17 money saving tips for the garden

For all of you with green thumbs out there, this post is for you! Gardening can be a lot of fun, and can save you a lot of money. So get the most out of your little corner of the world and follow the tips below.

• Tip 1: Plant shade trees: Don't over look the benefits of trees on cooling your home. Planting a "safe tree" (eg one that is unlikely to fall on your house) is a great way to keep your cooling costs down.
  
• Tip 2: Share tools with your neighbours and friends: Buy only good quality tools (the cheap ones don't last) and then ask your neighbours if you can share. This way you don't have to buy all the tools yourself. Set up a central ‘library’ for tools in your neighbourhood.

• Tip 3: Cheap or even free plants: Yes...it is possible to get plants for free! Check out Craigs List in your local area and you will see that people are willing to give away plants (if they are moving) or if you are willing to do the removal for them. Search around and you will eventually find what you are looking for.
  
• Tip 4: Plant trees that are local to your area: Do some research into visually pleasing species that grow locally in your area. Because these trees are indigenous you will save a lot of money on watering and feeding. As an added bonus they are much more likely to survive. Marijuana plants are only native to Central America, so don’t count.
  
• Tip 5: Water your garden in the morning: If you live in a warmer area, water your garden in the morning. This way your plants require less water as the water doesn't evaporate as quickly.
  
• Tip 6: Remove tree stumps yourself: Removing a tree stump can add between 10 to 15 percent to a tree removal job. With a bit of elbow grease you can do it yourself. What's more you will be getting some good exercise. If you want a laugh check out the shovel-glove website! It shows basic exercises you can do with a mallet! Use the ute. Even failure will ensure great u-tube videos!
  
• Tip 7: Plant perennial flowers instead of annuals: This way you only have a one off cost and you get to enjoy the flowers for years to come.
  
• Tip 8: Share a garden: Growing your own produce as detailed above is great for you, your health and your wallet. If you lack the space, see if you can share gardening with neighbours. You can all grow different things and share them. In some areas people have started taking down their rear fences to create a larger common garden. With economies of scale you can get much more out of gardening this way.
  
• Tip 9: Plant your own vegetable or herb garden: If you have a small garden area, or have room for some pot plants, then set up your own vegetable garden. There are so many benefits, you have an inexpensive hobby, you get to eat really healthy foods and you also save money on buying vegetables.
  
• Tip 10: Collect your vegetable and herb garden seeds: Rather than buying new seeds or seedlings each season let some of your vegetables or herbs go to seed and collect the seeds.
  
• Tip 11: Go hydroponic: Hydroponics is a great way to grow vegetables and herbs cost effectively, even when you don't have much space. Do a quick search on the Internet and see what options there are for your particular needs.
  
• Tip 12: Cut your own lawn and do your own gardening: Gardening is a fun activity and helps keep you fit and active. Why outsource it! Do these activities yourself, have fun and save money.
  
• Tip 13: Repaint your garden furniture rather than replace: Enamel paint isn't that expensive when compared to replacing your garden furniture. A quick sand and a repaint may be all that is required to make your garden furniture look like new again.
  
• Tip 14: Composting: Composting minimises your house hold waste while providing you with very fertile soil for you to grow your vegetables in. You save money on soil, and you will also minimise the amount of waste you throw out which can reduce your rubbish costs (extra bins cost around $10 a week). Get a wormery as well will enhance the productivity of your garden.
  
• Tip 15: Share plants: It is relatively easy to take prunings, shootings, or parts of different grasses and regrow them. See if you can get together with your neighbours and swap some of the different plants that you have. This will save you a lot more money than going down to the garden store for all of your purchases.
  
• Tip 16: Use hand held hoses (with trigger heads on them) to water the lawn or garden: It is a lot more water efficient than the old sprinkler systems.
  
• Tip 17: Use grey water to water your garden: Grey water (eg water from your washing machine) is ok for the garden. Collect the water in buckets, and then water your garden to your heart's content.

So there you have it 17 tips to help you save money when gardening. If you want to learn how to save $1000s a year then check out our 1011 Money Saving Tips Ebook! But hurry, it is only on special for the next 50 customers.
Cheers
Rusty O'Connor