Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles on low-cost gardening.
Jane Mack
Lots of people took up gardening during the pandemic. It’s a great activity that connects us to the land, and provides food, shade and beauty in our lives. It can also be a shocking money drain. If you’ve got the budget, you can afford the time-saving products and devices within your means. If you don’t have the budget, don’t give up! There are a lot of ways to garden with very low or no expenditure of funds.
A lot of what I’m sharing here is information I’ve gleaned from obsessive watching of YouTube videos, reading lots of articles and plant studies, and my own successes and failures. I am not an expert gardener — far from it! Just sharing what I’ve learned.
Here’s hoping these tips help.
Tip #1: Planning ahead
I recommend planning ahead rather than diving in. Some of the budget-saving tips take time to develop. They’re well worth the investment of time and energy and can save you a lot of money. Gardening is also a process, and takes patience and consistent attention. Starting with a plan helps develop those talents.
What kind of plan?
A good plan prepares you for the basics to get started and succeed.
A good plan involves watching videos from reliable sources and avoiding the scam videos with miracle, fake results.
A good plan helps you visualize yourself gardening from the start to the harvest and beyond.
Cheap and easy: If you don’t have wifi or don’t even have a computer, or you don’t want to use your limited phone time, that’s not a problem. You can visit the public library and use their computers. Joeten-Kiyu Public Library has an entire room with technology available for the public at no cost. The library is a great place, and cool on a hot day!
Video channels. Start at some of my favorite gardening channels on YouTube and just watch a variety of videos and start noting what interests you most:
Even if you’re an avid gardener, planning is going to help save money. So get a notebook or daily planner or other means for keeping track of your information and start your research and planning process! Good luck and happy gardening.
