Want to get more plants in your garden, but not sure how you can afford to?  Purchasing plants from suppliers can get costly!  Here are some great ways to get more in your garden without having to pay for it!

Four free and easy ways to expand your garden

1.  Grow perennial plants that spread.  Perennials are plants that come back year after year.  Some of these plants LOVE to replicate themselves by sending out shoots or multiplying.  I list some of these later in this article.  Occasionally these plants multiply themselves right where you want them to go, but often you will need to transplant the new off shoots so they will have their own space to grow.

2.  Grow plants that readily reseed themselves.  Again, I’ve listed some of these below.  Plants that readily reseed will create more of themselves.  Sometimes they’ll land in a perfect spot and other times they’ll need replanted so you can keep their spread under control.

3.  Offer to thin someone else’s garden and take home the excess to plant.  Most springs, those of us with spreading and reseeding plants are needing to thin them.  If they aren’t going back into my garden, I’d much rather give them to someone than just toss them in the compost pile.  Make it known that you are looking for plants and you may find someone willing to let you take some of theirs for just the price of a little digging and conversation.

4.  Organize a plant exchange.  Use your local yard sale Facebook group or your church group or your bingo group and each of you can trade plants.  Maybe you only want four tomato plants but you had to buy a six pack of the bedding plants at the nursery.  Trade for some peppers from the lady that only wanted four pepper plants.

Care of your new plants

If you are getting live plants through cuttings or thinnings, they will need some love and care when you take them home.  They are already in shock from being dug out and separated from their little plant friends.  Do not allow their roots to dry out on the way home.  Wrap them in wet paper towels or keep them in dirt to transport them.  Once you have them home, plant them in the ground where you want them or in planters to keep them happy while you prepare a space for them.  Make sure the newly transplanted plants get LOTS of water in their first few days and weeks.  They may drop leaves from the replanting shock, but with a little love and care will come back as strong as ever and ready to grow for you.

Perennials that spread:

Edible: Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, asparagus, horseradish

Herbs: Mint, horehound, yarrow, lambs ears, dill, oregano, chives, feverfew

Flowers: Daffodils, tulips, lilies, iris, lilacs, most ground covers

Plants that readily reseed:

Edible:  Ground cherries, lettuce, spinach, radish

Herbs: Horehound, dill, chives, borage

I’m sure I don’t have a complete list.  What plants do you have that regularly create more of themselves?  Add them in the comments!

Keep preparing!
Angela