How to Update Your Garden on a Budget

With spring beginning, along with longer and warmer days, I’ve noticed some changes in my garden. The primroses I planted in November seem to be unhappy hanging along my balcony wall and I’m eagerly waiting for seedlings to sprout into flowers. Today is all about how to update your garden on a budget.

We only really have two seasons here in Southern California, spring and summer. We had an unusually wet winter, but those are rare. Based on where you live, you want to update your garden from time to time.

There are many ways to update your garden. I’m going to focus mainly on how to update plants in your garden. I think this is the most fun part about gardening!

There are several ways to do this, which are explained below.

Know Your Garden Space

What I mean by know your garden space, is do you know what kind of plants grow best in your garden? This can take time, even years, based on what kind of plants you grow in your garden.

I have a small entryway and an 80 square foot balcony to work with. All of my plants are in pots. I don’t have to worry about the quality of the ground, but I do have to purchase potting soil for my plants.

In the spring and summer my balcony is in full sun, although shade creeps in during the afternoon. When the time changes in the fall, the balcony will become a full to part shaded area until the springtime again.

Because of these boundaries, I only grow plants suited for containers. I try to go for plants that grow well in part shade, but do have succulents and tropical plants that have managed to stay alive during the shorter days of fall and winter.

I know for a larger spaced gardener this does not sound like much, but I’ve been able to enjoy a garden in my space and have been able to share my gardening adventures with you all on this blog.

No matter how small or large your garden space is, know what you can and can’t grow in your garden. If you just moved to a new place, this can take time, but you can enjoy a garden in no time with some trial and error.

Plan Ahead

This is especially true for gardeners that live in colder areas. You may have to make room for plants indoors or take a break from gardening during the winter months.

If you enjoy growing fruits and vegetables, know what time of year is best to grow and plan accordingly.

Study Garden Trends

I love wandering around gardening centers from time to time to see what is popular to grow during that particular time of year. I do this when I have a pot that needs something planted in it, or a plant is in need of replacing.

Check out what other gardeners are planting in your area by checking out other garden blogs, Pinterest, garden magazines, and social media.

You will probably discover that there are endless ways to add plants to your garden. Don’t get overwhelmed, but pick a few that will work well in your garden.

Buy Seeds

One of the best ways to update your garden on a budget is to start with seeds. I’ve only started doing this in the past year or so. I find that growing a plant from a seed is very rewarding.

I went through some trial and error when I first started growing plants from seeds. I love using the Jiffy Mini Greenhouse to start seeds in. It’s perfect for gardening in small spaces!

They come in several sizes. I have two that can grow 12 different plants from seeds. I need to buy more pellet refills since I ran out and have more flower seeds to plant!

Seeds are usually much cheaper than buying a plant. I recently bought several packets of seeds for only 50 cents! I can’t wait for the flowers to grow from these seeds!

Seeds are easy to buy. You can find them in gardening catalogs, online, and gardening centers. Here is an article I recently wrote about the best places to buy garden seeds from!

Buy Baby Plants

When I first started gardening a few years ago, I started by purchasing plants as small as I could find. I would find containers that were small or slightly larger than the plants, since I only have so much space to work with.

Starting with smaller plants saves me money and gives me a chance to enjoy watching my plants grow and mature. If you are a beginner gardener, growing a small plant is easier than starting with seeds as well.

Use Inexpensive Containers

Since I’m all about saving money while gardening, I’ve found some nice inexpensive containers that I use for my container garden. Many of my plastic containers are in different colors or designs, which make them look more expensive than they really are.

Terra cotta pots are another great inexpensive type of pot to grow plants in as well. The dollar store in spring time usually has a variety of sizes and shapes of terra cotta pots available.

For more ideas on inexpensive containers, read my article about Cheap Garden Containers.

Don’t Forget to Have Fun

Gardening is a process, and updating your garden can take some time. I’m still figuring out what grows best in my balcony garden. How are you updating your garden this season?

Let me know in the comments section below!