It may still be snowing in Michigan, but it’s time to get growing.
I started planning my summer garden back in October when I heard about what not to do from a weary dad I met on a hayride to a pumpkin patch. We were both climbing into the wagon as his wife, too pregnant for the bumpy ride, admonished him: “Don’t let the kids pick any pumpkins!”
The dad explained. His family put in a garden last summer, and their pumpkins had been prolific. They did not need another jack-o-lantern.
This guy’s garden, it turns out, was a costly endeavor. He spent $1,000 on starter plants, lumber, and tools to put in raised beds. Then he laid down another grand on supplies to can his carrots, tomatoes, peas, and potatoes—staples you can buy canned at the grocery store for a buck, he lamented.
I blanched at the thought of dropping $2,000 on a garden. We had just spent a a bundle renovating our house (if mold remediation counts as a renovation).
But as a first-time homeowner, I couldn’t resist the gardening dream. I pictured my kids picking cucumbers for their lunch, running barefoot under trellises dripping with string beans and zucchinis.
It’s a nice dream, but I don’t want to spend $1,000 just to have more tomatoes my kids can refuse to eat.
Surely there’s a cheaper way to plant a backyard garden. So I called David Lowenstein, a consumer horticulture extension educator at Michigan State University Extension. David told me it’s possible to put in a garden on a budget, and he gave me a few tips to get started.
Opt for Seeds, Not Plants
First, Lowenstein told me that if I want to garden on the cheap, I should skip the baby plants at the farmers market and pick up seed packets instead. The seeds will cost $1 or $2, but the growing plants would set me back much more.
Off to Home Depot.
The kids and I went overboard on seeds—at a couple bucks a pop, the little packets are too tempting to pass up. We brought home the usual suspects, like tomatoes and carrots, but my four-year-old also grabbed seeds for a Big Moon Pumpkin, which can swell up to 200 pounds.
We may end up skipping the pumpkin patch this fall, too.
We also picked up some seeds to sprout sunflowers, zinnias, and butterfly weed. Lowenstein recommended planting flowers alongside our food crops to encourage pollinators to visit our plants.
He warned me, however, that some flowers are challenging to grow from seed for beginner gardeners. For these, it might be worth buying plugs.
Get a Cheap Light
Our next step was to plant the seeds that need to sprout indoors. Timing here is key, Lowenstein said.
According to MSU’s table of frost-free dates, my southern Michigan seedlings can go in the ground around May 12.
Certain plants like tomatoes, peppers, and basil need a head start of six to eight weeks of indoor growth, making late March the perfect time for many Michiganders to start their seeds.
For that, I’d need light. Lowenstein warned against the fancy equipment hawked on Instagram and Amazon.
I just needed to position my plants under a bright LED bulb and rotate them to make sure every one gets an equal amount of fake sun. I scored two hanging work lights at Home Depot for $15 a piece.
Scout Your Site
As the final frost draws near, I need to decide where to put my garden. The cheapest route is to plant right in the ground—no need for containers or beds.
Lowenstein recommended doing a soil test—which MSU offers for about $15—to make sure my soil is garden-ready. Despite my thriftiness, I think I’ll go the raised bed route to avoid tilling our soil.
I plan to build our beds with lumber from the hardware store, but the internet teems with other frugal ideas for above-ground gardening, from cinder blocks to recycled pallets.
The position of the garden is an equally important consideration. Lowenstein told me to keep an eye on my backyard for the next few weeks, as I’ll need to choose a location that is as sunny as possible.
It’s also important to think about pests.
There’s nothing more frustrating than putting time and effort into your garden only to have your produce munched on by deer, bunnies, birds, and bugs. For gardeners with lots of wildlife, it may be worth adding a chicken wire fence, some protective netting, or wire baskets.
Get Planting
Once the threat of frost has passed, it’ll be time to plant. Lowenstein recommended a less-is-more approach. When the plants are crowded, rot spreads more easily.
It’s also beneficial to water the garden in the morning, because when a plant’s leaves are wet overnight, they’re more prone to disease.
If you’re anything like me, you may want to start a garden to save on groceries, eat better, or beautify your yard.
These are fine motivations, but Lowenstein was quick to remind me that my garden dreams may not pan out this year. Gardening is hard work and full of challenges.
“You should garden because you enjoy it,” Lowenstein said.
Truthfully, I don’t know if I’ll love gardening. It’s been a fun project so far, especially as it has me dreaming of warmer days, fragrant flowers, and the cooking I’ll do with my harvest. (BLTs! Gazpacho! Zucchini bread!)
But if gardening isn’t my thing, at least I won’t have drained my bank account on a failed hobby.
Katie Clarey is a contributing writer for Michigan Enjoyer.
