Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Save money by working on your garden this winter
Reading Time: 4 minutesWith the dreary weather and freezing temperatures, it’s hardly surprising that most people see winter as a time to take official leave from the garden.
Once the first signs of Spring start arriving, they wake from their hibernation and enter a mad rush to get their garden flower-ready.
If this sounds suspiciously much like you, why not take a different tack this winter and keep at the gardening game? Apart from the fact that you’ll be rewarded with a way more peaceful March, you may also save a whole lot of money in the process.
We have some really useful articles on how to make money from your garden;
13 Ways to Make Money from your Garden
However, if you put a huge amount of work into your garden during the summer months, you may face losing everything if the winter is particularly harsh.
Here are four simple things you can do:
- Get a compost heap going
- Cash in on nursery sales
- Protect plants and trees
- Sort out your gardening shed
Get a compost heap going
If you don’t have one already, this is the perfect time to get a compost heap started. Being the festive season, food waste is bound to be on the rise. So, even if you aren’t creating it yourself, you could ask your neighbors, friends and family for donations. Sure they’ll only be too happy to oblige!
By getting your compost heap going (or maybe reviving it) now, you are sure to have a whole lot of amazing compost of your own making to use when spring rolls around. This means you won’t need to spend any money on expensive fertilisers!
Cash in on nursery sales
Winter can be a very slow season for most nurseries, so they’re bound to keep attracting customers by running all sorts of exciting sales.
Whether you’re looking for young plants to cultivate indoors so long, veggie seeds or perhaps a new range of pots, a suitable sale is almost certain to come about. All you have to do is keep your eyes peeled and wait for the opportune moment.
Even if your favourite nursery doesn’t follow this route, buying whatever you might need for your new year’s gardening plan early on might be wise. You know how it goes – when the spring rush hits, you could find yourself searching high and low for all sorts of items that were freely available just months before. And as you know, this leads to wasted hours driving from nursery to nursery and, of course, wasted fuel too!
Protect plants and trees from frost and freeze
There’s nothing worse than having to bid farewell to beloved plants after they prove unable to recover after the harsh winter months. And then having to fork out a whole lot of money to replace the empty spots in your garden.
Make sure you keep your plants and trees as safe as possible from the elements as the cold weather increases, by doing the following:
Veggie patch
Spread straw around and on your veggies. This will help prevent the ground around them from freezing. You can also use mulch to do this.
Flower beds
Do the same as you would for your veggie patch.
Potted plants
The best way to protect pot plants and hanging baskets from harsh weather, is just to bring them indoors. If you have a lot dotted around your garden, now’s a good time to make some space indoors.
Trees and shrubs
Most native trees are accustomed to frosty winter weather conditions, so you needn’t worry too much. If you are worried about any that are in a particularly tender state, you may want to try wrapping them in burlap, drape sheets or frost blankets.
Take preventative measures
If you’re planning a garden re-haul for the coming year, you may want to consider populating it with loads of hardy native plants. This will increase the chances of them surviving (maybe even thriving) in even the harshest weather conditions.
Sort out your gardening shed
Finally, use these quiet winter months to reassess the contents of your gardening shed. Spend some time sorting through your tools – if you have any doubles, set one of each aside to sell second-hand.
Notice something’s missing that you think you might need come spring? Christmas is just around the corner and there’s nothing wrong with dropping some hints for presents you will actually use!
Alternatively, wait till early January when the Christmas sales are in full swing to stock up on your gardening equipment needs.
What are your tips to save money with gardening in winter?
Now that you know how to look after your garden this winter, it’s time that you learned how to look after your car and home for the next few chilly months.
Click below to learn more.
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