Spring, the season of new growth, quickly becomes the season of more spending – especially for avid gardeners. Luckily, you don’t have to spend thousands for the perfect spring garden, especially if you’re a newbie gardener on a budget. There are many ways to start one that won’t break the bank. Try these tips for stunning spring blooms, without the extra cost.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Restraint is difficult for all gardeners at the best of times. But it’s essential, especially when you’re on a budget. A good plan – and a modest plan – will ensure you stick within your budget while achieving your dream garden goals.
A good garden plan helps you visualise what your garden will look like and betters your understanding of what your space has to offer, especially in terms of light, soil, and water. Knowing this stops you from excitedly splurging on tons of plants that won’t thrive in your garden anyway.
Once you’ve got your plan, it’s time to pick some plants. A useful mantra for newbies and novices alike is ‘start small’. Pick a handful of plants with similar needs that suit your garden and see how they do. Gardening doesn’t have to be about instant results; it’s more about the journey to achieving those results.
Plant Seeds
The best way to save money is by planting seeds. Even though it takes a little longer, requiring a little more patience and some extra skill, you’ll save plenty of money and have healthier, happier plants.
Planting from seeds gives you full control over growing conditions and the surrounding environment from the very beginning. This allows your plant to establish itself well in your garden from the get-go, saving you money and time on plant care.
Many will consider the waiting a negative trade-off. But watching your tiny seeds grow into fully-fledged flowering plants is so rewarding.
You don’t even have to spend a single cent if you’re considering planting seeds. Gather your own from the existing plants in your garden or get some from friends and neighbours. As your garden grows, it’ll be even easier to build your collection without spending any extra cash.
Propagate
Propagating is the most essential skill of budget gardening. Start with one plant, and end up with more than you could imagine. You simply need one cutting from a friend or kind neighbour to get started.
There are several ways to propagate different types of plants. Some plants grow shoots or plantlets that can easily be snipped off and re-potted. Others grow just as easily from leaf cuttings. Plants with nodes can be propagated by stem cutting, while those in clusters can easily be divided by separating the plant at root level.
Recycle & DIY
Ditch the expensive terracotta pots, and the cheap plastic ones, by making your own. Anything can be a container, from old boots to teapots and even old furniture. Drill some holes at the base and you’ll instantly have a quirky, unique plant container, for free.
Always ensure your chosen container is big enough for your plant. Before you start, clean whichever container you do use thoroughly with some soap and warm water to get rid of any harmful bacteria.
Another recycling favourite for gardeners is composting. Composting is a great gardening practice that everyone can (and should) do no matter where you live or how much space you have. It’s great for the environment and it saves you money on store-bought composts.
So many things can go in a compost heap, from garden waste to veggie and fruit scraps. Avoid tossing weeds and diseased plants in your heap, along with dairy and meat. It does take some time before its contents can be used as compost, but the wait is worth it, especially for gardeners on a budget.
You should all know by now that I just love succulents! Their diversity is incredible, and with so many to choose from, they make the perfect collectable. They are tough and require very little attention. The most important thing is enough sun and not to over water.
Here is a great way to showcase your succulents, whether on a coffee table or as a centrepiece at the dinner table.
You will need:
1 x Glass bowl
1 x Small bag of silica sand (it is the sand used in pool filtration)
Place the coarse gravel at the bottom of the glass bowl.
Place 5cm of silica and potting soil mix on top of gravel.
Remove your succulents from their pots and discard excess soil on roots, then place in position in your glass bowl, along with your candle.
Fill with silica sand mix to cover the roots.
Place your decorative pebbles around the succulents carefully, and try to avoid getting stones into the leaves of the plants. If it does happen, use a paint brush to brush off plant.
Water lightly. You will see the water drip down to the bottom layer of gravel – keep an eye on your water level and only water if the soil is totally dry
We love it when our online shoppers share their gardening experiences related to the product they bought. It’s awesome to see fruits of their success through their hard gardening work, and even better when they are sharing their knowledge with youngsters, the gardeners of the future. This is an inspirational story from John Marais, a teacher at Sterling High School.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. Well done, it looks amazing!
In 2016 the eco-club of Stirling High School in East London decided to start a South African biome themed garden. As a WESSA eco-school, the theme for the year was biodiversity so we started planning an indigenous garden. The aim of this project was to create a multi-functional space which was educational, could be used by the learners during break and also to beautify the entrance to the school.
Biomes form part of the high school curriculum for Life Sciences (biology), yet very few children ever have the opportunity to see these different areas and their unique plant growth. So from the start the project needed to fulfil this need.
The entrance quad to the school was an unused space consisting of two strips of lawn surrounded by asphalt walkways. This was converted into six raised beds made from gabions. The idea behind this was to provide seating space as well as give some height to the area. To give some structure and symmetry, the beds on either side of the path were planted with the same types of plants. There are seven biomes in South Africa, we chose to plant two boxes with succulent species from the Thicket, Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes. Two boxes were planted with Fynbos plants and the last two boxes were planted with Thicket and Forest plants.
The Grade 10 learners needed to do a project about a plant from a particular biome and if they were able to, to also find a specimen which they could then plant. Many of our plants were thus donated by leaners and their parents. These learners were also able to plant their own plants, something which many of them had never done before!
The succulent boxes contain many species of Aloe, Crassula, Cotyledons and Kalanchoes, to name a few. All of which were donated or grown from cuttings. The Fynbos posed more of a challenge as the soil needed to correct. For this we added more sand as well pine needles and decomposed pine bark to get the correct acidity. Here we planted all the main components of Fynbos; restios, ericas and proteas. We have some rare species growing here such as Silver Trees (Leucadendron argenteum), Erica verticillata, Serruria florida and Erica cerinthoides. In the thicket-forest box we planted an Umzimbeet tree (Millettia grandis) in each box as well as Dragon trees (Dracaena aletriformis), Num-num (Carissa macrocarper), Strelitzia reginae ‘Mandela’s Gold’ and Dwarf coral trees (Erythrina humeana).
After the gardens had been planted, information boards about the biomes were created and put up on the walls of the quad as well as some individual plant labels which gives some interesting information about the plant.
In 2017 we started the next stage of the project which was to create a wetland. These very important ecosystems are under threat throughout the world and once again are taught as concepts throughout high school. We lined a large area with plastic and poked a few holes. We filled this with compost enriched soil and then dug our pond into this. Here we used the pond kit from Tanya Visser. We lined the pond with rocks which were also donated.
All the wetland plants were also donated by parents and teachers from the school. Here we planted Cape Blue (Nymphaea nouchalia), Waterblommetjies (Aponogeton distachyos), Fluitjiesriet (Phragmites Australia), Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus), Wild date palm (Phoenix reclinata), Arum lilles (Zantedeschia aethiopica), red hot pockers (Kniphofia species) and Kruidjie-roer-my-nie (Melianthus major) to name a few.
Many children, teachers and parents have been involved in this project; digging holes, donating plants or weeding on a weekly basis. 12 Months ago the space was just lawn, today there are over 80 indigenous plants from many different parts of the country.
Get your lawn off to a great start this Spring – start with treating it right!
What you need to do:
1. Scarify the lawn.
Cut the lawn as low as possible with a lawnmower – this is called scarifying. There are scarifying machines available for hire but a lawnmower on the lowest cutting setting will do the job. Cut the lawn almost to the roots (except in subtropical areas and for grasses like Kukuyu as this may kill the lawn). If you don’t use a grass box on your lawnmower, the bits of grass left on the lawn will eventually compact and become thatch. Scarifying will help get rid of thatch build up.
2. Use a garden fork to poke holes into the lawn.
This aerates the soil, allowing air to penetrate the area – a fundamental growing need for plants.[ux_image id=”3288″]
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3. Fertilize the area.
Use a 2:3:4 fertilizer to give it a good kick-start and encourage strong roots. Using a fertilizer distributor will feed the area evenly.
4. Top dress the lawn using commercially formulated lawn dressing.
Using other soil like topsoil from the side of the road may bring all the weeds from the area onto your lawn so don’t do that! Spread a light load onto the lawn and then, using a plastic rake, spread the lawn dressing over the area. The lawn dressing should be a thin layer – avoid covering the plants completely.
5. Water it!
Water in the fertilizer and lawn dressing well and sit back and watch your lawn thrive.[ux_image id=”3289″]
Their bright blooms burst forth in September and instantly banish the last lingering traces of the winter blues. Here are some steps on how to grow them from seed:
For successful germination, use fresh seed. Pick the berries when they start colouring and remove the pulp and membranes around them. The seeds will be large with a pearly sheen.
Wash the seeds with an anti-fungal solution or a weak solution of dishwashing liquid and water.
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Fill a seed tray with coarse, damp river sand (the soil should not be sopping wet). Push the seeds into the medium so that about 50% of their surface is above ground. Alternatively, you can use coconut husk or peat as the medium. You get these in handy blocks that you submerge in water – the product then absorbs water and makes a full 5l of awesome growing medium!
Cover with a layer of vermiculite – this forms a warm ‘blanket’ for the seeds to be able to germinate in. Place the tray in a warm spot out of direct sunlight. Although further watering is not needed, check that the sand remains damp.
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Sprouting should be within 4 – 6 weeks.
Fill small pots or a deep seed tray with milled bark or commercial potting soil. Water the soil medium well and make holes of about 2cm deep with a dowel stick. Gently plant the sprouts in them, leaving half of the seed body above ground.
Place the seedlings in a warm, protected spot in the shade and water them with a gentle sprayer once or twice a week.
The seedlings are slow-growing, and can remain in their containers for about two years before they will be strong enough to plant out.
Growing your own veggies and herbs is still a major trend that continues to grow, only they are not only grown in a vegetable garden, but added to flower beds amongst flowering plants like the old cottage gardens of the past. It’s all about saving space, knowing where your food comes from and having fun!
Here are some tips on getting started:
1. Choose the right place
Veggies like at least six hours of sun. A north-facing space is best.
2. Prepare the soil
Vegetables like fertile, well-drained soil. The more effort you put into the preparation, the more success you will have. Remember these steps:
Clear the area of all weeds and plants.
Turn the soil over to a depth of 2 spades.
Remove any stones or rocks.
Rake the area.
Leave for 2 weeks.
Weed again – add these weeds to the compost.
Place a 5 cm thick layer of compost over the area.
Dig into the soil.
Rake smooth.
3. Feeding the soil
Vegetables need feeding to get the best results. Making your own compost is the best way to do this or use old and dried (never wet) manure.
4. Sowing the first crop
Use these easy tips to sow seed:
Use string and sticks to mark out straight lines.
Mix the seeds with flour, mealie meal or river sand. This spreads the seed better and allows you to see how you are spreading the seed.
Make a small trench along the string line. The depth of the trench depends on what seeds are sown. See the back of the seed packet for instructions.
Spread the seed mix along the trench.
Cover the seed and gentle pat down.
Place a label in the row so you know what veggies are planted.
Water the seeds gently, making sure they do not wash away. Keep the soil moist but not wet during germination. After that, water regularly and feed every two weeks up until harvest.
Once the seeds have grown to about 2-3 cm high, thin out the row by pulling out seedlings so that the spacing between each plant is correct according to each variety. Pull out the weaker seedlings and keep the strong, healthy ones.
Some seed can be sown individually: Make a hole with your thumb or make a stick for this and measure 5, 10 and 15 mm markings on the stick to make it easier to get the right depth for each seed you are planting.
5. Always follow the instructions on the back of the seed packet
It is your best guide for sowing depth and spacing, when to transplant and basic care.
6. Spread out sowing times
Plant a few seeds of each variety every 2-4 weeks to ensure an on-going harvest throughout the season. Sow leafy vegetables at two-weekly intervals, legumes about three weeks apart, root vegetables about four weeks apart and fruiting vegetables 6-12 weeks apart.
7. Water and feed regularly
Water your vegetables more frequently in hot, dry weather. Fertilise vegetables according to variety. Root and bulb vegetables need phosphates, leafy vegetables need nitrogen and potassium, and fruiting vegetables need nitrogen when planting and potassium before flowering.
8. Mulching
Use mulches such as compost, straw, grass clippings, leaves, etc around all your plants to keep moisture in the soil. Use a layer of mulch 50-75mm thick for the best results.
9. Most importantly
Have fun and enjoy the freshness of homegrown veggies in your cooking.
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