Discuss the 'Gardening on a budget' guide

MSE_Jenny_H

We've written a guide to gardening on the cheap and would appreciate your feedback. How did you find the info? Was it useful? Do you have any other tips you'd add?

Thanks for your help!

MSE Jenny H

Brie

under tip 9 Plant seeds in toilet roll tubes - you should add that the toilet rolls can then be placed in free "pot trays" purloined from the dairy section of your local supermarket. 

I look for the plastic trays pots of yogurt are shipped in.  One tray can hold a number of seed pots (toilet roll or otherwise).  I get different sizes for the different size pots I might be using.  Just be sure you get the type that has no holes in the trays - some have them for some strange reason - without holes they are nicely waterproof and being normally narrow (i.e. 2 pots wide) they fit easily onto window sills.   

and fyi - paper towel rolls work well too as seed pots but just need to be cut down to size.  

KajiKita

As well as ‘posh’ vegetables herbs are really good thing to grow to get value from your garden. Woods herbs like rosemary in the sun and softer herbs such as parsley and coriander in shadier areas. 

For cheap plants also look around for local plant sales, church fetes, community gardens etc. 

KK

in_my_wellies

Number 17 - Look after your tools
Don't leave plastic watering cans or other plastic tools in the sun. They go brittle. Keep them in the shade and they last so much longer. And store them away out of frost for the winter

KittenChops

I couldn't see anything about making new plants by learning to take cuttings or dividing perennials

twopenny

This reads more to me as something that has been written without experience of gardening.

The first thing you need to know is the direction you garden faces, where the shady areas are, damp or dry and how the sun goes around.
Also what type of soil you have.
Without this knowledge you are going to waste a lot of time and money putting in things that will die promptly.
You don't need soil testing kit etc. just walk around and see what neighbours are growing successfully.

Find your seating area, sun, shade to your preference.
It's also one of the first things to design your garden around. 
A lot of that may then become obvious.

Another first is where your washing line will go.
This is always ignored in makeover programmes.
Herbs near the kitchen.

Put these things in place and design around them.

Slinky

Number 21, garden mirrors. No mention about being careful where you place these. Reflections from a garden mirror were thought to be the cause of a fire which started on a garden fence before spreading and burning down a children's nursery in Milton Keynes a few years ago.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-62233897

Dustyevsky

"Sprinkle lawn clippings (as long as not treated with chemicals) around plants to give a nitrogen boost - free fertiliser. Also grow comfrey and turn into a liquid feed."

Luke, via Facebook

Definitely grow comfrey, but only if it's the sterile variety Bocking14, which won't self-seed all over your garden.

Also, don't expect the neighbours or your OH to love the smell of fermenting comfrey as you give the barrel a good stir, maturing that liquid feed!

Paspatur

I love my Bocking 14 but now don't make it into liquid feed. I chop it up and put it round plants or in the compost bin

Slinky

Dustyevsky said:

"Sprinkle lawn clippings (as long as not treated with chemicals) around plants to give a nitrogen boost - free fertiliser. Also grow comfrey and turn into a liquid feed."

Luke, via Facebook

Definitely grow comfrey, but only if it's the sterile variety Bocking14, which won't self-seed all over your garden.

Also, don't expect the neighbours or your OH to love the smell of fermenting comfrey as you give the barrel a good stir, maturing that liquid feed!

We've just started rotting some comfrey down to make some feed, however it's not Bocking14. We didn't have any flowers in it, just leaves, so should we be OK with this do you think? I am pulling small comfrey plants out on a regular basis.

-taff

 Doesn't matter if there are flowers in it to be honest, it all stinks eventually. Think of a sewer farm and make it more planty and that's what it smells like and yes, if you get it on your hands, it will stink them out...

Dusty mentions Bocking 14 because it's sterile and to warn you to not get caught out buying one that's going to spread and be a pain to eradicate from areas you don't want it.

Bocking 14 will still spread from the base though but it wont self seed everywhere.