Have you always felt like having a garden at your tiny apartment or house, but the required cost and effort proved to be a deterrent? Like millions of people, spending a lot of time and money on the plants in your garden may seem tedious for you. Did you know there are hacks for growing a zero dollar garden?
Do not worry, as you can use some handy tips to grow a terrace or balcony garden without spending much time or money.
The best thing is that you will only need some of your household and kitchen items to obtain the benefits of your zero dollar garden. However, there is no need to spend a whopping amount of money or spend a lot of time taking care of the garden.
7 tried and tested hacks for developing a zero dollar garden
1. Organic fertilizer
Why spend money buying fertilizer when you can prepare organic fertilizer at home at no extra cost? Do not throw away banana peels and other scraps of various fruits and vegetables. Instead, keep them in a container and seal the top. You may also dump used tea leaves inside. This will rot and turn into excellent quality organic fertilizer over time. The smell will be pungent, but your plants will thrive and bloom like never before when you use this homemade natural fertilizer, a very useful hack for your zero dollar garden.
2. Old newspapers
You may have a bunch of old newspapers and magazines at home. You can use these to make seed starting pots. First, roll the newspaper after cutting each into three parts. Next, roll these to make round-shaped cups. Inside these paper cups, you can put soil and plant saplings. Plant them with the paper pots in bigger tubs when they start growing. The paper tubs will decompose gradually in the soil.
3. Vegetable or pasta water
You usually discard the water used for boiling pasta or various vegetables. Do not do that from now onwards. This water can be used to water your balcony plants. This water is replete with essential minerals and starch. Of course, allow the water to cool down before using it in your garden.
4. Eggshells
Most people throw away the eggshells after the eggs are boiled. Did you know that eggshells can be used to offer nourishment to the plants in your garden? While eggshells contain a lot of calcium carbonate, they also have phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and iron in reasonable amounts. Ensure you smash the shells before mixing them in the soil, and you may also mix them with used tea leaves.
5. Baking soda
Tomatoes are rich in nutrients, and you love growing these veggies in your backyard garden. But how do you ensure the home-grown tomatoes taste sweet? It is simple, and you only have to add some baking soda to the soil. This helps lower the soil’s acidity levels.
6. Old milk jugs
Are there a few milk jugs lying unused in the kitchen? You can turn these into watering cans for the garden easily. All you need to do is make a few holes using a knife or pin at the top of its plastic cap. Now, fill the can with water and easily water the plants.
7. Small plastic containers
Do not throw away the small plastic containers that you got while ordering food online. Use these to grow saplings and allow seeds to germinate. Fill the containers with soil and put the saplings or seeds in the ground. Water it and keep it near the window to get sunlight and enough air. When the seedlings start growing, you can put them in bigger tubs or plant them in the garden.
