[Home Improvement]
For those of us lucky enough to have a garden, whether big or small, it’s likely that we hold some level of pride in what we do with it. From saving up for those ideal Lutyens benches, to spending hours traipsing through flowerbeds to yank out those dastardly weeds, the time and money we put into our little patches of land can be enormous. But what if we told you that there are plenty of clever, cost-effective solutions to some of the biggest outgoings our gardens drum out? You’re in luck – here are our top clever ways to care for your garden!
Keep Healthy Soil: One of the best, and frankly cheapest ways you can keep healthy soil is to feed it naturally. Having plenty of creepy crawlies within your soil might seem counter-productive if they take to munching on your sunflowers, but healthy, thriving soil actually depends on an ecosystem within it. That means using compost, manure, and plenty of other decaying organic matter to give a little bit of life to your soil to feed the insects within it. Nourish the insects, and they’ll do their jobs and nourish your soil, and therefore, plants! If healthy soil is a struggle in your area and your budget really is limited, consider having raised beds or containers – you’ll need less soil, and they look just as good!
Be Wary With Water: If you really want to save the pennies, being smart with your water use is a good place to start! From collecting rain water in barrels, to using slow-drip irrigation with a soda bottle (yes, really!) there are plenty of ways to conserve water when it comes to your plants. Using rain water or reusing household waste water (within reason) for your plants and foliage saves you from paying out extra costs to keep your greenery alive and thriving. Make sure you water the soil too, and not just the foliage. By going directly to the soil, more of the water is going exactly where it’s needed. If you really want to make the most of your water, only grow plants that are native to your climate! If plants are well-adapted to the conditions your garden can offer, you likely won’t need to supplement them with excess water.
Compost!: Remember how we said composting was a great way to keep your soil healthy? Well, there are even greater ways to make composting easier to make the whole process even simpler. Making your own compost from scraps of fruit and vegetables (and some other foods, but make sure you check if it can be composted first!) can save money and give a use to your wasted food and, with a simple compost bin, you can protect the food from prying animal eyes or even from the elements during the wet and frosty months. There are so many DIY compost containers online to save you extra pennies, or you can pick one up at a fairly reasonable cost from a garden store!
Be Smart With Your Plants: Growing native plants to your area not only saves you from one struggling plant, but it can actually save you from ruining the entire garden. Ensuring that the plants you’re growing actually fit the climate your garden can offer, especially for beginners, will save you from needing to perform any special care. Nature will take care of your plants even when you can’t, so ensuring that the plants match the natural conditions is important. When choosing your plants, ensure that you get a mixture with different lifespans. After all, buying flowers that aren’t guaranteed to last beyond a year could be expensive if you’re replacing them every spring after winter has come and left its mark.
Broken Junk Can Still Have A Purpose: We all know the struggle – during summer, our gardens have never looked more luscious. Filled with stunning greenery and just the right mixture of colour to brighten up once bare branches and stems, our gardens become our haven during spring and summer. But what about the cold months? What about winter, where all of the plants succumb to frost or lose their leaves during the autumn? This is where your ‘broken junk’ can come in. DIY garden sculptures and garden art can be made with old tools, or plant pots that are easier to maintain and can be created out of any kind of container that will hold soil. Think outside the pot!
