Cheap DIY gardening tips

A greener backyard doesn't have to break the bank. Here are some money saving tips to make gardening on a budget a breeze.

Instead of buying a garden storage container, place an old mailbox in your garden. It can serve as a handy little garden shed. Inside it, you can keep a trowel, clippers and extra gardening gloves.

Instead of costly and unhealthy pesticides, try dog hair clipping in your garden to keep rabbits from sneaking in and munching on your plants. You can also hang sacks of dog hair in young fruit trees to deter deer. Or spread dog hair around the yard in spring so the birds can use it for building nests.

Got a favourite flower patch with poor soil? Know a place where fishermen buy worms? Bring home that rich black dirt and a bunch of worms and sprinkle them into the "problem patch." After one season, this will enrich and aerate the soil, and produce healthy flowers. Plus, you'll save a bundle by not buying pricey plant growth chemicals.

There's a cheap way to repel aphids and spider mites. Start by mixing 1/3 cup of cooking oil and one teaspoon of baking soda in a jar, and keep covered until needed. Combine two teaspoons of the mixture with one cup of water in a sprayer. Test on a few leaves before spraying the whole plant. If your plant reacts well, use the spray all over to keep pesky bugs away.

Use a shoe caddy to store garden tools, gloves, shoes and other items that fit in the compartments.

You don't need commercial products to keep deer away. Just sprinkle your garden with a mixture of crushed garlic, garlic powder and dill pickle juice. Your neighbours might think you're cooking spaghetti, but the deer don't care for the scent.

Use twist ties from garbage bags, not garden twine, to help train vines to grow up fences or trellises. Be sure to twist the ties loosely to allow plenty of room for the vines to grow.