There are a number of options when it comes to garden storage, but finding the most cost-efficient can be a bit of a struggle. Here are some money-saving tips for my like minded fellows with ‘green thumbs’ out there:
1) Recycle cool pots
Ever heard of shoe-pots, tire-pots, and denim jeans-pots? They’re not only earth-friendly but uber-cool too! Shoes and tires can readily hold soil, but for denim jeans, you have more options. You can fold the hem of the jeans up to the crotch and fill the hip part with soil, keep the legs hanging so it looks like a half-human half-plant décor, or roll the jeans and fill the centre part with soil like a cylindrical pot. Whichever way you choose, the leather, rubber, or denim texture adds a unique touch to your garden and will be a hit conversation piece whenever you hold backyard parties or cookouts in your gardens .
2) Decorate with readily-available materials
Using readily-available materials not only saves us a significant amount of money but also clears up a lot of much-needed storage space. Speaking of adding a personal touch to your gardens via an eco-friendly manner, try to add a vintage-themed décor to your flower bed by using colourful chipped saucers, chop sticks, or old silverware as borders. You can also paint wine bottles or wrap them in colourful foils and use them as vases. Better yet, hang old CDs around your pots. They not only scare birds and insects but add considerable shine and shimmer to your garden too!
3) Make your own sprinklers
Ice cream tubs, big cans, PET bottles, or broken pails, anything that can hold water can be readily used as sprinkler. Tall plastic bottles with handles (think big ketchup bottles) make great candidates as improvised sprinklers too. Use a cutter to remove the top part but leave the handle in place. Don’t worry about cracks or holes, since you’ll need to have to make some much-needed holes at the bottom of the container using some nails and your trusty hammer.
4) Reuse spray bottles
Think twice before discarding that empty disinfectant container. Except for pressurised sprays and perfume bottles, anything that has a spray nozzle can be reused for watering delicate plants, cleaning the leaves of bigger ornamentals, or freshening up your flowers with a spritz or two of water, especially in this sweltering summer heat.
5) Maximise your shed space
If you have a garden shed or any wooden wall, no matter how small, find some spare nails and hammer them into the walls. These can be used to hold up various tools, saws, and spades. Make sure that you hold the items up and use a pencil to plan where each nail should go for maximum support. For almost next to nothing, and just a bit of your free time, you can utilise wall space without the need for expensive shelves and or brackets, and you save about a foot of the original depth of your garden or storage sheds.
