How to Create a Backyard Garden on a Budget

A beautiful backyard garden does not require a landscape architect or a large budget. Some of the most stunning home gardens were created incrementally, one season at a time, by people who learned as they went. Starting a backyard garden on a budget means being strategic about what you plant, where you source your plants, and how you prepare your soil.

Start With Soil, Not Plants

The single best investment you can make in a new garden is not plants — it is soil. Poor soil produces poor results regardless of what you plant. Buy a bag of compost and work it into your existing soil before planting anything. A 40-pound bag costs about $10 and dramatically improves drainage, aeration, and nutrient availability. Your plants will establish faster and need less water.

Buy Small Plants and Be Patient

Nurseries sell the same species at dramatically different sizes and prices. A one-gallon perennial for $5 will grow to the same size as a five-gallon plant for $25 within one or two seasons. Buying smaller plants and giving them time is the most reliable budget strategy for garden building.

Divide and Multiply Existing Plants

Many perennials — hostas, ornamental grasses, daylilies, black-eyed Susans — can be divided from existing clumps every few years. Neighbors who garden are often happy to share divisions. Online plant swap groups and local gardening clubs are excellent free sources of established plants that money cannot always buy.