Budget tips for frugal gardeners

Here are some cost-effective ways to keep your garden looking perfect all summer, all while saving a bundle!

Do you ever get frustrated when the dirt in your planter keeps falling through the drainage holes? Do you have any discarded window screens lying around? Grab your scissors and cut a square out of the screen a bit larger than the bottom of the pot. Fit the screen inside the pot and fill it with potting soil. The soil stays in the pot, and the screen allows great drainage when watering!

If you give hungry squirrels corn in the winter, but also struggle to rake bushels of fallen acorns for garbage pickup, there's a way to solve both problems at once. Gather all the nuts and put them in an unused birdbath in the backyard. The squirrels love eating them, and it's great fun enjoying their antics. A few days later, crush the remaining shells and throw them in the compost pile for further recycling. Save a bundle of money by not paying for all that corn!

Many communities promote eco-friendly home and garden solutions. On Earth Day there are often sales. You can purchase two giant rain barrels and place them behind some conifers at the side of your house. Attach the soaker hose to them and bury the length under mulch in your perennial sun border. When you get up in the morning, just open the connection between the rain barrel and the soaker hose and let gravity do the watering. No outrageous water bills, and you're promoting healthy rainwater usage. As an added bonus, the mulch you use is a combination of old leaves and herbicide-free grass clippings that keep plants cool in summer.

Many people divide perennials in fall and replant the divisions in their gardens. But by spring, they often completely forget where to expect them and sometimes disturb the area. Labelling the plants is the obvious solution, but many things you try either fade, disappear or look unnatural.

Collect them on walks and bike rides, wash them and keep them in a handy pile. If you're in a hurry, simply print the plant's name with black enamel paint and cover with varnish. If you're feeling artistic, paint a picture of its blossom, too. It's also a welcome surprise when sharing a plant with a friend to include a labelled rock.

Did you know that old milk jugs can really come in handy when it comes to gardening? Here's how to make the most of them:

• Many people use milk jugs to water plants. Make a small hole in one bottom corner, fill it with water, cap it and set it next to the plant. The water slowly seeps out, so the plant has a chance to absorb it.
• To protect tender tomato plants from frost in colder areas, fill four litre (one gallon) milk jugs with water and surround plants. They absorb enough heat during the day to keep the plants from freezing at night.
• Here is a great idea for picking raspberries. Cut the top off a milk jug and put your belt through the handle. That leaves both hands free for picking!
• Plastic milk jugs cut into strips make excellent plant markers. The jugs are also useful as collars to keep pill bugs and cutworms from destroying young plants.

Autumn is a great time of year for planting — and not just because plants are more you can get a jump-start on the next season. At the end of the summer, stores are clearing out their stock and you're much more likely to find better deals. You can find some great bargains during this time of year, and the deals only get better as fall and winter get closer. This is when the risk-takers and green-thumb gardeners look for the really big deals and steals. They often discover that the reduced prices are worth the challenge of establishing plants before winter.

If you're one of these people, you can increase your success by selecting plants that are reliably hardy to your area. Don't plant borderline hardy plants if you're not willing to take a gamble. Of course, proper post-transplant care will help increase your chance of success.