Dirt-Cheap Ways to Grow a Garden

People who are doing new landscaping often have perfectly good plants that don't fit their new look that are in need of a new home. Free plants can also be found by placing wanted ads through CraigsList.

5. Dig Your Own Plants

While this will take a little muscle work on your part, there are often offers by homeowners where you can take any plants that you dig yourself. These property owners need to get rid of plants for many reasons but don't want to put in the labor to dig up the plants themselves.

If you are willing to dig them up, they are yours for the taking. These can be found on Web sites such as CraigsList and in the classified section on local newspapers.

6. Landscaping Crews

An often overlooked place to find free plants for your garden is from landscaping crews. Landscaping crews are usually paid to keep landscape fresh and in season meaning that they often take out perfectly good plants that just happen not to be at their peak.

These plants usually are thrown out or composted even though they are still in good condition, but the crews will often be willing to give you them for free if you ask.

This is especially true if they need to pay to haul them away. In this case, giving them away to you will actually save them money.

During spring you should be able to find crews alongside the road who you can ask, but you can also use the Internet or phone book to find local landscapers in your area to see if they have extra plants from jobs.

7. Gardening Friends

Friends who also garden can be a wonderful source of free plants for your garden. Most gardeners have extra plants that they are more than willing to give away.

Even if they don't have full plants to give away, most will have new starts from dividing their established plants or cuttings that can be used to begin growing new plants.

8. Participate in Community Garden Groups

If there is a local garden group that you can join, this is an excellent way to get free plants through other members and through projects that you may undertake.

It's also a great place to get quality gardening information and to get answers to all your gardening questions.

9. Join a Gardening Forum

If there are no garden groups in your community, another option is to join a gardening forum. The key to be successful in getting free plants is to be an active participant in the forum.

Most gardeners are more than happy to help out people whom they have come to know, but many also take a dim view of those who pop in for the sole purpose of trying to get free plants.

10. Keep an Eye Open for 'Volunteer' Plants

Your own garden may provide you with free plants that you never expected. Plants that grow unexpectedly from seed in the early spring are called "volunteer plants," because they volunteer to be part of your garden.

When they appear, these plants can be dug up and potted and then replanted in the garden when they grow bigger.

While creating a new look for your garden can be expensive, using the tips above can greatly reduce the costs while giving you a large variety of new plants to add to your garden this season.