So, back to the topic at hand! Some of the things I do/have done to make and keep a Budget Friendly Garden:
Compost Piles for fertilizer and Compost Tea.
Rain Barrels made from plastic 55 gallon drums I salvaged.
Traded perennials with friends.
Sold extra seedlings at my farm stand.
Buy second-hand tools and decorative pots at yard sales or thrift stores. IMHO - anything can be a ‘planter’ if it has drainage. I LOVE planting in old coffee pots, colanders, pretty coffee cans, etc. I also grab cotton string, twine, anything I find in the way of gardening ‘supplies’ on the second hand market.
Save my eggshells, let them dry and crunch them up. I add a scoop to planting holes for tomatoes, zukes, cukes and peppers. No more Blossom End Rot. (Calcium!)
Chop up fallen leaves with the mower to add to compost pile or use as winter mulch.
Just about anything can be a seedling starting pot: Yogurt cups, deli containers, paper towel and TP tubes cut down.
I switched to Jiffy Pellets for seedling starts - less soil I have to buy and they work great. Starting from seed saves a lot, too. Of course, I WILL buy started plants when I just need a few of something, like ONE Jalapeno plant or Petunias for hanging baskets. I mean, I’m only human! I can’t resist the lure of a Garden Center any more than anyone else can, LOL!
Dirt! I see that the price of my favorite Miracle Grow Potting Mix is UP this year, so I will be ‘cutting it’ with dirt from right here on the farm. Luckily, Beau has a number of dirt piles around here from previous projects. Also, if you’re filling a rather large pot, through some plastic water bottles or pretty much anything from the recycle bin in the bottom to take up space. You won’t need as much potting soil in the pot and if you’re watering and fertilizing correctly, the plants won’t care. Most plants we grow in pots (aside from root crops) are rather shallow rooted, anyway.
DIY Potting Soil recipes, here: https://savvygardening.com/diy-potting-soil/
Overwinter herbs. Had GREAT luck with three Rosemary plants this past winter. Now, I won’t need to buy any Rosemary plants this year because I can pop these three back into the garden!
Are your family and friends aware of your gardening needs? Put the word out if there’s something rather pricey that you’re in need of such as a wheelbarrow or a specific tool. Maybe Dear Old Mom no longer uses her wheel barrow. Ask if you can have it or buy it from her CHEAP. Christmas or your birthday is a great time to ask for a garden-related gift. My Mom bought me a HUGE supply of Bungee Cords one Christmas! (I use them to strap together my tomato cages so they support one another.) Also, I love nothing more than a gift card to a local Garden Center. My birthday is in July, so I have gotten some amazing end-of-season prices on perennials and shrubs through the years with gift cards paying all or most of the cost.
I’m sure I’ll have other ideas to add as the week progresses! :)