Handy ways to beat the credit crunch

4:10pm Saturday 8th November 2008

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WITH the credit crunch, increased unemployment and rising inflation, we are all feeling the pinch. But one place you can make cutbacks successfully is in the garden.

Like most people, when I go to a garden centre for a packet of seeds I come out with a trolley full of plants, always spending much more than I intended, but you really can tighten your belt without the garden going to pot.

Alys Fowler, head gardener at Berryfields, the location for the BBC’s Gardeners’ World, has spent 10 years making beautiful gardens on a budget and is now sharing what she has learned in her new book, The Thrifty Gardener.

Fowler believes you don’t always have to buy what you need – you can make it, take it or swap it with friends.

If you are going to spend money in garden centres, spend it on plants rather than anything else, she advises.

Many garden centres have a reduced-price plant area, where the plants may have finished flowering or might be struggling a little. With some new compost, a trim to dispose of the dead matter and a little feeding, they should come back strong.

“Don’t just look for seeds and plants at garden centres,” she advises.

“Shop around. You can get cheap seeds from places like Lidl, pound stores or ironmongers, while good bargain plants and containers can be bought from car-boot sales and charity shops.

“Do your homework on the internet and compare prices of compost and plants. Autumn is a great time for seed-swapping, so look on Google or Yahoo for seed-swapping groups and you will find unofficial groups of individuals who will not only swap seed but will also provide you with plenty of first-hand information about the plant.”

Avoid gimmicky tools, she advises. All you should need is a fork, spade, hand fork and trowel, rake, hoe, secateurs and a good pair of scissors.

Tools which look more like torture instruments, but claim to make a particular job easier, are generally useless and are likely to be left unused in the shed.

Now is also an obvious time to grow your own vegetables to reduce your weekly food bills. Fowler advises novice gardeners to grow veg which are really simple to grow, yet are extremely expensive in the shops, such as rocket and Swiss chard.

“Don’t be too ambitious if you are just starting out,” she says.

“Anyone who grew tomatoes this year may have felt it was a complete waste of money because many of them had blight, so go for veg which are easier to grow.”

Rocket can be sown outdoors from March to September, and late sowings can be brought under cover for autumn use.

The seedlings should be thinned and can grow in pots on the windowsill. They just need watering regularly and will be ready for cutting in no time.