Cheap urban garden. 5 keys to save when making a garden

Do you want to know how to make a cheap urban garden? If you want to set up a garden at home spending as little as possible, you are in luck, today we will see some key aspects to save when making an urban garden.

5 keys to make a cheap urban garden

Next we are going to see several tips that you should follow if you want to make a cheap garden.

1. Make the compost yourself or another type of homemade fertilizer

The fertilizer or manure for the substrate of the garden is essential for the proper growth of the plants and one of the best fertilizers for the organic garden is compost .The problem is that this material can be expensive, especially if we have a medium or large garden.

Making homemade compost will be a good way to save that cost and get a cheap urban garden. To do this, you can use kitchen waste, dry leaves, crop residues that we have already eliminated, pruning remains, cut grass…

(If you search for the word «compost» or «fertilizers» in the search engine above, you will find several articles with tips and tricks to make compost and other homemade fertilizers and thus save when making the garden).

2. Use containers, seedbeds or terraces made with recycled materials

We already talked about this matter in the post Recycled materials in the urban garden. If you click on the link you will find photos with ideas to recycle different materials and get a cheap urban garden.

To make a garden with recycled containers we can use from wooden pallets, to fruit or fish boxes, yogurt cups and other desserts… There are many options!

Without a doubt, one of the things that I like the most about the Agrohuerto blog is the collaboration of all those who read us. That’s why I found it interesting to put these photos that Jess left us in the comments of another post. In the images you can see how she used for her urban garden her cheap concrete blocks (above) and recycled boxes from a fishmonger that she got in the market of her town.

If instead of a container garden you have a garden installed on the ground (in terraces), you can also save by making recycled terraces for your cheap urban garden. There are many options: you can use glass bottles, braided branches, old pipes…

3. Make a homemade irrigation system

Spot irrigation systems (such as a drip irrigation system with a timer) are very efficient and very good at saving water compared to furrow irrigation and other types of surface irrigation.

If, in addition to saving water, you want to save some money, you can make a homemade irrigation system like the ones Sandra taught us in this video:

4. Get your own seeds instead of buying them or growing vegetables in the garden

If you have had a good harvest, you can use the fruits from the organic garden to extract their seeds and, thus, not have to buy them. You can also remove the seeds of fruits or vegetables purchased in the supermarket or greengrocer, although in this case (unless it is organic products) they will not be organic seeds.

In the post How to get your own seeds Sandra told us the keys and some tricks to get seeds from courgettes, tomatoes or pumpkins from the garden.

But there are some exceptions, such as potatoes or garlic, which are not usually reproduced by seeds but are better planted directly in the ground. In these cases you will not have to use seeds, but a clove of garlic or a piece of potato buried in the ground.

This technique of growing vegetables can also be used for other types of plants, so you wo n’t need seeds.This is the case of strawberries, lettuce, basil… and other plants that you can find in the post I wrote about plants that reproduce without seeds.

5. Make traps and homemade preparations against pests and diseases

Insecticides and fungicides are some of the most used products in the orchard to prevent and stop the attacks of pests and diseases. If, instead of buying them, you make them yourself at home, you will save the cost of these products. Also, if you make homemade preparations against pests and diseases with plant extracts and other natural ingredients, you can proudly say that you have an organic garden that will be free of artificial chemicals.

In addition to making a cheap urban garden, all these tips that we have seen today will help you to have an ecological and sustainable garden, since with these actions we are avoiding the use of chemicals and promoting the saving of resources, recycling and reuse of waste.

Do you know other tricks to make a cheap urban garden? If so, or if you have opinions about the tips we’ve seen today, don’t hesitate to make your contributions in the comments thread below!