10 Ways Gardening Can Help You Through a Recession

Stop Giving the Grocery Store so Much Money

Costs add up fast in the produce aisle. Save some of that money by growing food yourself. Most herbs and vegetables grow great in containers – so they're perfect additions to a sunny deck, patio, or balcony. You can even grow your own salsa -- just put a tomato plant, a couple of peppers, and some cilantro in a big pot and you're set! Or if you're in a hurry, grow some lettuce and radishes -- you'll have harvests in less than a month.

Ditch the Lawn

Lawns use more money than most people realize. You have the cost of the mower and its maintenance, along with the gas (or electricity) it uses weekly to keep running. Plus, most people end up fertilizing and watering their lawn at least once a season.

So replace your lawn – or areas of it – with attractive hardscape materials such as flagstone and gravel or with low-maintenance groundcovers such as purple clover, thyme, and ajuga.

Grow Plants that Do Double Duty

Lilacs, privets, and boxwoods make for beautiful hedges, but save money with shrubs that keep on giving. Blueberries, chokeberries, gooseberries, huckleberries, and currants, for example, are effective barriers that also produce healthy, delicious fruits.

Grow Plants Free from Cuttings

If you want more of your favorite plant, try taking cuttings. The process is simple: Cut a couple of inches off a stem and insert it in moist soil. Some plants, such as geraniums, coleus, and impatiens, are so easy that you can start them in water. Most cuttings take just a few weeks to root, and you'll end up with beautiful new plants at no cost.

Perennials can be even easier to propagate. Most, such as hostas, daylilies, and iris, form clumps. Every couple of years, dig up the clumps and break them into pieces. If each section has roots and shoots, it'll grow.

Trade Plants with Friends

Once you've mastered the art of taking cuttings and learned to divide your perennials, you can put your skills to good use. Take your extra plants and trade for other varieties with gardening friends or neighbors.

Slash Your Water Bill

Ever notice how much water runs off your roof during a rainstorm? Collect those precious gallons with a rain barrel. The drops add up: For every inch of rain on 500 square feet of roof, you can collect about 300 gallons of water!

Here's a hint: Check your local laws; rain barrels are not allowed in certain communities.

Make Your Own Fertilizer

Making your own compost saves you twice. Say goodbye to paying to leave yard waste at the curb, and to buying fertilizer! Compost feeds the soil, helping you grow strong, healthy plants.

It's a myth that compost piles smell bad. If the pile goes out of balance from too much moisture or too much of some ingredients, it'll start to rot instead of decomposing into compost. But a well-maintained pile creates a rich, earthy scent (just like the perfume called Dirt from Demeter Fragrances).

Grow Your Own Plants from Produce

Citrus seeds and avocado pits often end up in the trash or compost bin. But plant them and they'll grow quickly, giving you beautiful plants for free! Most tropical fruits, including lemon, lime, orange, passion fruit, star fruit, and avocado, are super easy to start and grow fast in warm weather. They're perfect summer annuals or long-lived houseplants.

Plants you get from tropical fruit seeds probably won't bear fruit. In Northern areas the growing season isn’t usually long enough, and the seeds rarely come true to form. But they're still fast and fun plants to grow yourself!

Recycle Materials to Make Containers

Check your home or garage before you spend money on new containers. Recycle and reuse items for pots. For example, a couple of old mesh trash bins (shown here) look great when lined with moss. But look for other things, too. Old bread- or toolboxes, an old watering can, or even a pair of boots make for fine pots.

Share Equipment Costs

Renting a big tiller, lawn aerator, or other piece of equipment can be expensive. Try splitting the rental costs with friends or neighbors. The price of a full-day rental is often only a bit more than a half-day, so you can save a considerable amount of money if you use the machine in the morning and let a friend use it in the afternoon.