When autumn arrived, you were convinced that your garden would be worthy of a first-place trophy by the time summer rolled around. Despite your best efforts, you notice that the grass in your garden is paler than your neighbours' grass.
There's still time to make a difference! Summer garden upgrades can be made on a budget thanks to the advice of gardening experts.
Don't Buy Seedlings; Make Your Own
Starting tomatoes and peppers from seedlings is recommended instead of sowing them directly. Germinating them can be difficult, and the outdoor temperatures in most areas are not consistent enough. You can begin some of them indoors and then transfer them outside later.
Water Wisely
Municipal water can be quite expensive if misused and used in large quantities to irrigate the garden. And because there isn't much rainfall during the summer to keep the soil wet for the plants, you should use water wisely.
The best way to do this is to water your plants in the morning or evening when the sun is not strong to reduce losses due to evaporation. This way, your plants will remain quenched even while the sun is blazing hot. You can also use mulches to reduce the soil's exposure to the sun, thereby reducing evaporation and keeping the soil moist for long.
Do Most of the Garden Maintenance
Even if you have never done gardening, you can still do a pretty good job your first time because it does not require much technical expertise. This can help you cut the cost of hiring a professional to work on your garden and have it look good.
For example, spending on a petrol strimmer to keep the grass on your garden tidy can help you save you a lot of money in the long run.
Grow Locally-Adapted Plants
Instead of growing high-priced exotic plant breeds, try your hand at cultivating native species that are already well-adapted to the weather conditions of the area. Due to their rapid growth, you will not need to regularly water or replace them. This will save you money on water and buying new seedlings or seeds.
Make Compost Manure
With the soaring prices of fertilisers, you can save your money by making your own compost manure. When composting yard waste and food scraps from the kitchen, a fancy bin is unnecessary.
In a composter, combine grass clippings, plant materials, food scraps and other organic waste. Maintain a damp but not wet environment, and you will save a lot with the brown gold. Use your own compost manure to improve the soil in your garden beds.
Ditch Pesticides
Pesticides are notoriously harmful to human and environmental health in addition to being prohibitively expensive. Substitute pesticides with homemade, all-natural remedies. Many plant ailments and those caused by insects and fungi can be treated using natural remedies. Your garden and our family's health will benefit greatly from these inexpensive, homemade remedies.
Reuse and Recycle Home Products and Tools
Instead of purchasing expensive and fancy equipment to use in your garden, you can repurpose the not-in-use materials and tools in your home for gardening. For example, you can use old lumber to construct a raised bed, shed or cold frame.
Before you throw anything out, put your ingenuity and resourcefulness to good use by recycling and reusing what you can.