Most garden centers in large retailers offer broken bags at 1/2 price. Lowes and Home Depot both offer their stones, rocks, mulch, potting soil and the like at 50 percent off. They also have unwell plants at 50 percent or more off. WalMart also reduces plants that are not first quality. I buy these, fertilize well with a liquid fertilizer you can get on plant leaves and after the start to come back I replant in good soil and usually the do fine.
Local Dollar store is another great source. They offer all sorts of planters, potting soil, lawn ornaments and garden decorations for just $1. Our local Dollar Tree has packets of seeds for everything from veggies to flowers for 25 cents each. Family Dollar and Dollar General offer some great buys, seeds there are 25-75 cents a package, potting soil is $1-5 and they have some cute ornaments for $5 or less.
You can get planters for free by asking local car washes, bakeries and delis for empty barrels and buckets. You will need to drill holes in them, add some rock and potting soil. You can even paint them before you do this to make unique planters. Talk to friends who garden, most have extra seeds the might share of offer you clippings of plants. When walking in the neighbor strike up conversations with people out working in their gardens, you are apt to get more clippings and seeds and maybe make a friend. Local gardening groups and the local cooperative extension are another source of usually free information and most have plant sales that offer great buys on plants. Watch your local newspaper. Also Google on line there are many groups who will share and swap seeds and cuttings.
Have an aquarium or goldfish bowl? When you change it use that water on your plants. A great free fertilizer is to crush some egg shells in a gallon jug, fill with water and let set for at least 24 hrs, plants love this. Coffee grounds are great on flowers and tomatoes, tomatoes love calcium and need it to be healthy. Water them with sour milk and add crushed egg shells to the soil. This brings me to compost. All vegetable matter can be composted: peels, grass clippings, old fruit…you can also add egg shells and coffee grounds and black and white newspaper in strips (colored ink and shiny paper has to many chemicals) to this (no meat as it will ruin it and smell awful). I compost in a large plastic bin with a few holes drilled in bottom and top, added some worms from the yard. I shake it up to rotate it, you can build big bins, compost in a fenced area, but I like the simple container method in heat here in Florida it is quick.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how to get your garden going and decorated without busting the budget.
