Four Ways To Improve Your Garden On A Budget

Do you love planting, digging and weeding, but find your pastime expensive

? Perhaps you have a much-loved allotment that's draining your bank balance? If so, it's time to cut costs:

Take a look at these money-saving tips and improve your garden on a budget:

Plant your own seeds

According to research by HSBC, the average gardener in the UK spends 73 a year on plants , but there are ways to reduce this outgoing. Simply decide what you want to grow and buy a packet of seeds from your nearest garden centre. You'll get more for your money and will be able to nourish a tiny little seedling into something healthy and beautiful. To avoid disappointment, make sure you know which plants are suitable for your garden and look after them with care.

Create your own gardening pots

Believe it or not, you don't have to pay a fortune for high-quality gardening pots. A homemade creation will work just fine, so poke drainage holes into the bottom of food cans or recycle old ice-cream tubs. Alternatively, wrap several layers of newspaper around an old jam jar and tuck the ends into the open end of the jar. Once that's done, remove the glass mould and use it to flatten the bottom of your new seed starting pot, securing with sticky tape if necessary.

Make your own compost

Making your own compost requires time and energy, but it could save you a lot of money in the long-run, so it's definitely worth doing. Most things can be composted, but it's essential to use a balance of green products (such as animal manure, soft green cuttings, poultry bedding, coffee grounds and raw vegetable peelings from your kitchen) and brown products (including fallen leaves, cardboard tubes, old bedding plants and tough hedge clippings). Meat, fish and cooked foods can attract rodents, so avoid using these items altogether or find out more about rodent control.

Swap and share gardening tips online

If you're looking to save money throughout 2012, talk to other gardening enthusiasts on online forums. Green-fingered professionals will share their experience and will help you manage your garden like never before. What's more, if you're looking to buy or swap plants, head to sites like www.gardenswapshop.co.uk and improve your flower bed without breaking the bank. Everything from herbs to vegetable plants and fruit trees are available over the net, so join in the buzz online and hold onto your hard-earned cash.

Gardening is a great activity for all ages and doesn't have to be expensive.

by: Robert Weir

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