With prices rising, gardeners looking to save money can find useful supplies around the home. Plastic yogurt pots with holes in the bottom make excellent seed-starting containers, as do clamshell packaging from lettuce or berries.
For supporting peonies, old lampshade frames work well. Remove the fabric, place the frame upside down over the plant, and secure it with landscape pins. As the plant grows, the frame becomes hidden. Similarly, an old patio umbrella frame can be cut to size and sunk into the ground to serve as a trellis.
Homemade fertiliser is another way to cut costs. Fish scraps soaked in water for a month produce a nutrient-rich liquid fertiliser. Alternatively, bury whole fish or fish scraps 10-12 inches deep under planting beds. Used fish-tank water and cooled vegetable water (without salt) also provide nutrients. Water from boiled eggs is beneficial for tomatoes and peppers due to its calcium content.
Eggshells can replace garden lime: microwave empty shells for two minutes, grind them into a powder, and work into the soil. Banana peels, dehydrated and pulverised, supply potassium. For the lawn, simply leave grass clippings after mowing to release nitrogen as they decompose.
