The two main reasons many of us grow our own herbs and vegetables are to improve our health and to save money. But, let’s face it, gardening can be a costly affair – a quick trip to the local garden centre can sometimes make you wonder if growing your own is a cheaper option! Here are 12 easy ways to cut costs and they will reduce your carbon footprint too. And with all the money you save you can take a trip to the Garden Centre and buy that beautiful plant that you have been eyeing out!
1.Save your seeds. Whether it is the seed from your own produce or seeds from the veggies you buy, collecting them to plant next season makes sense. Just be sure to label the packets so you know what you are planting.
Get more than 100 printable, foldable seed packets HERE. Record growing requirements on the back
Or printable labels for your own packets. Sheets for seasons and months with space for lots of info. HERE
2. 
Make your own compost. If you don’t have space for a compost bin, get a worm farm or Bokashi bin. Recycle all of your vegetable peelings, weeds, newspapers and egg boxes into ‘black gold’
So much organic waste ends up in land-fills, usually in plastic bags which take years and years to break down. Compost is expensive. Make your own for free
3. 
Soda bottles. Billions of plastic soda bottles are thrown away every year and there are so many uses for them in the garden! In fact, when you start using them, you may just start collecting your neighbour’s bottles too.
Use as pots – cut down to small ones, use whole as large, upright, lengthwise, hanging, in the ground, or even a fabulous vertical garden.
4.Soda bottles are great as mini green houses, on top of poles to protect your eyes, storing organic fertilizers and pesticides (and you can buy a spray adapter for a bottle too), storing seeds, or you could collect lots and lots and build a greenhouse!
Make use of all plastic bottles – water, milk, juice, cooking oil….they can all be saved from the land fills
5. Take cuttings. Another way to get plants for free. Most perennial plants will grow from a cutting, also known as a slip. Rosemary, blueberry, mints, pomegranate, grenadilla and curry leaf are just some that are really easy to grow. Root them in water or soil…. and use recycled pots of course!
Once they are settled either plant them so you have a good supply or swap them with other gardeners for seeds and plants you don’t have.
(I will be running the Plants for Free on-line course in February…more to follow shortly)
6. Make your own pesticides. This is cheaper, very effective and so much better for your health and the environment. When an organic garden has settled into its own ecosystem, pests are seldom a problem as there are enough ‘good’ bugs to eat the ‘bad’ ones. Until then you may need to take some control. Organic pesticides are expensive, but you can make your own for next to nothing, using ingredients you have in your home and garden. Plus, there are lots of mechanical methods too. Egg shells for snails, vaseline for ants, beer traps and companion planting are a few examples. I have a Quick Guide ‘Natural Remedies for Pest Control’ available for just R20. Less than a cup of coffee! Buy Here
7. Use egg shells. They are a perfect size for a seedling. Rinse out the shell, add some potting soil and pop a seed inside. Keep them upright in the egg box. Once the seedling is big enough to plant out, crack the bottom of the shell and plant the whole thing. The roots don’t get damaged, the seedling isn’t disturbed and you get the nutrients from the shell. Plus, if you are careful when cracking your eggs, you can get two pots from every egg!
Another use is to crush the shells, either with a rolling pin or in a blender/food processor. Sprinkle them around seedlings or plants that slugs love. The sharpness of the shell is uncomfortable for them to cross so they will stay away from your salads and cabbages.
8. Collect rain water. Even if you don’t have a water tank, water can be collected in a dustbin or bucket. Rainwater is better for your plants as it doesn’t contain all of the chemicals added during water processing. If you have a lot of water that is going to stand for a while, add 1 tsp of any cooking oil to the bucket to stop mosquitos.
9. Recycle toilet rolls. Every house has a constant supply of toilet roll tubes. Turn them into seedling pots, collars to prevent cutworms eating your seedlings or containers for the seeds you have collected.
Make four vertical cuts at the bottom, about 1cm high. Fold the quarters in and you have a seedling pot. Add potting soil, a seed, write the name of the plant on the tube and wait for them to grow. By the way, if you buy fruit like grapes, those plastic containers hold 6 tubes perfectly. When the seedling is big enough to plant out, loosen the bottom and plant the tube in the garden. The roots won’t be damaged and the tube will rot.
10. Newspapers. Even if you never buy a newspaper, you probably have the local one delivered every week, or even flyers pushed into your post-box. They are great for mulching, weed suppression, feeding worms, slow ripening fruits and vegetables, storing bulbs and lining plant pots. You can also make seedling pots by rolling layers around a glass and folding them in. This is similar to toilet roll pots, and you can plant the whole thing. It is a bit more tedious than toilet tolls, but once you get the hang of it you will be making hundreds. No concentration is needed, so make the most of watching TV and prepare some pots at the same time
11. Make green fertilizer. Get yourself a comfrey plant for one of the best green fertilizers around. You can harvest the leaves at least 4 times in a year, and it is suitable for everything! Find the recipe HERE. Comfrey grows quickly and will happily take over your garden so, unless you have lots of space, it is best to keep it in a pot.
12. Plant enough produce so you don’t have to buy veggies again. It is easier than you think, and you only need a small space to do so. And remember, it isn’t just fresh produce to eat immediately. Beans, peas and herbs can be dried; most veggies can be frozen; squash, root vegetables and cabbages will store for months and you can easily make pestos, sundried tomatoes, oils and preserves.
If you don’t know where to start, this book combo will help you. Perfect for beginners, it takes you from a unloved patch of ground to a productive garden, covering everything you need to get there. Plans, layouts and exact plantings are included. Get Create A Small Vegetable or Herb Garden – Combo here
These are just 12 simple ways to save money in your garden while supporting your health (and that of your family) at the same time. It is virtually impossible to become totally self sufficient. I am not going to give up tea, wine or chocolate! However, growing just a few of your own herbs and veggies will save you some money and improve your health no end!
It’s time to kick off your shoes and get into the garden….