Seeds may be worth every penny, but you don't have to spend a pretty penny to buy enough seeds to fill your garden with plants.
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Here are four ways you can save money on seeds for your garden so that you can spend your hard-earned cash on something fun, like... I don't know... more plants!
Got a gardening buddy? Get together with a friend or two and plan out your garden spaces'that way, you can split the cost of the seeds you want to buy.
One package of kale might contain 100 or so seeds, but you probably can't fit 100 mature kale plants in your kitchen garden. Seed companies don't create seed packages with kitchen gardeners in mind. They fill these packets for farmer-gardeners with row gardens or homesteaders with room to plant hundreds of things at once. I dunno about you, but I'm neither a farmer-gardener nor a homesteader. I only have room for perhaps 10 kale plants.
So instead of spending $5 on a package and only using 20 percent of those seeds before they expire, you could have a little garden party with your friends, and you could each end up with only the seeds you need for a fraction of the price.
This is a great method to save money on seeds for plants like tomatoes, peppers, and squash'anything that you can only plant a limited quantity of in your space. Other things, like salad mixes, are better to purchase by yourself because you probably will use up the entire pack, perhaps even in one season.
Be on the lookout for plants in your garden that are performing particularly well each season, then let those all-star plants go to seed and gather the seeds to use in coming seasons. If you do that with just one or two plants of each variety, you'll only ever have to buy that seed package one time.
Seriously. If you spend $5 on zinnia seeds, pick your favorite zinnia flower ever, let it go to seed, and save those seeds, you'll be set on zinnias for next year and can save more seeds from your next set of top-performers. Those seeds will, over time, become increasingly suited for your garden. I'd say that's $5 well spent!
Keep in mind this won't work with hybrid seeds since hybrid seeds don't create new plants that are true to the original. This method works great for heirloom seeds and open-pollinated seeds.
That means that each investment in an heirloom seed package is something you can enjoy for many, many years to come.
As soon as I open a seed catalog or visit my favorite seed company's website, I just start adding things to my cart. I can't turn down something that looks as cool as cabbage the size of a toddler or a carrot as long as my arm, you know? The best way for me to practice some self-control is to have a plan for my garden for the coming seasons.
Garden planning is essential both for success in your kitchen garden and for not wasting money on seeds you don't actually have room for. Knowing what you want to grow for the next year or so will prevent you from over-ordering. Take note of your garden's square footage and make a simple planting plan before placing your order. This will limit you to what will actually fit in your space. They say planning is the answer to all of life's problems, right? In this case, it really can save you some money.
This might seem obvious, but make sure to save the seeds you do buy in a way that prevents them from going bad for as long as possible. High-quality seeds should keep for seasons to come if they're properly protected from light, heat, and moisture.
Find a storage spot that doesn't receive direct sunlight, that doesn't get too warm, and that doesn't experience moisture. A good option for a cool, dry, low-light place might be your kitchen pantry or a drawer in your home office.
As soon as you plant out the seeds you're going to use for this season, make sure to store the rest correctly so you can use them again in coming years and not have to order them a second time around.
When the new year arrives, I always find myself thinking about the upcoming garden season. So what if my beds are buried deep beneath the winter snow? I love thumbing through seed catalogs, drooling over options, planning my spring garden and dreaming about the upcoming garden year.
Some women struggle with overspending on clothes. Others, with shoes. But me? I struggle with overspending on garden seeds! There was a time in my life when I had to account for every penny that went out for garden supplies. And seed shopping was painful. But it made me establish some good patterns. And I've never really let go!
Here's how to buy vegetable garden seeds when you're on a budget!
There's really no secret when it comes to staying on a budget with garden seeds. It's just like purchasing anything else. Be sure you have a budget. Know your limits. Only buy what you need. Buy what you will use and nothing else.
You know how it goes! But let me walk you through each step.
You've heard the saying before, that the little things add up? I found this to be especially true for garden seeds! A packet here, another there, a new fun variety of this or that vegetable'slowly the costs creep upward.
And when I'd go to check out, I would always wonder how my shopping cart managed to get $300+ dollars of seed in it? Then came the painstaking task of distinguishing between what I wanted and what I needed.
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Finally I decided things would be much easier if I set a budget for myself before I began putting things in my cart. And over the course of a few years, it helped curb my seed-binge buying!
And it can help you too. I know people don't like budgeting. But it really does help.
Another thing that keeps the spending in check is to shop seed for your staple crops first.
What are staple crops?
The food your family eats the most of, in both fresh and preserved form. It will vary from family to family. In this household, our staples are potatoes, carrots, beans, beets, cabbages, tomatoes, squash, garlic and onion'and a few key others.
Get the staples first, so you have your staples covered. If you have money left over, you can use it for 'vanity' seed shopping!
Before you buy a million and one seed packets, be realistic about the time it will take to plant and care for all those varieties. Of course you want to grow all the things! But what will it require of you?
I wish we could just put seeds in the ground and harvest from them all summer long'without the thinning, weeding, watering and such. But it just doesn't work that way. If you plant more than you have time to care for, gardening can be stressful.
Instead of being a source of pleasure and satisfaction, it can leave you feeling guilty and overwhelmed. Be realistic. Think ahead. And be sure to read this post about how to create a low maintenance garden!
When you go to buy seed, keep the size of your garden plot in mind!
The more you have, the more you'll want to plant. And while planting lots seems like a good idea, crowding things in actually leads to a lower yield and smaller vegetables.
Not only this, but planting too much can make it difficult to move about in the garden. Yes, I once packed so much into my beds that I created an impenetrable jungle for myself! Things had to be pulled up so that I could freely move about to tend the vegetables.
What a waste.
Order your seeds. But be realistic about how much your garden can hold!
As a child, did you ever respond to one of your mother's questions with a 'just because'?
I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to cut my sister's hair. I did it'just because.
We've all been there, right?
You can save a lot of money when buying seed if you don't have 'just becauses' in your shopping! Have a reason for everything. Your reasons don't have to be high and lofty.
Maybe you just realized that paste tomatoes were necessary for making a thick, homemade salsa and you want to try growing them this year? Did you just discover a new herb that you want to grow for medicinal purposes? Perhaps it's just that you have an open corner in your garden and instead of growing weeds, you want to grow a mix of herbs and flowers in that space.
I think these are all sufficient reasons for buying seed. Have a 'why' and you're less likely to go wrong!
That's how to buy vegetable garden seeds without overspending! Keep these things forefront in your mind as you shop. They won't necessarily eliminate all overspending, but they will help moderate and keep you grounded as you prepare to grow food for your family in the spring!
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