Those big plans don’t have to cost a small fortune
Follow our expert’s money-saving tips for your outdoor space and you’ll realise that...
MONEY might be getting tighter, but you don’t need to spend a small fortune to create a lovely outdoor space. Here are my top tips to reducing costs in the garden.
Make your own pot feet
Raising containers off the ground allows excess water to drain freely, preventing roots of plants rotting in soggy compost. ‘Pot feet’ are available from garden centres, but an easy way to save money is to improvise by standing them on lids saved from plastic milk bottles. Another option is to place them on stones or bricks, making sure that drainage holes are not obstructed.
Restore old secateurs
Don’t buy new secateurs if they are rusty or blunt. Simply coat metal parts in a layer of brown sauce and leave overnight. In the morning rub down with newspaper, rinse under a tap and they’ll look as good as new thanks to acetic acid in the ingredients. Sharpen the blade with a diamond sharpener and then lubricate parts with light oil.
Look for cut-price bargains
Some retailers have a special area where plants that have gone past their best are slapped with a sticker offering them at a reduced price. It’s possible to pick up a real bargain that will provide many years of service once it’s been revived with a good soaking, feeding or trimming. Select clearance plants carefully. If it shows little signs of life, it’s best left on the shelf.
Bag some free leaf mould
Falling leaves can be turned into leaf mould, a crumbly material that makes a good soil improver. The foliage of most trees and shrubs will compost quickly, but those from evergreens are best shredded and added to compost heaps. If you have space, make a 3ft wide x 3ft deep x 3ft high cage with four stakes surrounded by chicken wire. Add leaves regularly and cover with a waterproof sheet. Alternatively, store in black bin liners with holes punctured in the sides and bottom. When bags are full, sprinkle with water, shake and tie up, storing in shade. The leaf mould will be ready in a year.
Renovate garden tools
Keep tools in good working order by scrubbing in soapy water. If wooden handles are rough, rub with fine sandpaper to leave a smooth finish and then massage linseed oil into the grain with a cloth. Over time, the cutting edge of spades will become blunt. Secure the tool to a table with clamps and then restore the edge with a flat engineer’s file, working at a 45-degree angle.
Use bare-root plants for hedges
Hedges make attractive boundaries. Establishing a new one with container-grown plants will cost a pretty penny, but there’s a more economic way… by using bare-root plants. Sometimes half the price of potted counterparts, bare-root plants are lifted from the grower’s field and sold while dormant, usually between October and March. A single row of plants is suitable for most hedges, but a double row will make it more animal-proof.
Recycle old tins
Before buying new plastic plant pots, check whether your local garden centre, nursery or community garden offers used pots for free. For something more unique, recycle metal food containers. Olive oil drums, coffee tins and similar have attractive printed designs, while plain ones can be painted.
Create your own plant ties
There’s no need to shell out on rolls of twine to tie up climbers and wall shrubs. You can make your own from old laddered tights. Cut a leg up crossways into a series of 1in-wide, 4in-long strips. Twist the strip a few times to make it chunkier, then use it to secure plants to supports.
Grow from seeds
Many edibles, annuals and perennials are easy to raise from scratch and often require little more than a drop of water after they have been popped into a hole in the ground. Costing anywhere from 15p to £3, some packets have enough seeds to provide hundreds of plants. Foolproof things to start from seeds this month are hardy annuals, sweet peas and hardy winter vegetables.