I'm a gardening expert - here's five ways to create a great plot on a budget

You could easily spend a fortune on your garden - but it really doesn't have to cost you the earth. Get into smarter habits and you can fill your plot ona budget.

Smart shopping

The clearance benches at garden centres and DIY stores are a potential goldmine. Look out for perennials and shrubs with healthy roots.

Soak the rootballs, trim dead growth and repot them. They will soon bounce back and give your garden a boost.

Reuse and repurpose

Discover your local household waste reuse and recycling centre. You can find solid tools and stacks of pots for pennies. Clean metal with wire wool, oil the joints and sharpen edges too.

Upcycle your own containers too. Buckets and wooden crates become planters if you add drainage holes. Avoid tyres for growing anything edible. Some may leach compounds, so keep them for ornamentals.

Start plants for free

Collect seeds on country walks only from common plants in public areas. Never take from private land without permission and avoid protected sites.

Gather acorns, conkers and sycamore seeds. Also, save seed from borders.

Poppies, sunflowers and hollyhocks are generous. Dry seed pods in paper bags, label, and store in a cool and dry place.

Take cuttings too. Pelargoniums, fuchsias, rosemary and lavender root wellin gritty compost. Divide overgrown clumps ofperennials in spring or autumn. Learn more about propagating plants at my YouTube channel,@daviddomoney

Propagating plants

Labels and growing in rows

Coffee stirrers, lolly sticks and yogurt-pot strips make sturdy labels.

Pierce the cap of a plastic milk bottle for a free watering can. Stretch twine between two canes for a straight sowing line. Sow lettuce in lengths of recycled plastic guttering. Slide the seedlings out in one piece for an instant, even row.

Compost for pennies

Home compost enriches soil while cutting waste, so balance moist greens with dry browns. Mix in veg peelings, coffee grounds, crushed eggshells and torn cardboard, avoiding meat and dairy.

Many teabags contain plastic so pick plastic-free versions or tear out the leaves and bin the bag. Turn the heap regularly to add air and speed decomposition. For leaf mould, pack fallen leaves into perforated bags, moisten, tie loosely and store for a year to create soil conditioner. Many councils offer subsidised compost bins.

You can find out more about making leaf mould and its uses on my YouTube channel, too.

Leaf Mould

Join a club

Allotment associations and garden clubs offer seed swaps, tool banks and discounts. You also gain know-how and motivation - and there's often talks from experienced gardeners.

Quick lifts

Show patios, fences and sheds some TLC with a gentle pressure wash - if you're allowed under hosepipe rules. Keep the jet off mortar joints and any loose pointing to prevent damage. For algae, use a stiff brush with soapy water. Rinse lightly, then once dry, finish the timber with exterior stain or paint for an instant lift.

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