Innehållsförteckning för The Thrifty Gardener 2024 från BBC Gardeners' World

None of us want to spend money when we don’t need to, and the great news is, there are loads of ways to create a beautiful garden without breaking the bank. Whether it’s saving and sowing seed to create plants for minimal spend, or taking cuttings to boost your stock for no cost at all, the possibilities are endless and it’s all covered here. You’ll also discover how upcycling and recycling can save £££s, along with plenty of creative projects to breathe new life into often forgotten items. There are ways to save money on tools too, with charity finds and hire shops all coming into their own when it comes to reducing spend on high-ticket items. And why not share things with friends or neighbours? Don’t let money be…

Use clean equipment For seed-sowing success, always use clean pots and trays. This can help prevent ‘damping off’. This is a fungal infection which causes seedlings to collapse and die. Microscopic fungi can survive on pots and trays. Wash them thoroughly before using them for seed sowing. Prepare the ground Outdoors, break down the soil with a garden fork before raking lightly to create a good seedbed. Take care not to over-rake it, as that can cause the soil to ‘cake’ in the first shower of rain. If the soil is wet and/or heavy, cover the seeds with sand or vermiculite instead of soil. Water carefully Always water in newly-sown seeds, as they need plenty of moisture in order to swell up and start to grow. However, water carefully after…

1 Sweet peas A cut-flower favourite for good reason, sweet peas come in a staggering array of colours and many are gorgeously scented. Keep picking to promote flowering and nip off faded blooms and seedheads. Height x Spread 1.8m x 45cm Sow direct Mar-Apr Flowers Jun-Sep 2 Cleome These elegant half-hardy annuals will bloom until knocked back by frosts and come in pink, white and vivid purple. They last well in a vase but beware of their thorny stems.  H x S 1.2m x 30cm Sow indoors Feb-Apr Flowers Jun-Oct 3 Zinnia Bees love vibrant, zingy zinnias. They come in a huge range of colours and look great in borders alongside dahlias, or simply bunched together in a vase. Stake or support larger varieties. With one of the widest ranging…

Bargain bulbs Next year’s garden can look brilliant with minimal spend, as just a few pounds can be made to stretch an incredibly long way with some canny purchasing. Autumn is a great time of year to look out for bargains on bulbs, ready to fill the garden with colour in spring. Why not pop a plant on your birthday or Christmas gift list? Family and friends can club together if it’s a special – and expensive – specimen, or present you with a voucher for your favourite garden centre or nursery. Buy young plug plants Plugs of alpines, lavender, annuals and perennials can be potted up and grown on, giving them winter protection in a greenhouse or cool conservatory. For bargain prices, buy plug plants in bulk. Savvy choices…

Whatever your crop yield now, maybe you can harvest more. If your usual varieties give you a one-pick harvest, swap them for equivalents that will go on for months. Plus, eat all your crop, not just part of it: beetroot leaves, bolted rocket flowers and Brussels sprouts tops belong in the kitchen, not on the compost heap. And don’t be too quick to kick out spent plants. Many can continue being productive long after that first picking. By employing these tactics, you’ll not only harvest more, but also for longer. Once you start looking more closely at the bounty in your garden, you may well realise that you’re denying yourself half of your harvest. Claim it back and realise your plot’s full money-saving potential. Perennial pickings Replace your one-pick-wonders with…

Cold frames are like mini-greenhouses. Use them to overwinter seedlings or as a halfway house between your windowsill and the open garden when acclimatising young plants to outdoor conditions 1 First find your window. They’re widely available second hand – online, from architectural salvage yards or (with permission) in building skips. Then make a box to the same dimensions from planks or used pallet wood. 2 Make the corner posts taller at the back than the front, as the glass roof must slope downwards so water runs off. Nail the first layer of planks around the base, then the second layer across the back only. 3 Saw the front and side planks into shape for the second layer. Reduce the width of the front plank by about 5cm, before fixing…

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1 Handy hose care It’s vital to drain and store hoses under cover in winter, otherwise any water inside may freeze, expand and cause splitting. Also, always let water drain out after use, so the hose isn’t left under pressure. This is essential for expanding hoses. When not in use, storing your hose without any twists or kinks will extend its life. Either coil it neatly, suspend it from a hose hanger or use a hose cart or reel. 2 Insulate outdoor taps In sustained low temperatures, outside taps are vulnerable to freezing and splitting if left without protection. You can buy flexible tubular insulation for this, but making your own works equally well. ■ Fit a cardboard box around the tap and any exposed pipework, then secure it in…

How can I use an unheated greenhouse through winter? A greenhouse is top of the wish list for most gardeners. Although pricey, you can justify the expense by using it efficiently and effectively. The limiting factor in heating a greenhouse is the cost – it’s an expense that few would opt to add to their budget as fuel costs soar. And by choosing not to heat your greenhouse, you can benefit from many of the upsides while saving money and helping the environment. There are many plants you can grow in a cold greenhouse through autumn and winter. Here’s a few ideas for what to plant: ■ Salad leaves Mizuna, lamb’s lettuce and rocket are all reliable, easy salad leaves to grow over winter. They need good light levels for…

1 Grow annuals to fill gaps Annuals are a cheap way of filling gaps in the borders. For the price of a few packets of seed, you can fill your borders and containers with colour. Some good annuals to try include zinnias, sweet peas, Californian poppies, nigella and cornflowers. Cosmos such as ‘Purity’ flower for months, or the flame-coloured varieties such as ‘Bright Lights’ and ‘Mandarin’ are dazzling, with masses of single and semi-double orange and yellow flowers. 2 Grow cut flowers You can make huge savings on household budgets by growing your own cut flowers. The most productive and versatile flowers for cutting are annuals. That’s because they’re genetically pre-disposed to keep flowering once they’ve started. Since they only live for a single season, their great goal in life…

Buying seeds every year is expensive. But collect your own seeds and you can grow your favourite veg or flowers for free, year after year. It’s easier than you think – in fact this was how everyone did it not so long ago. Self-pollinating plants such as beans and tomatoes are easiest, as they always produce seedlings just like their parents. Others plants are more promiscuous and readily cross with very different varieties, so you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get. Keep their seeds true by isolating plants of the same variety, using fleece or a cloche, or hand pollinating flowers. Identify and mark your star plants, using a ribbon around the stem or a label, as these will be the ones you will want back next year…

Growing in a small, raised bed has advantages. It concentrates your time and attention, making it easier for you to spot potential problems early, and keep on top of watering, feeding and weeding. 1 Cut your boards to length: this bed is one square metre, but tailor yours to the space you have available. A width no more than 1.2m lets you reach easily into the centre. 2 Make four uprights from sturdy wood, 10cm longer than the width of the boards and with one end cut to make a point. Screw the boards to the uprights to make a box. 3 Hammer the legs into the ground gently with a mallet. It is easier work if you do it when the soil is damp. Use a spirit level throughout…

What kind of situation have you got in your garden – is it shady, sunny or a combination of both? What’s the soil like – heavy clay, light and sandy, thin and chalky, builders’ rubble? What is the soil’s pH? In a big garden the pH may vary. Do you understand the lie of the land? Your plot may contain different levels, so you need to work out how to accommodate them. Answering these questions will govern not only which plants will thrive, but also how you address treating the soil, the paths you may require and whether or not you’ll need to landscape certain areas. If you’re in an established garden, you’ll be surrounded by clues that will help with your planning, while in a new garden it may…

Growing plants to sell in pots is a relatively recent innovation. Up until around 60 years ago trees, shrubs and perennials were always grown in the field, lifted in autumn and sold while the plants were dormant. Plants grown and sold in this way are referred to as bare roots. In other words, there is little or no soil around the roots, which are wrapped to conserve moisture. A great range of hardy plants are still available as bare roots and many give better results than those grown in containers. Most plants grow better in soil than they do in a container full of compost, and most produce a more extensive, open root system without the restrictions of a pot. Bare-root plants are also better value: the gardener is not…

1 Strawberries The key here is to make new plants from the runners every year – you’ll soon have a whole patch. A strawberry patch of 10 plants will provide a crop of around 4.5kg. Plant cold-stored runners outdoors in late spring for a crop in 60 days.  Harvest Most plants crop over a few weeks from June to July but ‘everbearing’ varieties fruit over a long period. Eat fresh or use in puddings and jams. 2 Perennial greens These plants just keep on giving, just from one sowing. There are lots to choose from, but two stars are Swiss chard and cottager’s kale. Swiss chard plants can grow for years when prevented from flowering and cut back in spring to promote new growth, producing bagfuls of leaves. It’s also…

It’s easy to fill the freezer with just about everything from the fruit and veg patch and what you don’t freeze can be turned into delicious homemade preserves such as jams, chutneys and ketchup. These also make wonderful gourmet gifts at Christmas, saving on buying expensive presents. Pickling is another thrifty method for making the most of a harvest and it can even improve the flavour of some veg! The really brave might also consider fermenting, to make their own sauerkraut or kimchi, which is expensive to buy in the shops. Drying is extremely simple, too – just find somewhere really airy to hang strings of chillies, knots of garlic and even flowers, to enjoy over winter. Make a plan, look up some easy recipes and check your cupboards for…

1 Take a two-litre plastic drinks bottle and carefully cut it in half with a pair of scissors. Then drill a small hole through the lid, ready for adding the garden twine. 2 Make a loop using approx. 50cm of jute garden twine, knotting the ends together at around 15cm, as shown. Thread through the hole, pulling the knot snug against the bottle lid. 3 Pour water into the bottom half of the bottle – about halfway – then turn the top half upside down and slot it in so the string ends dangle down into the reservoir. 4 Fill the top half with compost and sow or plant into the top. Water once from above. The twine will wick up water into the compost, keeping it damp. Top up…

1 Cans for creatures Yes we can! Caring about the planet starts with our smallest creatures. This multi-storey bug hotel will provide a place for solitary bees to lay their eggs. Fill cans with hollow reeds, stems or rolled-up cardboard tubes, all cut to the same length. Arrange them in a frame as shown, or slot into gaps between walls and fences. Ensure the cans are sloped slightly downwards to prevent rainwater collecting inside. 2 Guttering gallery Prosaic modern guttering can be transformed with vinyl dye or paint, so if you have some, it’s worth buying any extra stops or brackets required to make these nifty wall planters. Shallow rooted plants, such as sedums, would grow happily. You could also sow herbs such as parsley, chives or thyme. Keep well…

Whether you’re making paths, plant supports or raised beds, there’s wriggle room to interpret and work up designs of your own. Make use of materials you might have to hand, like bricks stashed behind the shed or some lengths of old timber, and the alchemy of transforming something from ‘rubbish’ to a fit for-purpose feature is incredibly satisfying. Of course, anything with serendipity in its DNA will save you money but don’t make the mistake of mixing up economy with looking cheap. Like vintage clothing, a handmade cold frame crafted from quality materials can outlast anything shop-bought. Age is a virtue, so features made from materials that had a previous life will blend seamlessly with their surroundings if you get it right. Make a stepping stone path A stepping-stone path…

The luxury of picking fresh salads for months can be yours with the help of your local fishmonger 1 Make several drainage holes in the bottom of the box with a screwdriver then half fill the box with peat-free potting compost (at least 15cm deep). 2 Sow baby salad leaf mixes, pea shoots, radishes or rocket. Or you could make your own salad mix using seeds saved from previous crops and mixed together. 3 Water the seeds well, then place a sheet of glass (such as this old window pane) on top of the box. Leave it in a bright spot outdoors until the seeds have germinated. 4 Once seedlings appear, take the glass off during the day for ventilation. Kee it off all the tie in summer. Water regularly,…

Focus on getting good-quality, basic tools, rather than shiny, feature-packed products There will always be a few items of gardening kit that you’ll prefer to buy new – and when you do so it makes sense to go for quality. Well-made tools and gear really pay back the spend, lasting far longer than cheap equipment, and are likely to be more of a pleasure to use in terms of comfort and efficiency, too. The key budget-friendly approach is to focus on getting good-quality, basic tools, rather than shiny, feature-packed products. For indoor and balcony gardeners, the basics could be as little as a good pair of secateurs or snips, a trowel and a watering can. Plan ahead and make your budget stretch by buying tools in the low season –…

Growing flowers, vegetables and even fruit and shrubs from seed is a great way to save money. When it comes to fruit and veg it can reduce your shopping bills and at the same time you get to enjoy the improved flavours of home-grown produce. And no supermarket offers you the wealth of choice that you’ll find in seed catalogues. It also provides an opportunity to fill borders and containers with flowers for a fraction of the price that you would spend if buying potted plants. Check the packet When buying veg seed, the number of seeds per pack and the price vary between suppliers, so it’s worth checking packs before you buy. Even when buying commercial packeted seeds, it’s possible to make savings. Prices vary widely between suppliers, even…

Turn packaging into pots Wash margarine tubs, yoghurt pots and tin cans thoroughly, punch holes for drainage, then fill with compost and sow. Sow reliable plants Don’t waste money on tricky seeds that may not germinate. Go for stalwarts that will give you value. Nasturtiums are easy from seed and are useful for filling gaps. Other easy and reliable seeds: ■ Sweet peas ■ Salad leaves ■ Pot marigold ■ Sunflowers ■ Cosmos ■ French marigold ■ Rocket Recycle loo roll inners Save the tubes from loo rolls to use as deep modules, ideal for sowing runner beans and other large seeds. Make mini cloches from plastic drinks bottles Use the cut off bottom to protect early seedlings from slug attacks and late frosts. Use herb or spice jars to…

Annuals Do some research before buying your annuals. Although seed isn’t expensive, it’s still an investment. Take the time to work out which flowers will thrive in your garden’s aspect and soil. Think about how much time you have. If you’re busy, concentrate on seed you can sow direct into the garden soil. Start with hardy annuals If you’re growing annuals for the first time, it’s a good idea to start with hardy annuals, which are not only economical but easy to grow. They can also be sown direct, which saves money on buying pots and trays to grow seedlings indoors. Some of the easiest to grow include cornflowers and Californian poppies, which will provide many plants from one packet of seeds and attract pollinators to your patch. These colourful…

Making new plants from cuttings you’ve gathered in your own garden is truly thrilling. Putting strong, young plants into your garden that have been grown to order is far more satisfying than buying plants and a lot cheaper, too. Being thrifty is second nature to many gardeners, but producing a plant for free – nurturing it as a cutting, potting it up and preparing to take its place in the garden – is particularly gratifying. In the process, you learn more about the plant, its nature and its needs than you could from any textbook or television guru and growing it in the garden will be a joy. As well as taking cuttings, you can try your hand at dividing plants or layering shrubs to increase your stocks. None of…

Grow foliage begonias in a well-lit spot but out of direct sunlight, which can scorch the leaves 1 Fill 9cm pots with an equal mix of perlite or grit and multi-purpose compost. Firm it down gently until the compost mix is about 1cm below the rim of the pot. 2 Select one of the strongest, healthiest leaves on your begonia. Detach it from the plant by cutting through the base of the stem using a clean, sharp knife. 3 Use a dibber or pencil to make a hole in the compost, in the centre of the pot. Gently insert the leaf stem into the compost, all the way up to the leaf itself. 4 Firm the compost in around the stem, then water using a fine rose attachment on your…

YOU WILL NEED ■ 750g medium onions, peeled and sliced ■ 3 garlic cloves, peeled ■ Vegetable oil ■ 6 cloves ■ 1 tsp green cardamom seeds ■ 1 tsp black peppercorns ■ 2 tsp nigella seeds ■ 1 tsp cumin seeds ■ 1 tbsp black mustard seeds ■ 2 star anise ■ ½ cinnamon stick ■ 1 tsp red chilli seeds ■ 1kg courgettes, chopped into 2cm cubes ■ 2cm fresh ginger piece, peeled and roughly chopped ■ 250g apricots, chopped in half ■ 750ml malt or cider vinegar ■ 500g soft, light brown sugar ■ 2 tsp Sea salt 1 Fry the onions and garlic in a little oil. Crush the spices in a pestle and mortar, and add to the onion mixture, stirring constantly to release the…

With creative thinking, clever use of materials and sourcing of plants, you can add design elements to your garden that won’t break the bank. Some items, such as below ground drainage and structural work, are probably best left to expert landscapers, but there are plenty of ideas that you can try out yourself. These design tips are intended to be cost effective, but also good for the environment and great for supporting local wildlife in your garden. Landscaping Hard landscaping is a key feature of any garden design as it forms the bones of the garden and is generally the most expensive element. However, there are still many ways to make it thrifty. Think about what you’re removing – can you re-use old slabs? A crusher can be hired on…

Make your own labels Old roofing slates make long-lasting and handsome plant labels – and they are easy to cut to size. Wear gloves to protect your hands and place the slate on a flat surface. Mark out some 4cm-wide strips and cut with an old wood saw. Then mark them up with an outdoor chalk pen – but check your spelling first, as the ink lasts for ages! Turn wine bottle corks into cane toppers Carefully push a hole in them lengthwise with a screwdriver, then force them onto the tops of garden bamboo canes, for the veg plot and raised beds, to protect your eyes. They are small, effective and about the same colour as the canes – an easy way to recycle and save money. Don’t let…