If you’re just starting out with your veg patch or allotment, then you’ll probably be keen to do it on the cheap. We’ve got 10 top tips to share that will save you a few pounds here and there!
- Make friends with a tree surgeon – they are usually very happy to offload some wood chip which is very helpful for pathways, and also for rotting down into compost.
- You can paint cheap terracotta pots with outdoor paint to spruce them up a little.
- Use old jam jars on bamboos to prop up netting around strawberries, brassicas and other vulnerable plants.
- If you live near a farm, persuade the farmer to let you take horse manure off his hands so that you can rot it down into compost.
- Anything can be used as a container – old wellies, tin cans, broken buckets, tyres – you don’t need to spend a fortune on ceramic pots.
- Make your own compost. This will probably be your biggest money saver, and you don’t need a huge amount of space to do it.
- Make your own plant feed. If you have stinging nettles or comfrey growing near you, pick some and soak them in water for a couple of days for an easy, cheap liquid feed.
- Look after your tools. This may sound obvious, but you’ll definitely save money if you look after your garden spades etc rather than leaving them lying around outside. Fewer replacement purchases needed!
- Choose big croppers – you’ll get more bang for your buck when you choose veggies that produce a lot from one plant: beans, tomatoes, beans, lettuces and leaves, aubergine, courgettes, squash and so on.
- Put a water butt in place to collect rainwater and save yourself from spending money on watering your veg.