No spend gardening….

[JustJam4Tea]

I spent a fortune on plants last year. New garden which was completely blank. Impatient to start I bought trees, reasonably big shrubs, hundreds of bulbs, grasses and 9 cm plants that are taking forever to grow.

I need to slow down, get some patience and watch to see what is working.

I have an embarrassing number of seed packets so can grow annuals to fill in the gaps. I’m good at taking cuttings.

So no spend this year apart from compost!

As a Covid gardener (as in, I was never interested until I had bog all to do in the first lockdown - perfect timing for sowing the seeds I had bought the year before on a whim), I went a bit mad in my second season so am "consolidating" this year. Absolutely loving my new found hobby, though very much trial and error as I have few beds and am dealing mainly with containers and know nothing, really.

• still on seeds because I find the process very therapeutic, but bought some packs reduced to £1 at b&q.

• I read somewhere that you can sow tomato seeds from actual tomatoes. From 6 plants grown in the first lockdown from some Aldi baby plum toms, I had 54 successful plants last year from the same method. Still have green ones from last year to chutney as I got late blight, but there was heavy cropping prior. Sown baby plum & cherry already this year, so we'll see.

• on seeds, noticing plants I liked on my walk home and knocking to ask if I could have a seed head when the time comes. Also, got dwarf rudbeckia seed heads when the council gardeners were clearing some beds in town. 100% success rate and I'll drop in some seedlings of other plants in return.

• first foray into cuttings. Some from plants on the Shelf of Death in b&q (some of which were my best plants with a bit of tlc). Looking good so far. Will do more in season and see if I can do trades with neighbours.

• bought a wormery. Again, find it therapeutic to tend and have composting to put into my potting mix. The juice has done wonders for some of my house plants. Not for everyone, but I have limited space for doing actual compost. And not no spend, but feels like it now it's established.

• riddling last year's compost from spent pots to put into seed starter mix.

• local RHS site leave out the plastic pots that they don't need anymore for anyone to take

• local horticultural charity who get all sorts of things donated are happy for me to have a root around and leave a donation. Like slightly frost damaged terracotta pots. Even got some decking planks and wood for a pergola.

• Poundland often have bits and pieces that are surprisingly good and very cheap. Bought some dahlia tubers and anenomes etc this year, so we'll see.

• I've bought bits in the Homebase etc sales for next to nothing, like propagators with lids for £1 and microgreen sets for £1.50 that were retailing at £8odd. Just need to look at the right time.

• All of my Asda 3 for £5 plants (honeysuckle, abutillon, clematis etc) have been fantastic.

I'm sure there's more but that was lovely to write given that I knew nothing 2 years ago. Isn't gardening brilliant? 😂