Can't afford to buy things for your garden?
*Re-posting, with new information
A store-bought bag of topsoil, a roll of landscaping fabric, or a bag of cedar chips doesnβt go very far if you have a large garden or a very limited budget. Here are some ways to create the materials you need for a beautiful, organic, productive garden, by both re-directing household waste, and foraging in your local area. I use a lot of these tricks in my garden to make it almost completely free for me to continue growing new things, and expanding the workable area every year!
Save your food scraps to create a richΒ compostΒ for growing veggies and amending your soil. There are numerous options for every size of dwelling and yard. Small space solutions such asΒ BokashiΒ andΒ vermicompostΒ work indoors and donβt produce bad smells, so you can keep them underneath the sink.Worm towers, compost heaps, andΒ outdoor compost binsΒ are a great solution if you have more space. The more you add, the more rich, nutritious material you can make for your garden. I like composting because it means I donβt have gross smelly garbage bags to deal with, because food waste is diverted. It seems like a lot of work at first, but it actually saves time, money, and transportation.
Seaweed or kelpΒ is one of the best things for your garden, with over 70 essential nutrients, and acting as a weed barrier and a moisture-retentive mulch. I collect seaweed nearby on the beach with my bike trailer, or, when I go for a walk I bring a little home with me each time. Itβs an absolute miracle for your soil.
There are three things that are essential for plant growth. These areΒ nitrogenΒ for leaves and vegetation (N),Β phosphorusΒ for roots and shoots (P), andΒ potassiumΒ for water movement, flowering, and fruiting (K). Commercial fertilisers will give the relative concentrations of each of these compounds with and βNPKβ rating.Β Plants like tomatoes also need calcium to produce healthy fruit. You can create amendments for your garden and soil at home so that you do not have to purchase fertiliser.
Grass clippingsΒ contain 4% nitrogen, 1% phosphorus, and 2% potassium (NPK = 4-1-2).
Human urineΒ contains 12% nitrogen, and itβs sterile. Dilute before adding directly to plants.
LegumesΒ such as beans, clover, peanuts, and alfalfa fix inorganic nitrogen into the soil withΒ mycorrhizalΒ organisms and nodules on their root systems. Plant these crops every few years in rotation with others to renew the soil organically.
Human urineΒ is also a great source of phosphorous and trace amounts of potassium.
Ground up bones or shellsΒ add a slow-release phosphorous to the soil
Had a baby recently?Β Bury the placenta in the garden.
Break down all of yourΒ eggshells, or seashells you have found, in a plastic bucket, using vinegar.Β This creates a soluble calcium solution you can add to a watering can.Β
Many plants are particular about what theΒ soil pHΒ should be.
To make soilΒ more acidic: addΒ oak leaves, pine needles, leaf mulch,Β urine, coffee groundsΒ orΒ sphagnum.Β
To make soilΒ more alkaline: addΒ wood ash, shell,Β orΒ bone.
Mulch is decomposing organic matter that adds nutrition to the soil, while simultaneously keeping out weed growth and retaining moisture. It also attracts worms, fungi and other beneficial creatures to your soil. Free sources of mulch include:
StrawΒ (often straw bales are given away after being used for decoration in the fall. You can also plant vegetables directly in straw bales using a technique calledΒ straw bale gardening).
Wood chipsΒ (if you can borrow a wood chipper after youβve collected some wood you can have attractive wood mulch for free)
When mulch isnβt enough to keep the weeds down, many people opt for landscaping fabric. It can be quite expensive and inorganic-looking. Free solutions that both attract worms and can be replaced in small segments as they break down include:
Printer paper, looseleaf, etc. in thick layers*
*try to make sure you are using paper that has vegetable-based dyes, so you arenβt leeching toxins into the soil.
If your soil is compacted and you have plants that require low levels of water, or excellent drainage, addΒ sand. I donβt recommend stealing it from the beach, but ask around and youβd be surprised at how easy it is to get for free.Β SawdustΒ also improves drainage. Adding organic matter and mulch encouragesΒ worms, who also till and aerate compacted soil.
If the area still needs drainage, dig a hole and fill it with bricks or rocks to create a βdry wellβ
For drainage in pots, addΒ crushed bricks,Β terra cotta pot fragments, packing peanuts, small stones, marbles,Β orsandΒ to the bottom under the soil layer. I find these in construction sites, on craigslist, or at flea markets.
Pots and growing containers
If you have space, raised beds are a great no-dig way to establish growing space. If you are pressed for space (like working on a balcony) there are many cheap or free options for container gardens.
CreatingΒ raisedΒ bedsΒ allows you to build up the soil without digging. Free ways to do this include usingΒ rocksΒ orΒ lumberΒ (like myΒ DIY βlasagna gardenβ made with the sheet composting technique), using the βwattleβ method with sticks and posts you have found, usingΒ discarded straw bales,Β old bricks,paving stones,Β cinder blocksΒ or really anything else you have lying around.
Hugelkutur raised beds, which fix carbon and provide drainage, can be made by stacking sticks and untreated wood, and then piling soil or compost over it. (Thanks milos-garden)
Rubber tire gardensΒ retain heat in the night and allow for great drainage. They can also be painted in fun ways.
Herb spiralsΒ (here is mine:Β 1,Β 2,Β 3) can be built with stones, bricks, and other found materials.
I often use oldΒ cooking pots,Β barbecues,Β teapots, or other found objects as planters.
Making wooden planters is easy,Β and scrap or salvaged wood is also easy to come by.Β Iβm not a fan of using wooden pallets for DIY projects,Β but they are also a free source of lumber for things like planters.
If you can track down peat moss, cement, and vermiculite, you can make an easyΒ Hypertufa planterΒ in whatever shape you would like, provided you have a form in which it can dry.
Iβve madeΒ hanging gardensΒ out ofΒ soda cans.
You can build aΒ self-watering container with a 2L pop bottle.
Make biodegradable pots out of newspapers.
Hanging gardens in cansΒ (2)
Many plants need external support, such as stakes of trellises, to thrive.
RebarΒ can almost always be salvaged cheaply or free and makes a great trellis, arch, or purgolaΒ
Build trellises and supports out of the pliable young stems of plants like willow
Living willow arch/trellis
Paving often requires a foundation of sand or another stable and well-drained substrate, and a covering of stones, bricks, or other weatherproof elements. Slowly collect stones over time, or free paving stone fragments to create a mosaic-type walkway. Often people give these things away on craigslist.Β I made a patio and fireplace out of free salvaged bricks, for example.
Greenhouses and cold frames
Here is a gallery of greenhouses made out ofΒ salvaged windows and doors
AΒ cold frameΒ is easy to make with salvaged lumber, and plastic sheeting.
Swap seeds with other gardeners
If you see a plant you like at someoneβs house,Β ask for seeds or cuttings
Save seedsΒ every year and build a library of options.Β Here is a great guide to seed saving.
Save seeds from foods you like from the grocery store: consider growing peanuts, ginger, garlic, peppers, or a walnut tree: all of these and more can be planted from store-bought produce.
Learn to take cuttings. There is a tonne of info on the web about basic cutting propagation,Β layering, (like I do with rhododendrons)Β air layering, and numerous other techniques to take clones of plants you like. This saves going to a nursery and shelling out big bucks for all the variety you want.
For cuttings, willow tea and honey are great rooting hormones/antiseptics/anti-fungal agents, which can save you $40 if you were thinking of buying commercial rooting hormone.
You can root cuttings in a potato! (See my methods for rooting βborrowedβ plants here)
Rooting cuttings in potatoes
I hope this helps you build your garden outside of the usual capitalist channels! It can be a cheap or free hobby if you are willing to think outside the box, and maybe put up with things that donβt look as clean or crisp as a hardware store catalogue.
If you have any further ideas, please add them! The more information the better.
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