Tips to Start a Cheap Garden
Start small and use what you have. You can use old milk cartons, old cans or even plastic fruit cartons.
I would recommend with starting off with flowers since they are usually easy to grow.
Get cheap seeds at Dollar Tree, especially flowers. They usually have seeds starting around Easter time. Their seeds are not perennial but super easy to take care of.
Also check your local library for seeds (especially for vegetable or fruit seeds). My public library has a seed library that is free to use.
Or use seeds from fruits and veggies from your local farmers' market.
For soil, check your local Lowe's/Home Depot/Tractor Supply for sale on soil. (Sales usually happen around spring break/Easter)
Check your local city (or cities nearby) if they have free mulch and/or compost. My local city gives free compost and mulch for residents and cheap options for non-residents.
Label the containers with masking tape and sharpie. Take photos of the care instructions on the seed packets and keep in separate folder on your photos app.
Dollar Tree also has cheap containers, gloves and gardening tools. I've used mine from there for around 3 years now and they are still going strong. You can also use a spoon and fork if you don't want to get extra tools.
General rule of thumb for watering is if the first inch of the soil is moist, the plant doesn't need water.
Gardening shouldn't be hard or scary. Start off small in the first year. These tips also work great for apartments and rented homes. Let me know if you have any questions.
