3 Ideas on How to Save Money in Your Garden

We all like to design and put in place our own plans so I thought I'd throw together a few ideas I have come up with or found on the internet.

Worm farm by using plastic boxes:
A great and cheap way to build a worm farm is to use plastic storage cubes. The good thing about these is that you can start with two. One catch tray and one first waste tray.
All that needs to be done is holes drilled in the top of the waste tray and a cover put on. The cover can just be a rubbish bag (this is mostly to stop the worms from getting over exposure).

As each rubbish tray gets more full, add another with holes drilled.

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Tyre Planter Boxes:
The next and very easy way to save money when planting plants is to use tyres. They are usually free to take at a lot of car yards.

If you fill them with soil, they make great planter boxes and can be arranged into nearly any shape you want. A lot of people even stack them!

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Pallet Gardening:
Pallet gardening is another great way to save money. Instead of seed trays, planter boxes and expensive wood, you can get free pallets from your local hardware store and use them to protect and grow your plants. It doesn't just have to be veges either.









All 3 of these ideas are easy and close to free to do. While it isn't always easy to get your hands on tyres or pallets, in the long run it is definitely worth it. Good luck!

How to Germinate Seedlings

By being a gardener, it is thrilling to have grown your own plant from seeds. The growth stages are great to watch and it is definitely worth it.

You want to pick seeds from a reputable source. If they seem to good to be true, they probably are. Go for some seeds that will be fine in your area. If in doubt, Google it.

How to germinate them:

1. Find out when the best time of year is to grow seedlings. In some cases, you can grow them at any time of year indoors.

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2. Purchase a seed raising mix. This is the safest and easiest way for your seeds to grow as this mix is designed to hold enough water to stay damp but not soggy.
3. Choose a seed container 2-3 inches deep. If using trays with individual segments, fill them to about 1-2cm from the top.
4. It is important to wet the soil before you plant the seeds so it can compress down from the water and not over cover the seeds. Dip the bottom of the pot, tray or seed tray in water and let it raise to the top. It will look damp when fully watered.
5. If the seeds do not need to be soaked for a few hours prior to planting, plant them about 3 times the thickness of the seed. This is a good rule to know when planting.

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6. Keep the seeds moist up to and while they germinate. Avoid letting them dry out. Keep them in a suitable environment for the seed type.

How to Air Propagate - Taking Cuttings After They've Rooted!

Air Propagation is an interesting way to get more plants. Unlike cuttings, air propagation gives us the opportunity to grow roots before the plant is cut. This is a great way to ensure the survival of the plant and its cuttings.

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Another brief post but something that a lot of people do not even know exists!


1. Pick the plant - It needs to have 2+ nodes for the spot that will be used.
2. Wound the plant. This means to cut through the bark and removed a layer 2-4 inches long. This does not need to be done delicately.
3. Fill the bulb or plant pot with soil being used and place it on the tree. The soil needs to be all the way around the trunk of the plant. Now tie it on to the tree and secure it over the wound.
4. Water it every day and within a few weeks, roots will have grown
Good luck with your propagation and feel free to ask a question or two!

Making Money Off Your Garden - $10,000 and No Cost.

 Making money off our own gardens is usually something we just don't think about. To most of us, gardens are a bottomless pit of money spending. But if you set it up right, you can make money off almost any garden tree, bush or hedge you have.

Take Buxus (Box Hedge) for example. Here in New Zealand, they cost about $2 a plant (10 inches max). If I spend $50 on these, I have 25 10" plants. I plant them and allow them some growing time. I could even take some cuttings off the small plants already. 

So 25 plants one year later will be roughly 20 inches high. I take 5-10 cuttings from each plant. Now I have between 125 and 250 cuttings. Plant these, expect 80% survival, and I now have 100-200 plants. I can sell my old plants for $4-$10. 25 plants at $5 is $125. Unless I want to keep them and grow them some more, take more cuttings, repeat. Throw a bit more time at it and I can sell my 100-200 cuttings for $5 each. Now I have $500, a bunch of plants and close to nothing in cost. You can sell them online, contact a nursery, go to gardening shows. Nearly anywhere and people will be interested.

But remember these all started from the little 10 inch $2 plants. Doesn't seem to hard does it? We all have to start somewhere. Making money takes time. Plant 500 cuttings this year and next yeah you could make an extra $2000. The following year, $10,000. So on and so forth. Enjoy, leave a comment or question!