. This year I am trying my hand at a few plants for a fall garden. My hope is to have more vegetable to freeze. As as avid gardener and stay at home mom I don’t have a lot of money to spend. The need to budget has spurred my creativity in gardening. Therefore, I am watching a lot of videos, following some facebook gardening groups and discussing gardening with a few friends.
Order from a catalog well in advance of planting. Ordering or buying when garden season starts means higher prices possibly and not as many plants for the price. Ordering from a catalog is a great way to know what you are getting, how much and for what price. Therefore, planning a garden can start a long time before the season.
Keep A Frugal Home Garden Journal
The best way to predict what to plant next year is to look back at previous years. This is the best way I have found to plant my garden. It helps me to see my plants from the year before and helps me decide if I want to continue with the same layout, or try something new.
Without my journal, I probably would not have remembered the trouble we had with vine plants. After looking at what happened the year before my husband and I made a change to our layout. Now, our tomatoes and other vegetables are safe from being entangled.
In addition to this, I largely depend on the daily weather sheet graphs to help me see what the weather was like the year before.
Research before planting
I planted carrots and corn one year without any idea that corn would not grow well in our fenced in yard. I had not done my research.
It is wasted time and resources. When I finally did do my research I found out that we do not live in an area good for growing these vegetables. Corn needs space and carrots need a different soil than what we have.
From my journal I know that I need several tools to make my gardening successful. Starting at growing from seeds and plowing to harvest so our frugal home can make less trips to the grocery store.
I write in my journal what I used, saves or need more of for the next year.
Have a soil sample taken before starting a garden.
I would recommend doing this before planting. I did not, and regret it. Now, I am backtracking and trying to get a soil sample. Having the knowledge before growing will help in the gardening process.
Not wasting time is a huge money saver. Having all of the information prior to buying and planting helps with random purchases. Frugal garden tips show that planning in advance saves money.
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