Gardening needn’t cost the earth, and you don’t have to dig deep into your pocket to create a colourful and bountiful garden. Here are a few tips to help you get started that won’t break the bank.
1. Advice can be free
Gardening magazines and manuals can prove expensive, especially if you take out a subscription, but there is a wealth of good advice you can get for free if you know where to look. Your local library (once it reopens) will have up-to-date periodicals, gardening books and access to the internet for online guidance. Websites such as Gardenadvice.co.uk or the Royal Horticultural Society offer masses of information for gardeners of all levels.
2. Grow your own
Why not grow your own plants from seeds and cuttings? A packet of seeds can be very affordable and very rewarding to grow. Swapping cuttings with friends and family is a great way to widen your stock. Many shrubs and climbers can be layered, a technique of bending a new shoot into the soil and holding it in place with a U-shaped pin until it has rooted, when it can then be planted out.
3. Buy second hand
Under normal circumstances, your local recycling centre can often be a great place to pick up a bargain, such as second-hand garden furniture and tools, as can car boot sales.
Of course, the lockdown limits our options, but there’s always online auction websites like eBay to help us out, as well as classified ad site like Gumtree.
