Gardening: Fun and Frugal, save money

Gardening is a superb pastime. It is physical and gets you outdoors, which is great for your health. It is creative, cathartic and nourishing in many ways – you can nourish your family with food you grow, or nourish your soul by creating a beautiful environment.

You can garden in pots, in your own yard or go and help a friend or join a community garden.

Learn the tricks

Whether you are an avid vegetable gardener, a beginning herb gardener or just like to have a pretty yard, there is always more to learn. Share tips and seek help as often as you can. There are a wide number of gardening publications available for the diehard gardener, but here a few tips to start with.

Stale coffee and coffee grounds make great organic fertiliser. They provide many trace minerals and low, gentle levels of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. Local cafes often bag up coffee grounds free of charge for gardeners to take home.

If you aren’t a confident gardener, start with leafy greens to feed your family. Greens are so very good for you and require very little care. Plant them in well-drained soil and invest in some compost or garden mix. Combine this with the soil you already have and watch them grow – almost literally! Remember that a good soaking of water less often is better than a light sprinkling every day – for veggies and for your lawn.

Make friends

Gardening is social. Admire other people’s gardens if you see them out working. If your neighbour has a plant you particularly like, ask for a cutting, instead of going to the nursery and buying one. Maybe you could trade a cutting from one of your own plants.

Distract nasties in your garden with clever and pretty plants. Plant marigolds in your vegetable garden. They will attract insects that eat aphids and other pests.

When you are planting your vegetable garden, remember to space them well (the instructions in the punnets give a good guideline) and to place stepping stones throughout the garden. This will save your shoes getting muddy every time you pick your vegetables!

Use grass clippings as mulch around your vegetable plants to keep moisture in and weeds out. Just don't use the clippings right after you have fertilised your grass or treated for weed control.

In the herb garden, to keep plants like mint from taking over too big an area, put it in a clay pot and simply plant the whole pot. Or use half wine barrels and attractive pots throughout your garden. Potatoes grow well in a barrel; start with a small amount of soil and add more each time the plants sprout until the barrel is full and the potatoes are ready to harvest.

Above all, enjoy. Gardening should always be a pleasure, never a chore.