Save Money at the Garden Center
We've all been there: You walk up to the checkout counter at the nursery, and there's a general ballpark number in your mind—$40, $50, or $100 over your budget until check-in. How does that happen? You think you're justified in everything you put in your cart, but the credit card bill says otherwise. If you're looking to cut costs (who isn't?) or looking for a way to make shopping easier in your garden, the following tips can help. Best of all, they'll lower your landscaping bill without sacrificing the high-quality plants, potting soil, and other landscaping you love.
1. Become a Facebook friend of your nursery
Many garden centers offer "reward bucks" or similar shopper rewards programs with shoppers, or they may post special coupon-type offers on their website or Facebook page. Take advantage of your retailer's generosity and make sure you sign up. There is usually no charge to do so, and the payoff is significant.
2. Visit a recycling center for free mulch or compost
For projects that require more than your backyard compost pile, give your municipality composted leaves. (What do you think they do with all the curbside leaves they collect?) You may have to pick up the occasional beer can or plastic trash, but as long as it's decent organic material, quantity trumps quality.
If your town doesn't have an offering, a horse stable is a gold mine of compostable organic material in the form of stall bedding. It comes free with an ammonium nutrient starter. Remember to compost it before spreading it in the garden. How do you know when it has rested long enough to use? It does not smell.
3. Look for bonus packages
How can you score eight plants for the price of six? Multiple seedlings per cell pack often occur, especially in vegetables and herbs. When looking at vegetable transplants in cell packs, look for multiple plants per cell. If plants are carefully separated and planted correctly, they are more likely to survive.
Also, think about whether you really need eight 'Brandywine' tomato plants. Consider separating them instead. Get together with your gardening friends and create a plan of attack for spring. If three people split three six-cell packs, everyone gets at least two replacements of each type. Unless you're planning on opening a taco stand or something, do you really need six jalapeño pepper plants? Like I did, you end up bringing 30 jars of pickled jalapeños into the pantry. Try the same with seeds. A great way to scratch your gardening itch in February is to host a seed swap or group order party. Why pay $3.50 for a bag of 20 zucchini seeds?
Tip: Forget the flowers
Gardeners, especially novices, are conditioned to buy only what is in bloom. Summer and fall-blooming perennials and ornamental grasses may not be much in the spring retail pot, but if you do your research before you shop, you can take advantage of a great selection and quality; Then enjoy the flowers in their peak season.
4. Give small amounts of love
A group of my gardening friends and I drive nearly 200 miles each spring to shop at a particular greenhouse. We have the option of purchasing a specific plant by the cell bag, 4-inch pot or bulk. This is a rare opportunity to acquire new and/or unusual perennials and annuals in pots at affordable prices. Many growers offer small pots (4½-inch, or quart size) in early spring, then switch to larger sizes as the season progresses. If you're patient and don't need immediate impact, this is a great way to fill the garden without breaking the bank.
5. Ask for "Grower's Blend."
Many retail greenhouses and nurseries sell large bags (2.8 or 3.0 cubic feet or compressed bales) of the same high-quality growing medium they use. Aeration is what makes commercial beet and bark mixes wonderful. You pay for critical pore spaces for air and water (to fluff the bales, of course). Larger bags of commercial mix are generally cheaper than smaller, standard consumer options and will produce much better results for your containers and hanging baskets. However, don't be tempted by the dirt-cheap, small bags of dark, thick "potting soil" commonly found in big-box stores. These soils have little aeration and often include sand, which makes the bag heavy.
6. Avoid the plant hospital
This is a personal pet peeve and some will disagree with me. I wasn't seduced by the 50 percent off TLC sign. Plants are perishable. They can become overgrown, root-bound, and harbor pests or pathogens. Don't pay to take the problem home. Reward your retailer for growing or carrying high-quality plants by purchasing them. A healthy, hearty plant is a great investment.
However, what about end-of-season sales? Early fall is the best time to plant perennials and shrubs. If you have a specific need, your site is prepared, and you're ready to plant soon, go for it—but only if the plants are in decent shape. I find that shade perennials and shrubs sold from a lathe house or some other shade structure are usually in the best shape later in the season.
7. Don't shop before Mother's Day
Garden centers and retail nurseries generate a surprising percentage of their sales in the spring, which culminates in Mother's Day, the holiday of most plant retailers. Inventory is plentiful, but you'll be hard-pressed to find any deals. Please be a shopper who waits a couple more weeks – after Memorial Day – when you're most likely to get good deals or at least a percentage off the regular price. Another bonus is that the less stressed staff will be more than happy to see you and give you sage advice on how to care for your hard-earned money. Remember: You may need to grow things later in the planting season, during hot, dry periods.
8. Tap Craigslist for plant sales
Spring garden or yard sales often feature plant sections from the homeowner's garden. Be prepared to pounce on that bargain with a slightly faded tablecloth. Craigslist is a great resource for finding out which plants will be thrown into the mix for the most sales on a given weekend.
Also, never visit a fellow gardener's house without plastic grocery bags, a small spade, and a nursery pot or five. Leave these items in your vehicle wisely. But there are moments when you walk through the garden and say, "Oh, I'll have to give you some of this (or that) next time you come." Get it now because you're ready. While there are plenty of guidelines on proper planting seasons and techniques, be aware that there is no right or wrong season to score free plants.
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