Lately we’ve seen our everyday cost of living going up, with things such as petrol, produce and housing becoming more expensive.
Now is the perfect time to invest in your own at home garden, and cut down on those overpriced grocery trips. Who needs expensive organic vegetables when you can grow your own at home?
You may think you need a heap of space to have a garden and grow your own fruit and veggies, but this doesn’t always have to be true!
This blog will help you understand how you can have your own garden at home, without having to spend a ton or own a lot of land.
Self watering pots
If you’re worried about forgetting to water your plants, or watering them too much, then we have the perfect solution for you.
Self-watering pots make it easier to grow plants, because they take the stress and guesswork out of watering.
Consistent watering and care is super important for the health of your plants, so self watering pots can be really useful in helping you keep them alive.
Unfortunately, we don’t always have all the time to commit to looking after our plants, so we may end up in a bad cycle of under watering one week, and then overwatering the next week. If this turns into a habit, then it can be extremely detrimental to your plant.
Self watering planters deliver the water straight to the root of your plants, and don’t have to go through all the soil first. The water at the bottom of the pot lets the plant drink at its own pace. If it gets more sun than usual, it can self adjust the water. If it gets less sun, it may soak up less water.
This amazing technology means that you don’t have to worry so much about doing the watering yourself. For the most part, you can let the plant do what it does best and naturally provide for itself.
Just don’t get to refill the water each week!
If you find you’re a serial plant killer, then you should definitely consider browsing our range of self watering pots.
We have pots for all different types of plants, including longer garden beds, or pots for singular house plants.
Start Your Own Vegetable Garden
You might be thinking that growing your own vegetables is super complicated and you need a whole farm to do it.
However, with the right choice of plants and pots, you can save money and grow your own fresh vegetables.
Of course larger crops like cauliflower and pumpkin will typically need a lot more room to grow, but there are many other options for those of us with smaller spaces to work with.
Plants such as lettuce, spinach, kale, tomatoes, carrots, garlic and onions can all thrive in pots. Herbs especially don’t need large pots, and can easily be planted in one of our pots.
Start Small
When you first start out, growing a vegetable garden can be time intensive so it’s good to start off small, and not get too overwhelmed straight away.
You can start with just a few different plants and pots, and see how you go. Once you have the hang of it, it will be super easy and quick to maintain your garden, because you’ll already have it all figured out.
Starting with a herb garden can be a great option for people because many different herbs such as parsley and basil are forgiving to first time gardeners.
You can explore our entire range of seeds here. Our seed packets come with a lot of helpful information on the packets so you can get started on the right foot.
We have a massive variety, and they are all super affordable; with just a little bit of time and care, you’ll be eating your own organic veggies for dinner!
Do Your Research!
Gardening in Australia can be tricky, so it’s a good idea to do some research on the growing seasons. Australia has two main planting seasons in Autumn and Spring.
You can read more on this here, and even access a calendar to help you figure it out!
It’s also a great idea to look up companion planting. This can help you create stronger crops, and can even help deter pests and fungal diseases from attacking your plants. Plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant work well together because they have similar growing conditions, so you cut down on your maintenance.
Companion planting can serve so many different purposes, including keeping possums away from your beloved flowers! Planting shallots between your roses can make sure that the possums don’t touch the roses! Possums are very much like people; they are individuals and will react to different things. Onion and garlic seemed to be the most successful in small scientific trials looking for deterrents.
Start Composting
Want to cut down on your waste while also providing food and nutrients to your plants? Composting is an amazing way to reuse your food scraps for good!
Your home compost can drastically improve the quality of your soil, helping your new vegetables thrive.
This nutrient rich soil can make your vegetables taste better and grow bigger.
We know this may seem like a completely alien process to you - but don’t worry just yet! With the right knowledge and preparation, your composting doesn’t have to be complicated or stink up your house.
You can learn more about how to compost the right way, here!
Get Ready to Garden!
Gardening is an amazing hobby to pick up as it will help you save money on the overpriced produce that is plaguing supermarkets Australia wide.
Gardening can be extremely therapeutic, and there is a great sense of peace and accomplishment when you start maintaining your own plants!
If you visit Dollars and Sense online or in store, you can find all you need to get started on your journey.
Our products are all incredibly affordable and beloved by our customers.