Secrets of a Garden Designer - Part III
It’s no secret that a penny saved is a penny earned, but how does that apply to the garden? In the third installment of Secret of a Garden Designer, we tackle the timely topic of the annual garden budget and help guide you in spending your hard-earned dollars wisely in the garden.
In order to simplify the process for you and look at how you might allocate your garden funds this year, we’ve created six categories of expenditures and allotted a suggested portion of your budget to each.
This graphic is a guide for you to understand some of the expenses that you might come across. To begin, it's always a great idea to look back through your previous years' spending to see if there are any trends in your spending habits and look at how your spending breaks down.
You might also want to consider breaking down your garden expenses into annual costs and investments. For more on garden investments, please see Part II of Secrets of a Garden Designer.
At first glance of our suggested budgeting, you'll notice:
More than half of this breakdown is for seeds, plant materials and soil/soil amendments; an aggregated number of 70% of your overall budget; this is because you will truly see a return on your spending from these investments.
ATTENTION MASTER CLASS STUDENTS AND ALUMNI: This information is discussed in much greater detail in Modules 2, 3, 4, and 8. As always, we encourage you to send in your questions by email should you have any.
Let’s take a closer look at how you might spend your budget in each of these six spending channels:
Perennials
Often overlooked, perennials are a wise expenditure. Adding perennial herbs, flowers and fruiting plants has a long-term payoff for your overall garden yield. They can often be difficult to purchase because they do not often provide an immediate yield and it can be challenging to wait for them to mature over 3-5 years.
Some great additions to your garden might be:
Serviceberries: early fruiting and native to much of North America
Roses: adding beauty and lushness to the garden
Ferns: providing visual interest for shady garden spots (ostrich ferns exclusively are edible)
Herbs: thyme, oregano and sage are perennial herbs that fair well in most climates and are a wonderful culinary addition to your garden
Soil and Amendments
Healthy soil is the foundation of the garden. Increasing the organic matter in your soil and amending it with non-synthetic sources should be a large portion of your budget. Knowing the source of your soil and amendments is critical.
If you’re looking for a local source of good quality compost, we suggest you speak with the organic farmers at your local market and ask them if they have any suppliers that they recommend. When purchasing amendments, remember that we are looking to feed and support the soil food web and not purchasing synthetic supplements that are ‘miraculously’ helping your plants grow.
Seeds and Plant Material
Whether growing your own plants from seed or purchasing seedlings from your local plant nursery, you will find that paying for good quality organic products pays off in the garden. Remember that you are caring for plants in an organic manner, so if you purchase seedlings that were grown using conventional methods and inputs you may find they don’t thrive when you bring them home.
Seed suppliers matter also; there are many reputable companies and students of our garden to table Master Class A Year in the Urban Garden receive our resource lists and are able to consult with us on where to buy.
Tools
Good tools do not a good gardener make. When it comes to garden tools our advice is simple; invest in good quality tools sparingly. You do not need the most expensive of anything and oftentimes you can get away with very few garden tools, especially if you have access to a local tool library.
Hoops, row cover and plant supports
Organic gardeners rely on hoops and row covers to protect many of their crops from insect damage and frost damage. A good starter kit for your garden will include hoops, a lightweight row cover as an insect barrier, a heavier thickness for frost protection and shade cloth.
You’ll also want some garden staples to secure the fabric. Plant supports are essential for making the most out of your garden square footage and you’ll want to purchase ones that fit the height and weight of the crops you grow. Proper cleaning and storage will help extend their life season over season.
Incidentals
There will always be those extras that we spend on our garden. Remember to keep a little extra money aside for a splurge or two!
Tracking your garden expenses and sticking to a budget will help you move through the garden season with ease. Remember that if you’re not clear on what this season might look like for you to jump back to our Four Questions in Part I of this series. Happy garden planning!
