6 Cheap Vegetable Gardening Tips

Gardening can be costly. Here are my cheap vegetable gardening tips to keep your costs down. Some take a little more work than going out and purchasing what you need but they can also be more satisfying.

1. Plan before you shop Taking time to plan your garden layout . It is a very important step in saving money. If you have a plan you will buy what you need rather than purchasing items and plants that you cannot use.
2. Trade seeds Seeds can be expensive especially if you have a large garden. Saving your own seeds is probably the best way to save money as they can be expensive to purchase every year. If you do not have the desire or time to save your own seeds trading them is the next best way. Trade with neighbors, start a seed trading club or check out Seedy Saturday which is a day event every spring in many Canadian cities.
3. Buy healthy transplants The best and cheapest way to get your transplants is to grow your own. If you do not want to do this make sure you purchase your vegetable plants from a reputable nursery. If you purchase healthy plants you will not bring disease or pests into your garden. In the long run this will save you time, money and energy. You can also get excellent advice from nursery staff.
4. Rent large equipment Large garden equipment and tools such as tractors, rototillers, shredders, weed-eaters and cultivators are very expensive to purchase and maintain. You really only need these items for a few days during the season so renting them is a way to save you some money. Check out your local telephone pages to find a rental company. If you want or need to purchase these items get a group together to share the cost. Do your research so you purchase the best product for your needs. Purchase the best quality product you can afford; this way you will have a machine that works for your garden and one that will last you for many garden seasons.
5. Make compost For cheap vegetable gardening making your own compost is the best way to go. All you need is an area in your garden where you can put your kitchen and garden waste. Compost can be used as a mulch, soil amendment and is a great soil fertilizer - plants love compost. This will save you money as you will not need to purchase costly fertilizers for your garden.
6. Plant cover crops Use cover crops, sometimes called green manure to increase your soil fertility. This will save money by not having to purchase costly organic fertilizers and soil amendments. A healthy fertile soil will produce more vegetables for you to harvest and eat, saving on your grocery bill.

Bonus cheap vegetable gardening tip:

Preserve vegetables from your own garden for eating in the off season, this will also save money on your grocery bill.

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