It ’s fun to have a hobby of growing plants in containers . But it can become an expensive hobby if you ’re not heedful .
I ’ve started container gardening myself but I only had a limited budget to spend . I ’ve write details in this post to help oneself you if you ’re looking for container gardening on a budget .
How much does a container garden cost?
A container garden will cost about $ 100 if you grow five plant in 5 - congius containers . This will be money you pass on buying seeds or transplants , pot grime , compost , containers , fertilizer , and support . This cost can increase or decrease depending on how many plants you are grow .
However , some ways can help you lose weight the money you necessitate to spend growing a container garden .
1. Choose the right plants to grow
If you want to start container gardening on a budget , the first matter to pick is the type of works you want to grow .
Some plant such assucculentsare unfearing and do n’t require much maintenance . you could thrust some seeds into the potting soil and they will mature well on their own without require much watering or fertilizer .
But there are other plant life such as edibles that may take a circumstances more care . You want to give them the proper lachrymation and fertilizer to get good ontogenesis and harvest .
Succlents on display at HortiPro Exhibition
You will need to spend more prison term and money on some plants than others . So remember to break up plants that you know you’re able to spend the required budget on .
You could also save moneygrowing recurrent plantsbecause they will continue to grow for many years . yearly plants only grow for a year and you need to replant them the next year . Many florescence plants are perennial but most eatable plants be given to be annual .
If you desire to grow annuals , check that to save some come so you may grow them the next year without having to purchase seeds .
2. Get yourself free or cheap seeds
The first matter you ’ll take to start a container garden is seeds . These are required if you plan to bug out plant from seeds . I would recommendstarting from seedsbecause they ’re normally much cheaper than buying plants .
The dear means to get seeds for loose is to ask your friends and kinsperson who farm the plant you want to grow .
you could get seed mailboat from a nursery , garden center , or on-line store . you may get them for a honest discount if you pick them up after the growing time of year has ended . The seeds can be used for the next spring up season without any issues .
Seed packets I bought online
I searched online and find a shop that sell low-priced seeds . I bought some love apple and capsicum pepper plant seeds from them . They were genial enough to give me some Anthemis nobilis semen for free .
you could also render to use the ejaculate from the vegetables you purchase at the foodstuff store . you’re able to collect the seeds and dry them with a theme towel before use . These seed may have down in the mouth sprouting pace than the germ packets but you may plant more to overcompensate .
If you plant a garden , and you are on a blind drunk budget , then you will presently recover that growing plant from cum is much less expensive than purchasing seedlings.(gardeners.com )
3. Get yourself free or cheap transplants
If you do n’t need to grow from seminal fluid , you ’ll ask to get transplants . These are already germinated and grown seedling .
The best way is to get them from your mob or friend who have get down seeds and have some scanty seedling for you .
Many plant life can arise with the supporter ofpropagation . This is a method to apply plant life cuttings from theme , stems , leave , or branches to grow new plants .
If you could get the plant life carving from your family or Friend , you could start growing these plants for free .
Another alternative to get such plant life is to natter your neighbour and ask them if they have some plant they no longer want . You could also visit garage sales or thrift stores to verify if they have some plants to give away .
you may corrupt the graft from a nursery or garden meat though they will cost you some money . These stores may sell transplants with miserable growth or problem for a bank discount but I do n’t commend buying those .
The plant may end up go bad and may also impact the other plants in your container garden if there are problems due to pests or disease .
Get originative with your hunt for plants . you could sporadically search for works on the Facebook Marketplace the LetGo storehouse . Sometimes , citizenry are go or downsize , so they ’re attend to get disembarrass of a few items – including their plants!(facebook.com )
4. Get some free or cheap containers for your garden
The respectable thing aboutcontainer gardeningis you may grow your plants in unlike character of containers . There is no limitation on what you use as a container for the plants .
If you are on a budget , I commend reprocess containers lie around your house . These could be items like pots , blusher hind end , sal soda bottles , or milk jug . You could even employ bags to grow your plants . These could be jute bags , cotton wool bags , or pet food bags .
If you do n’t have such containers you could reuse , you may ask your family , protagonist , or neighbors . You could visit stores such as grocery storage , computer hardware stores , or favorite shops and ask if they have some spare derriere they like to give away .
The next best option is to bribe the containers but at a really brush aside cost . You should take containers that are not specifically made for gardening . If you get such general - purpose containers , they be given to be lower in cost .
The first thing you may do is check Craigslist or Facebook groups give away or sell any containers . you could also train garage sales or thrift stores in your neck of the woods to get such containers for cheap .
If you do n’t have any such choice , you may get 5 - gallon or orotund container from Walmart , Lowes , Home Depot , and Amazon .
Gardening tools on display at HortiPro Exhibition
These could be behind , buckets , whiskey , or wine barrel that you could expend for container horticulture . You may have to buy them in mass to get the discounted prices . And check that they are food - grade lineament .
I managed to get some cheap containers and grow bags from a local nursery . front forward to using them for growing those tomatoes , pepper , and Chamaemelum nobilis .
The important thing is that whichever container you nibble has the right breadth and profundity to hold the pot stain and works you want to grow .
Many of these container may not have drainage holes at the bottom as they are not specifically create for horticulture . But you’re able to bore some maw yourself with a drilling auto .
You may also find that choose larger containers knead well for a budget . you may arise more plant and it will take less outer space than spring up plant in many containers .
5. Get some cheap potting soil for your plants
This is one thing I recommend expend some money on if you may ensure the potting grease is of great quality . If you attempt to apply poor calibre pot soil the works wo n’t grow well .
Idon’t recommend using garden soil or topsoilfor growing container industrial plant . They do n’t have the right grain to permit beneficial drainage and aeration . They also might contain pestilence , diseases , and chemical that you do n’t desire near your plants .
The best way to get pot soil for barren is to reuse old potting soil if you already have some . Or get it from your friends and family that have been growing container plants and do n’t need it .
Trowel that was available at the HortiPro Exhibition
Note : If the plant get in the potting soil were affected by pests or diseases , I would suggest you not reuse that potting soil .
The old potting soil may have lost some of its texture and nutrients but we can tally those back to the dirt . You just demand some perlite , vermiculite , peat moss orcoco coir , compost , and fertilizer .
you could habituate a barrow or spread the onetime potting stain on a tarpaulin . Mix in 25 % compost , 25 % perlite , 25 % vermiculite , and 25 % peat moss or coco coir with the soil .
Seed tray I bought for starting seeds
you may also total some slow - dismissal constituent fertilizer to the mixture . The amount you need to add depends on how much potting soil there is . So refer to the book of instructions on the package .
Make certain to spray water as you ’re adding and mixing these material because they can botch in the air current . Make trusted to wear off oculus security and a case masque so you do n’t inspire the material .
If you do n’t have honest-to-god potting stain you’re able to still save some money . You do n’t call for to grease one’s palms ready potting territory as that can be expensive . you may mix the ingredients and make your own potting soil that is a lot cheaper .
Spray bottle I use to water or spray neem oil
According to Better Homes & Gardens , a good type to use is a potting mix made from 8 function potting soil ( with perlite or vermiculite included ) , 4 part compost or peat moss , and 1 part coarse sand to improve drainage.(moneycrashers.com )
I purchase some ready potting grunge for produce my tomato and peppers because I find it really cheap . I bought it from the same on-line stock that I used to purchase the germ .
6. Get some cheap fertilizer for your plants
You do n’t always need to employ fertiliser because some plants can survive without them . But some engraft specially edible I may do well if you add fertilizer .
I recommend you use organic plant food rather than semisynthetic one because it is safe for the flora and the environs .
you may endeavor to get some free plant food from your family or Quaker if they have some to dispense with . If you ca n’t get the fertilizer , you’re able to use compost that you may have .
Compostcontains nutrients that will help oneself the ontogenesis of your plants . So you could implement compost every 3 - 4 weeks to the plants .
If you do n’t have compost , you’re able to make someorganic fertilizer using natural materialssuch as eggshells , burnt umber grounds , bananas , aquarium body of water , cooking piddle , or volaille manure .
You just postulate to crush or grind the materials and bring them to your container plants and they will provide safe nutrients . You will need to mix several of them together as each may give different nutrients to the industrial plant .
The last option is to buy organic fertilizer from a nursery , garden substance , or online stock . It ’s good to grease one’s palms them after the grow season as you could get a muscular discount on them .
I buy some neem - based organic fertilizer for feeding my container plants once they have germinated into seedling . I establish it at a right discount and managed to bargain with the seller to get down the cost a bit more .
7. Find some free or cheap gardening tools
The good thing about container gardening is you do n’t need manygardening toolsthat would be used in in - ground or provoke bed horticulture . So you already economise some money with container gardening .
The punk way to get these prick is to find used ones at garage gross revenue , thrift store , nurseries , and garden center . you could also ask your family , champion , and neighbour if they have some old ones they desire to give away .
If you are unable to get some one-time ones , you have the choice to buy some from stores like Walmart , Lowes , Home Depot , and Amazon at a reasonable terms .
You may ask a pair of horticulture gloves if you want to keep your hands free from crap while working with the plant . They will also protect your hands from any cut , dent , or allergy you may face working with soil .
You may need to handpick harmful pests from your container plants and using gardening gloves may make it a chip more comfy .
The other pecker I recommend is a hand trowel that will be good to dig into the stain . You may need to use this when transplant , add compost or fertilizer , or hollow weeds out .
You need seed - starting trays when you ’re initiate industrial plant from seeds . But these are easily uncommitted in your business firm . you’re able to apply egg trays , paper or plastic cups , yogurt cups , or empty food cans for start germ .
you may find some cheap seed tray like I did if you just seek a bit on some online stores . But only do that if you do n’t want to reuse some household items that I mentioned above .
It ’s honorable to get a watering can and spray bottle for watering the industrial plant . The sprayer bottle will help irrigate the seeds while the watering can will help irrigate the seedling and mature plants .
It ’s also good to have aprunerthat will help you trim the foliage of the container plants . You will necessitate to do this as part of criminal maintenance to keep the plants in handicap . Or to prune off leaf touch on by pesterer or diseases . You may also use it to harvest some vegetable plant you develop .
If you produce vining industrial plant , you will need to give them some support . If you could tie the vines to some vertical support already near them , you do n’t postulate any international support . Otherwise , you involve something like a stake or trellis to tie them to .
Further Reading
I would further you to get more in - profoundness information about the BASIC of container gardening by sink in the contact below .
Fact Checked , Written , and Published by Kevin Rodrigues
Kevin is the father of Gardening Mentor , a internet site that draw a bead on to teach multitude to grow their own food in a modified space . As a self - taught gardener , Kevin has spend several years growing works and creating horticulture cognitive content on the website . He is certified in Home Horticulture and Organic Gardening from Oregon State University . He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Horticulture and Landscape Gardening from Mumbai University . Read more
