Three Simple Gardening Tips to Save Money

Hey everyone! In this video, I’m going to share how we save money by starting our own plants indoors for our garden. It’s a simple step that really adds up, and I’ll also talk about why this practice is so important to us—not just for our budget, but for the health and success of our garden overall. Let’s get started!

1. Start Plants from Seeds

Instead of buying young plants or seedlings, purchase seed packets—they’re much cheaper and offer more quantity. With a bit of planning and patience, you can grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers from scratch at a fraction of the cost. Find my chart of direct sow vs seedlings.

Bonus tip: Save seeds from your healthiest plants each year to grow again for free.

2. Start with Great Soil

Investing in high-quality soil up front—like Dairy Doo or other nutrient-rich composted blends—can actually save money in the long run. Cheaper soils often lack the nutrients your plants need to thrive, forcing you to spend more on fertilizers and amendments later.

With something like Dairy Doo, you’re giving your plants a strong, nutrient-rich foundation. It often eliminates the need to fertilize mid-season, especially in a greenhouse setting. That means less hassle, fewer additives, and more consistent plant health throughout the growing cycle.

Tip: Even if high-quality soil costs more initially, the reduced need for fertilizers and better yields make it a smart, budget-friendly investment.

Video on my Favorite Items! Top Gardening Tools- It’s Cheaper Thank You Think!

Keep reading to find out….

Favorite Seeds + How to Start Your Seed’s Indoors

Let’s talk seeds – today I’m sharing with you my favorite seeds and why.

Wanna learn about important of starting with a good seed, how to use eggshells & coffee grounds in your garden? Click here

Where I purchase Seeds From:

Baker Creek – www.rareseeds.com

Siskiyou Seeds – www.siskiyouseeds.com

High Mowing Company – https://www.highmowingseeds.com/

Here’s a list of my favorite seeds (Below you’ll find how I start seeds indoors)

Broccoli – Waltham 29
Beets – Chioggia
Brussel Sprouts – Long Island Improved
Beans – Purple Podded Pole Beans (Click HERE to order my Famous Purple Podded Pole Beans!)
Cabbage – Brunswick, Golden Acres & Violaceo di Verona
Carrots – Nantes, Little Finger & Danvers
Cauliflower – Snowball
Snacking Cucumber – Muncher & Marketmore 76
Pickling Cucumber – Boston Pickling
Corn – Who Gets Kissed Sweet Corn
Eggplant – Diamond
Celery – D’elne & Chinese Pink
Lettuce – Landis Winter, Henderson’s Black, Gustav’s Salad, Tennis Ball, Forellenschluss
Radish – Early Scarlet Globe
Peas – Mammoth Melting, Telephone & Sugar Ann
Butternut Squash – Honeybutter Nut
Tomato – Martino’s Roma (Small), Bonny Best, Amish Paste, Tappy’s Heritage (Perfect size), Principe Borghese (cherry)

Let’s Learn How to Start Seeds Indoors

One of the most confusing things I see people get hung up on is what seeds need to be started indoors versus buying the seeds. There are many seeds that can be direct sown – in a future post I will show you a quick document to get started. It will help you save money instead of purchasing seedling plants that cost more than a whole pack of seeds.

Seeds Are Amazing

They start out as this teeny tiny thing; everything to grow is right inside of them. Give them the proper conditions – Light- Nutrition- Warmth and they are on their way to grow into a plant that will produce fruit, which then produces seeds, which self-plants in the ground and when those proper conditions come back –Light – Nutrition – Warmth it starts all over again. It is simply amazing and awe inspiring. Give the proper conditions we act as that seed as well.

Some seeds are best to be “Direct Sown” – which means to directly place into the ground when the conditions are right. Some seeds need to be preplanted in order to give them enough time in our very short growing period.

Direct Sown Seeds

First let’s discuss the “Direct Sown” seeds- these seeds will at this point be tabled until a later date. It is very important to focus your energy, resources, supplies and space on seeds that need to be started prior to the gardening season.

Direct Sown Seeds Examples: (months are for a northern climate)

May: (late) Beets, Lettuce, Peas, Kale, Spinach, Carrots, Potatoes

June: Corn, Onions, Cucumber, Squashes, Zucchini, Pumpkins, Radishes, Brussel Sprouts, Beans

Seed Starts examples:

Tomatoes, Peppers, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, some herbs

Unlock Your Green Thumb: The Ultimate Seed Starting Online Course

Are you ready to grow your own garden, but not sure where to begin? Whether you’re a first-time gardener or looking to level up your planting skills, our Seed Starting Online Course is your perfect guide to growing healthy, thriving plants from the very first seed!

🌱 Why This Course?

Easy-to-Follow Video Tutorials: Step-by-step videos with expert tips for every stage of seed starting.
Hands-On Learning: Practical, actionable advice you can apply right away.
Grow Your Own Food: Learn how to start vegetables, herbs, and flowers at home, saving money while eating fresh.
No Experience Needed: Whether you’re new to gardening or a seasoned pro, this course is designed for all skill levels.

🎬 What’s Inside?

Choosing the Right Seeds: Discover the best seeds for your climate and growing conditions.
Planting Tips and Techniques: Learn the ideal way to plant and care for your seeds.
Lighting, Watering, and Soil: Understand how to provide the right environment for your plants to thrive.
Transplanting and Hardening Off: Get ready to move your seedlings into the garden or containers with confidence.

👩‍🏫 Expert Instruction at Your Fingertips Each lesson is packed with expert knowledge, simple tips, and helpful visuals, making learning fun and easy. Plus, lifetime access means you can revisit the content anytime, at your own pace.

🌟 What You’ll Get:

Instant access to high-quality video lessons.
Printable workbook to keep you on track.
Access to a supportive community of fellow gardeners.
Bonus tips for maximizing your harvest.

💚 Start Your Gardening Journey Today! Ready to turn your green dreams into reality? Sign up now and start growing your very own garden from the ground up. Get all the tools, techniques, and advice you need to start seeds like a pro!

Gardening Quick Start Guides

Get ready to print off some of my quick start guides for gardening. Add them to your binder and head back to the facebook post and let me know what one’s you printed off (earn points, someone’s gonna win big soon) These guides should be able to help you while planting in the garden or getting ready to. Some exciting things are on the horizon with your garden!

Harvest Tracker
Preservation Tracker
Direct Sow/Seedlings – Includes recommended plants for shade vs sun
When to Plant Guide (northern climates)
Plant Spacing Guide
Garden Wrap Up

Preservation & Harvest Trackers

Click on an image to download the trackers!

Even if you are just starting out, trust me you’ll want to keep track of what you get. It can be quite exciting to start comparing many years later, and yes there will be many years you’ll be doing this. It’s addictive.

Plus, seriously it’s totally rewarding growing your own food and then looking back to see what you started with is great! If you’ve been doing this for a long time but forgot to document it or need an updated way to keep track of. This is what I use!

Harvesting & Preserving -use these printable forms!
For the Preservation Tracker you’ll have space to fill in the date – item – quantity- size- method. If a certain item doesn’t need all filled in, skip it.

For the Harvest Tracker it’s a great way to keep track each year when you start pulling stuff to eat from the garden. Every year I say to myself “Shouldn’t I already be getting (Fill in the blank)” This way I can look back and see if something is way off or it’s getting close to the time.

Simple Gardening Tips to Save Money