How To Do Wednesday: Money Saving Gardening Tips

A few years ago, I bought a foreclosed home that was abandoned for at least a year. The property was owned by the city so I had a lot of work to do both inside and out. For the past few years, I have worked to transform my once abandoned property and I feel like it is finally coming together.

A lot of the gardening tips that I have gotten over the years have come from plant professionals. I myself thought that I had a black thumb at once, but I was just doing it wrong. If you are interested in what I learned about gardening over the years, keep reading.

Weed and Till
At least one week before planting anything you should remove all weeds and till the soil. Remove all weeds at the root by using a small hand shovel or a butter knife. Tilling is the process of moving the soil around. The reason that you till is because soil erodes (breaks down), retains acid, and loses nutrients. After tilling, you can apply a layer of new soil with your plants to promote healthy growth.

Invest in Perennials
The best tip that I received about growing a garden was to invest in flowers that would keep coming back. The first year, my perennials were small so I filled the space in my garden with small annuals. This year, I am happy to say that I don't need annuals because my perennials are finally large enough to fill the garden.

Plant Fruits, Herbs, and Veggies
Invest in plants that you will eat from and save some money at the grocery store! Strawberries and tomatoes are two plants that are easily grown and can be potted in some varieties. And at the end of the season, a lot of your growth can be frozen to use in the colder months.

Make Your Own Hanging Baskets
A few years ago I bought two hanging flower baskets for $20 and one of them died within a week. I ended up using some $2 Petunias to fill the basket and they flourished more than the pre-made basket. It was from then on that I decided that I would make my own baskets with the containers that I already had. I had soil from my garden so my baskets only cost me $5 this year. I was lucky to find an 8 pack of Petunias and 2/ 4 packs of Marigolds. Only one is pictured below but I have another that is identical.

Add Mulch
Mulch is cheap and available in a few different colors. Mulch is also supposed to prevent weeds from growing in your garden. I personally like red mulch and use that in my garden.

Add Accessories
Cute signs, edging, or even solar lights are simple ways to add to your garden's curb appeal. I invested in edging last year and it really brings my garden together. Remove all accessories at the end of the season for reuse.

My Front Garden

Before (Early May)

My camera died so you only get two before photos. Sorry!! :)


After Weeding and Tilling

Two Weeks Later
And some fresh mulch...

I am so happy with the progress of my garden over the past few years. I still need some solar lights in the garden and I will be set for Summer 2015. I also have some veggies in pots to plant in the backyard so I will share them soon.

**I hope that you enjoyed these tips and found them helpful. What gardening tips did I miss? Leave them in the comments below. Thanks for reading!**