A HEATWAVE is on the way and millions of Brits will be taking the opportunity to spend more time in the garden.
If you’re looking to tidy up your own little green patch, the costs can easily add up if you’re not careful.
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If you’re smart, and know how though, there a number of tricks you can employ to keep everything in check on the cheap.
The Sun spoke to one half of blogging team the Two Thirsty Gardeners, Nick Moyle, who lives in Frome, Somerset.
Nick and partner Richard Hood, began making their own cider in 2008 and four years later started up an allotment.
Their blog chronicles their journey and offers up useful tips on gardening.
For gardening newbies looking to tidy up their back yard for less, here are Nick’s top five tips to get your garden in shape this summer:
Use old pallets
If you’re into a bit of DIY and want to keep you veg patch tidy or even just build a garden box, old pallets are your best bet, said Nick.
You can find helpful explainers online using sites like Youtube and TikTok on how to turn your old wood into something more useful.
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And Nick said most garden centres are happy to give them away for free.
So why not pop down to your nearest one to see if they’ve got anything out the back.
Alternatively, you can look on sites such as Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and Freecycle.
Find some furniture
If you’re buying furniture for your seating area Nick recommended going to Wayfair, which has “a large range of products with prices to match most budgets”.
Nick liked buying second-hand as well using sites such as Freecycle, to find free furniture.
Car boot sales are also a great place to scour for bargains, particularly garden pots, ornaments and old furniture, as well as plants.
He said: “It’s worth keeping an open mind about what might become a garden object.
“A rusty bucket or an old boot could be turned into a plant pot, and some interior furniture might survive outdoors for a summer or two.”
Plan your patio
Having a patio area helps to keep garden maintenance down but be careful if getting one put in can be pricey.
A cheaper option could be to look for second hand paving slabs, which can often be found on community sites such as Next Door, or at reclamation yards.
Reclamation yards are also full of old wood, bricks and plasterboard you can pick up.
Nick said: “You can also mix slabs with gravel to cut costs and create various textures within your patio area.”
Clean up
Nick said to watch out when buying cleaning products: “It’s easy to get swayed by the promise of ultimate cleaning power from some of the big branded cleaning products, but simple solutions (and a bit of elbow grease) can be just as effective,.”.
For patios, Nick said a bucket of warm water with a dash of washing up liquid and a scrubbing brush is “as good as any fancy product and a jet wash”.
Mucky greenhouses and furniture can be cleaned with sugar soap and water.
When it comes to getting hold of the tools to actually do the cleaning, including brushes, buckets and sponges, Nick usually heads to his nearest Proper Job.
However, while there are plenty of Proper Job stores in and around Bristol, you’ll struggle to find them elsewhere in the country
So it’s best to scan around your local gardening centres to find the cheapest options.
Sites such as Fat Llama let you borrow tools and gardening equipment from people in your neighbourhood for a small amount, so it’s worth checking out.
Try out re-wilding
While this may go against the concept of tidying up your garden, so-called “re-wilding” is becoming more popular and is a great way to reduce your spending – as well as the amount you have to tidy.
Re-wilding is a concept which has become more popular in recent years as a way of helping bees and other struggling species which are in decline.
It allows plants to grow wild and encourages insects, birds and other animals into your garden.
Nick said think about allowing a patch of your garden to grow wild and “see what happens”.
“You may be surprised to see what plants take up residence and you’ll definitely notice an increase in wildlife paying it a visit.”
A group of experts previously revealed how best to grow your garden lawn without bursting the bank.
And one other recommended the best ways to mow your patch.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
