Money saving garden tips: cost-effective seed sowing

Growing plants from seed is one of the best ways to save money in the garden, and it’s also immensely satisfying. A few packets of seed can fill your garden with colour or provide delicious organic produce to feed your family.

We asked our favourite gardening experts to share their best money-saving tips for sowing seeds. Here’s their practical, tried-and-tested advice…

Egg boxes make excellent seed trays

“There’s no need to buy plastic seed trays or pots. It’s cheaper and more sustainable to use things you already have at home, such as cardboard egg boxes. These are ideal for herbs and for small flowers – just avoid planting anything with long roots in them.”
– Wendy from Moral Fibres

Clear plastic containers

“Start seeds in the plastic containers that supermarkets use for fruit, or old margarine tubs. Just be sure they have drainage holes. Smaller sized pots use less compost, and a clear container can always be used as cover, creating a small propagator.”
– Mandy from The Chatty Gardener

Save loo roll holders

“These cardboard tubes are ideal for seedlings, especially those that like a long root-run like broad beans or sweet peas. Then just plant the whole thing out, tube and all, to limit root disturbance.”
– Elaine from The 3 Growbags

Keep yogurt pots for potting on

“Yogurt pots are a great option for potting on seedlings once they’re ready to be bumped up! It’s a win win – not only does it save spending money on trays and pots, but you also get some use out of plastic that would have ended up in the bin.”
– Nicole from @nicoleatcherrygarden

Use leftover seeds as microgreens

“Seed sowing doesn’t need to be complex and I start most of mine on a sunny windowsill in old mushroom cartons where I can keep a close eye on them. I like seeds like mizuna, rocket and small lettuce varieties which can be sown indoors all year round for continuous crops! In winter, I also use my leftover summer seeds like peas, broccoli and mustard to create microgreens to use in salads.”
– Hannah from @talesfromagarden

Keep a wishlist to take advantage of seed sales

“Always keep a list of seeds/plants you want to buy and, when there’s an offer on, quickly make your purchase. Offers are often at weekends so I bide my time and wait for the best one.”
– Alison Levey from The Blackberry Garden

Check out charity shops

“I have a retired relative who volunteers for a charity shop. We ask him to keep a look out for old reggae records which sadly the shop doesn’t get much of, but they do get a lot of unsold gardening magazines which have the free seeds on the cover and he sends quite a number of those to me in the post. Any duplicate seeds I pass on to mates.”
– Pete from Weeds up to me knees

Use foil to help seedlings grow strong and straight

“Heated propagators are great but you can often get just as good results by starting seeds indoors. Once the seedlings pop their heads above the soil, place them on a sunny windowsill. To stop the seedlings from being drawn to the light, use some kitchen foil and card to create a mirror behind the tray. This will reflect light back so the seedlings will grow straight.”
– John Harrison from Allotment Garden

Collect seeds to grow more of your favourites

“Growing your garden from scratch doesn’t have to break the bank. A little bit of resourcefulness can go a long way towards building a beautiful, affordable and sustainable garden. You can easily grow a whole garden of plants from a packet of seeds, or seeds collected from the garden.”
– Mel from @melslittlegarden

Get your plant and flower seeds off to a strong start and they’re more likely to succeed. Browse our full range of high-quality seeds if you’re in need of inspiration.