A Guide to Low-Cost Gardening

Successful low-cost gardening requires patience. If you forego instant gratification, and patiently scout for your needs, you'll have a great low-cost Garden. Your cost depends on your time and patience.

Garden framework
Start with your garden framework. If hard surface materials are required, look to an architectural salvage store--a retail outlet where they resell used building materials. You can scoop natural stone for retaining walls, flag stone for pathways and beams for edging at a fraction of their original cost.

Buying seconds
Buying from a concrete manufacturer lets me purchase second-quality concrete edging. I get what I need when I want it and don't have to keep checking salvage stores.

Gardener's gold
Once you have your garden outline, fill it with a good base of compost. Compost is full of microbes and minerals needed for successful plant growth. The differently sized soil particles in compost provide your plants with needed aeration. If you are starting your garden from scratch, your ideal topsoil depth should be at least 6 inches. Add compost to an existing garden as top dressing for a natural source of fertilizer.

Many landfills make compost from the yard waste they collect from curbsides. This compost is offered free to the public, once or twice a year. To find out more about your city's compost give-away, check with your city landfill department.

You can make your own compost by using leftover kitchen scraps. Use all your discarded vegetable peelings and husks, but be sure to exclude bones, meat and any processed foods. Use your lawn cuttings, and don't overlook your leaves in the fall. Layer your compost material, and turn the pile regularly. You'll want your compost moist but not wet, as this combination will aid heating and breaking down the material.

You may be wondering about a compost container...not absolutely necessary to have, but convenient. Compost can be created in large piles without the benefit of a container. For those that are determined to have a compost bin, make your own or see if your city is giving them out for free. Some cities with an eye to diverting "good" garbage from the local landfill provide free compost bins. For those that wish to build their own, skids can be picked up for free from industrial sites and the wooden slats used to make your own. Ask permission for your salvaging...you want to make this a positive experience! Compost is one of the very best things you can do for any garden.

Swapping
Now that you have your garden framework and topsoil, you are ready to plant.

With perseverance, low-cost plant material can be found. Gardeners are some of the most generous people I know, and are often more than happy to share their bounty. Swap plants, join wildflower societies or get involved with a gardening group. You will find gardening groups through your local Parks Department or Community Resource Centers. Garden newsgroups on the Internet also contain seed-trading notices.

Look to nature
By using indigenous plants (the wild plants found in a forest, meadow, or wetlands) rather than ornamentals, you can keep your maintenance costs down.

If you are using indigenous plants, please don't pilfer from protected areas, private property, parks or any wilderness areas. Once planted, the local plants adapt easily to your environment and this translates into less maintenance. Less maintenance means less cost to you.

It stands to reason that local plants will thrive in your garden because they are already comfortable in this neighborhood. These plants don't need constant attention, such as fertilizing and special watering, as long as you plant them in the same type of environment.

Holistic multitasking
Indigenous plants also offer a healthy biodiversity to your garden, providing plants that attract local wildlife. As development expands, we encroach on the natural landscape. By recreating a more natural setting around our homes, we sustain the habitat of local creatures. We are all part of the environment, and by taking this holistic approach we improve the surroundings for ourselves and for nature.

A prime spot for harvesting indigenous plants is new subdivisions. Contact the developer and inquire if you can go in advance of the bushing team and pot up plants. Try to select plants that live in the same conditions as you will provide. Meadow plants in sunny, well drained areas, and forest plants in rich shade gardens.

I have approached landscaping staff when they are removing plants for a complete landscaping overhaul. I have acquired full truckloads of free shrubs. The owner of the company was glad to save his landfill costs, and even brought them right into my backyard and unloaded them. Because my soil was so good, in four hours the shrubs were planted.

Cleaning out the attic
If you are in need of an architectural element in your landscape, look to what you already have. The less we rely on newly manufactured items, the less we strain our environment with the pollution that newly manufactured items creates. Birdcages, children's artwork, sculpture, wrought-iron grating, bowling balls, mirrors, old window frames and stonework beautifully add to architectural interest. Even a pottery bowl or a chipped soup toureen can become an intriguing focal point when they are viewed peeking out from the garden growth. So dig through your basement, explore your attic and look at your belongings with a fresh eye.

I once salvaged two antique iron plant holders from a dumpster at my local garage. I was waiting for my car to be repaired and was thrilled with this little bonus. I now use the holders for candles to light my garden in the evenings. Use your belongings in unique and unusual ways.

Sculpture
You can use a number of stones in intriguing ways by making your own Inukshuk. Inukshuks are the Eskimo's method of conversing with other travelers. These human-shaped statues were built to say, "We have come this way and are watching out for you." Stack flat, rectangular stones to create a miniature human form--legs, trunk, shoulders and head. For a focal point, place your Inukshuk amongst the foliage.

Natural architectural elements
Interesting twigs and branches can also provide a natural architectural element. I used last year's twigs for this year's wild marigold trellises. Of course, living plants also provide interest in shape, form and silhouette. Logs or boulders can create seating, and a handmade grapevine wreath on a garden gate is very striking.

Delicious contemplation
Taking your time to create your garden will keep your costs down. Enjoy the wait. Be ready to pick up curbside discards if they are something you can use. I once salvaged two director's chairs from my neighbor's trash. I repainted them with some leftover paint and re-covered them with canvas. The canvas and tacks only cost me $14.00 and I created two custom covered director's rocking chairs. They were so good I used them indoors for a time and they lasted outdoors for 10 years. Not bad for a salvage project.

Anticipation is half the fun in creating a low-cost garden and is cost-saving in itself. Be prepared to wait a bit, because it is unlikely you'll get everything you need right away. Alas, I have never created a np-cost garden because I am unwilling to be that patient, but a low-cost Garden is feasible, even for me.