OTTAWA — The first signs of spring have us all thinking of lush gardens and green grass.
While it’s easy to spend a fortune on plants, fertilizers, pots and a well-manicured lawn, your gardens shouldn’t be a sink hole for your hard-earned cash. Follow these tips to get beautiful results that won’t bury you in debt.
Join a horticultural society
Fran Dennett, volunteer with Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton, says joining a horticultural society can help you save big on your plants. “At the (Ottawa-Carleton and Gloucester Horticultural Society), we always have plant sales,� she says. (See listings below).
Not only can you score plants at a fraction of the store cost, Dennett says you also receive the benefit of getting a mature plant that has been grown in the area, meaning it will be quicker to take to the soil and because they’ve been cared for by members of the horticultural society, they’re often in better shape than store-bought plants.
“A lot of plants that you buy in the big-box stores have been neglected. They’re shipped from some place not in Ottawa so already the TLC factor once they leave the greenhouse (is low),� says Dennett.
The Gloucester Horticultural Society also hosts yearly seed exchanges. You can also organize ask your own plant or seed exchanges with friends and neighbours.
Plant From seeds
Plants increase in price the larger they are. Starting from scratch can save you a bundle at the plant store. A package of 40 seeds costs between $1.50 and $3.
Recycle egg cartons and yogurt containers rather than buying expensive starter pots and focus on seeds that will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
Dennett recommends looking for annuals that have long blooming periods such as Alyssum, Calendula, Cosmos and Nasturtiums. Nasturtiums make great cut flowers and typically last into the early fall. “You can often use these to decorate your Thanksgiving table,� says Dennett.
Nasturtiums are also edible. Dennett puts them in her salads to add a peppery flavour and unlike other annuals, you can collect their seeds to plant the following year.
“Place them in a paper envelope, then the following year, soak them for 24 hours and plant them in moist soil,� she says.
Reduce your water bill
Neill Ritchie, owner of Ritchie Feed Seed, says adding mulch to flower beds and vegetable gardens can help reduce water consumption. “(Mulch) helps the soil to not dry out so fast, so you don’t have to water it as much,� says Ritchie.
Cedar mulch is a good option for flower gardens while plastic corn starch-based mulch sheets can be used in a vegetable garden. “It holds the moisture in longer and keeps the weeds out,� says Ritchie.
Installing a rain barrel in the backyard is another smart solution. (See rainbarrel.ca/sales to find a fundraising rain barrel sale in your area).
Don’t play brand favourites
Name-brand fertilizers may use cutting-edge technology, but Ritchie says house brands are just as effective and can make a big difference in your gardening budget. “If you steer away from any brand names, you’re going to save between 15 to 30 per cent (by buying) store-branded fertilizer,� he says.
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