The Dirt Cheap Gardener.com
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Organic Gardening
Top 10 Tips for your Dirt Cheap Garden
Top 10 Tips for your Dirt Cheap Garden
1. Decent Soil--If you are going to put money anywhere, this is the place to do it. Quality soil will make a big difference in the health of your plants.
2. Garden Tools. Youreally don't need to spend much money here. We have accumulated ashed full of tools over the years, but for my vegetable garden we useonly 5 tools on a routine basis:
Large shovel
small shovel
Rake
Pruning shears
Watering can
You can buy used garden tools at garage sales and flea markets. Or try using the Freecycle network..
3. Fertilizer--Yourplants need food and access to vitamins and minerals just as you do. You don't need to buy expensive fertilizer, you can easily make yourown from a variety of sources using composting and manure.
Make your own homemade pesticide using garlic.
This natural insecticide is effective on many garden pests.
Mix 4 or 5 cloves crushed garlic, 1/4 cup canola oil, 4 tablespoons hotpepper sauce and 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap in one gallon of water. Mixwell and apply with spary bottle.
Vinegar--use vinegar to deter ants and keep cats away. Just rememberthat vinegar can kill your plants, so be careful where you use it.
5. Weed Control
This natural insecticide is effective on many garden pests.
Mix 4 or 5 cloves crushed garlic, 1/4 cup canola oil, 4 tablespoons hotpepper sauce and 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap in one gallon of water. Mixwell and apply with spary bottle.
Vinegar--use vinegar to deter ants and keep cats away. Just rememberthat vinegar can kill your plants, so be careful where you use it.
5. Weed Control
Vinegar
Spray on full strength to kill weeds.
You can use it between bricks or paver stones to kill weeds and grass.
Salt
Salt will also kill grass and weeds between bricks and will deter regrowth.
6. Composting
Use your kitchen scraps and coffee grinds.
7. Seeds
Save the seeds from your plants or from store-bought produce.Use old or expired seeds, just plant a few more in case they don't allsprout.
8. Seedlings
Save your seedling containers from year to year for thefollowing year. Or use cardboard egg crates to germinate your seeds.
9. GardeningGloves
To extend the life of gardening gloves that wear out at thetips of the fingers, turn them inside out and line the tips with ducttape. You can get another season out of the same gloves.
10. Water
Collect rainwater to water your garden. Use a direct watering method such as drip irrigation.
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