The 2020 Home & Garden Guide is sponsored by Weather Tight. You can read the entire guide here.
With national unemployment numbers at staggering levels, many people don’t have much, or any, discretionary income. Now, more than ever, it’s important to budget and adopt money-saving practices.
Although gardening can be an expensive hobby, you don’t need a lot of cash, just some patience and creativity, to yield an attractive and fertile garden. In fact, gardening vegetables and herbs can save you money—having these foods in your own backyard saves the time and expense of having to purchase them at a supermarket.
For this column, I asked Milwaukee area gardening enthusiasts for their favorite environmentally and budget-friendly gardening tips.
Chris Doering recommends using eggshells to add minerals to soil. “You just throw them in the garden,” he said. He also encourages using coffee and tea grounds “for slug control, mulch, and attracting earthworms, which are beneficial.”
“Eggshells work wonders for slug control,” Crystal Wilson adds.
Eric Jacobi advises gardeners to invest in high-quality hoses and hose tools, if possible. “The old adage is true for this—you get what you pay for,” Jacobi says. “Buying quality products in this category saves you money and hassle in the long run. As a result of learning from mistakes, I have a hose reel from Eley, a rubber garden hose. All fittings are made from brass. They last much longer.”
When it comes to growing vegetables and flowers, seeds are cheaper than plants, and common items instead of fancy store-bought containers can work well for seed starters. “The clear top, plastic takeout containers we all have so many of right now are fantastic seed starters,” says Ryan Robert. Tatiana Gritsevskiy advises gardeners to essentially “recycle” their seeds. “Save seeds from the previous harvests, and you won’t have to buy new ones all the time,” Gritsevskiy says.
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For free or inexpensive soil, mulch and plants, Geoffrey Leach recommends browsing social media or your local parks. “Check Facebook free sites. I’ve seen lots of people wanting to thin out their gardens and offer to come ‘dig ‘em up,’” he notes. County parks might have free or low-cost mulch piles and plants available. “Boerner Botanical has a tiny plant yard that works on trusted donations for leftover annuals,” Leach says. “There are so many good (gardening) shortcuts that don’t cost an arm and a leg.”
The 2020 Home & Garden Guide is sponsored by Weather Tight. You can read the entire guide here.
