Budget Friendly Gardening

While we wait out the cold, how about some gardening tips to help you plan for the spring growing season?

Everyone keeps an eye on the bottom line these days. While cultivating your garden may take time and dedication, it shouldn’t break the bank. Check out our top low-cost gardening tips.

Think Local when Choosing Plants

The most cost-effective plants you can grow are those that are native to your area.

Local plants will thrive best in their native climate and soil conditions. Cultivating species from other geographical areas, means more water, fertilizer and effort to keep them healthy.

Whenever possible, also select plants that were grown locally. This means skipping the big box stores and buying from a local nursery. Keeping your dollars in your own community makes good financial sense for everyone!

Quality Trumps Savings

Choosing cheap plants may seem like the best way to save money, but it’s really not.

Plants from a local garden center may cost a few dollars more than those from the home center, but you can rest assured that they’re also higher quality. Even though the home center offers a guarantee if the plant dies, you’ll spend more time, effort and money finding the receipt, digging up your dead plants and taking them back to the store for a refund.

Practice Safe Growing

Protecting your garden from pests and weeds is one of the most effective ways to keep your costs low. Use barriers to keep critters like deer and squirrels away.

Adopt organic and natural practices for pest and weed control. You’ll save money and help the environment by skipping the chemicals.

Use Soil Amendments and Fertilizer

You can drop your plants in the ground as-is and hope for the best, but it’s more cost-effective to ensure that they have optimal conditions in which to grow.

Save even more by adopting organic and natural fertilization methods, and use compost to improve your soil quality.

Make Your Own Compost

Making your own compost is not only cost-effective, but it’s good for the environment as well.

Put your grass clippings, kitchen scraps and coffee grounds to work in the compost pile and you’ll never have to pay for fertilizer or soil amendments again!

Choose Perennial Species

It may seem obvious, but choosing plants that will live year after year will save you money on buying and planting annuals every spring.

Millcreek Gardens is the Salt Lake City area’s premier locally owned and operated nursery and garden center. Here you will find the highest-quality products and the most friendly, helpful staff in the area. Stop by today and let us give you more gardening tips to help save you money!