It doesn’t take long in the local home improvement store’s gardening section to realize that growing your own fruits and vegetables can quickly become quite expensive. However, things don’t have to be that way. If you’re looking to garden on a budget, here are a few quick tips to get your started off on the right foot.

1. Start with just a seed

As you’re picking the plants for your garden, you’ll notice you’ve got two options basic options – starting from a seed or replanting a plant that’s already growing. While replanting is the faster option and safest bet, you can save money if you opt to start with seeds. Just be aware of when these seeds need to be planted so that they can reach their full potential before winter frost hits.

2. Use free mulch

Most towns have a local tree-cutting company that’s willing to give away their mulched product for free. Take advantage of this to save big. Be warned, if you’re going this route, you will likely need a way to transport the mulch yourself. That being said, a truck rental is much cheaper than mulching your landscape.

3. Get free compost

When it comes to making sure your garden has the right nutrients to go, compost can be a great option. Start your own compost pile using things you would typically throw away or head to the landfill to see if they’ve got any “green waste” compost they’re willing to part with.

4. Go organic

Nowadays, organic seems to be the trendy thing to do, but there are also several very real reasons to grow your garden this way. For one, going organic will save you on pricey pesticides and herbicides. Granted, you’ll need to put some extra effort into making sure the right bugs are coming to your garden and that the weeds are staying out, but in the end of the day, going organic will save you money.

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5. Skip the landscaper

While you probably shouldn’t take a shovel to your yard without doing a little bit of research first, finding basic tactics of landscaping is easy online. No, your garden probably won’t look like it belongs on HGTV, but you can develop a good-looking garden with a touch of online help.

6. Style your landscape with junk

That wooden crate by the side of the road? Yea, that might make a great rustic flower pot. Broken concrete in the ditch? You could include that in your garden for a nice urban feel. Be creative with how you decorate your garden, and if you find trash that might work, try it out. As long as it looks good, most people will never assume you went dumpster diving for it.