Owning An Allotment

5 Garden Tools That Will Save You Money

Some people have apprehensions about taking up gardening in part because they think it is expensive. Truth is, maintaining a garden, or allotment, can, indeed, be costly at times, especially if you don’t know how to apply the various money-saving tips adept gardeners utilise. One of these tips is buying tools that will save you money.

But before we walk you through 5 cost-efficient tools, you ought to consider purchasing the tools ideal for gardening, recommended in our post ‘Picking the Right Gardening Tools’. The rationale behind this advice is simple: store assistants are often an “untapped wealth of wisdom” as they are likely to know a lot about the tools you will need to carry out a certain job.

So, without further ado, here are 5 garden tools that will save you money:

Shovel

A shovel is a basic necessity in any garden, and you can buy a good one for £6 or less. Many people think that you need a greenhouse full of tools for gardening, but that is not quite accurate. It is, in fact, possible to grow and maintain a nice garden using only a few tools, and a shovel is definitely a very useful tool, along with a garden rake and a hoe. You could even make a do-it-yourself shovel, as shown in The Telegraph’s ‘Genius Gardening Hacks to Save You Money’. All you have to do is cut of the end of a family-sized detergent bottle, to create an effective and money-saving new shovel.

Trake

Two other garden tools that you will need are a rake and a trowel, so why not get both in go. Yes, there is such a tool, and it is called a trake. Creative Journal describes a trake as a combination of a trowel and a rake. It has two ends—the rake on one end and the trowel on the other—and is specially designed “to minimise fatigue and offer greater comfort.” The rake helps loosen and level the soil. The trowel, on the other hand, is used for digging and breaking up soil.

Scissors

Notice that we wrote “scissors”, not shears, not anything fancy. Mother Nature Network believe that household scissors are often enough for your gardening needs. It can be used to, among others, “deadhead flowers, snip herbs, harvest small vegetables such as peppers, open a bag of potting soil or a seed packet, or cut string.”

Watering Can

This may seem like a trivial one but a watering can is ideal to keep your garden healthy throughout all seasons. If you’re trying to save money on your water bill then a watering can is the perfect, cost-efficient alternative to a garden hose as you can measure out exactly the amount of water needed for each plant.

Lawnmower

Alright, hear us out here. A lawnmower isn’t actually a tool as it is a piece of equipment, but owning one will certainly do wonders for the health of your garden. This way, spending money on quality equipment today will help you save in the future, as these usually last for years and can quickly transform any unkempt patch of grass. That being said, finding one that suits your budget and needs shouldn’t be too hard. Screwfix lists a variety of lawnmowers that are budget-friendly and can be used for an variety of different gardens. Modern units can now effectively cut grass in all sorts of weather conditions, which means lawn maintenance is now possible all-year-round using the same equipment. When shopping for one, the general rule of thumb is that the bigger the lawn, the bigger your lawnmower should be.

As you can see you don’t have to break the bank to have a fully functioning beautiful garden. These 5 tools will suffice for most types of garden. So, don’t hesitate to invest in them now!

Mr Fothergill’s Seed Trial – Exciting New Plant Varieties

I have been very fortunate in being selected by the respected UK seed company, Mr Fothergill’s, to trial some new seeds from their extensive catalogue. Most of you are likely to be familiar with Mr Fothergill’s and if you are not, then I recommend you check them out at www.mr-Fothergill’s.co.uk for more information.

They have sent me a total of six seed packets, four flowers and two vegetables. Before this year, I had never really grown flowers, being more of a “if I can’t eat it, I won’t grow it” type of person. However, after looking into companion planting and recognising the plight of the bees, I decided this year I would grow a lot of flowers including cosmos, calendula, begonia, lavender, forget-me-not and more. We also moved into a new house which had a small front garden which I planted with a display of flowers that has certainly gained a lot of attention from passers by over the summer.

I was very excited when the seeds came through the door and want to share with you the varieties I have received.

Cosmos – Double Dutch White

Calendula – Orange Flash

Verbena – Scentsation

Sweet Pea – Lady Salisbury

Carrot – Speedo F1

Pepper – Hot Curry Pepper

As you can see from the seed packets, the plants look fantastic. Cosmos was a prolific flowerer here over the summer and has only just stopped producing beautiful white flowers at the start of October. The calendula I planted has produced flowers for most of the summer, and is still flowering now, though I think the variety I planted pales into insignificance besides Orange Flash.

Most of these varieties need starting off in January, though the sweet pea can be planted now and kept in a greenhouse. However, as my greenhouse is in need of repair over winter after high winds, I will wait until January to plant them to ensure they don’t get damaged by any cold weather.

Next year, I will be regularly blogging here, on social media and on my YouTube channel as I plant and grow these new varieties. If anyone has any tips or advice on any of these types of plants, I’d love to hear them!

I’ll be posting an update in January as the seeds are started off and can’t wait to show you the end result next summer, judging from the pictures on the packets, they will be spectacular!