15 Garden supplies from the dollar store

Gardening can be expensive! There is always something else you need for the garden and buying everything from the nursery...or even the big box store can get expensive. There is no reason to spend that much money! I buy lots of garden supplies at the dollar store (I prefer Dollar Tree) 

Many are the same exact item I buy at the garden supply center and others I go through so quickly that I feel like I'm just throwing money away! I'm more of a frugal gardener...so, here are all of the garden supplies I always buy at the dollar store and what I use them for.

Plant sprayers: for misting seedlings and indoor plants or applying foliar sprays.

Garden twine, clothesline, pantyhose: use pantyhose to tie up top heavy plants to keep them from toppling over. Twine and clothesline can used for climbing vines.

Pots and planters: I swear, every year the selection gets better! They stock everything from plastic seedling pots, terracotta and ceramic pots to large plastic planters.

Seed packets: Normally these are 4 for $1, but I've seen them as low as 10 for $1. You won't find any rare varieties of seeds in the bunch, but there are plenty of carrots, beans, peas, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, kale, tomatoes, flowers, common herbs etc.

Photo albums: these are great for organizing seed packets. I have one for each type of plant. Herbs, flowers, vegetables etc.

Gardening gloves: When the ground is too wet, I'll change my gloves several times in a few hours. This price makes it cheap to keep extras on hand. 

Garden caddy: these are sold with the plastic organizers and come in different sizes and shapes. Makes it handy to keep tools together. I actually like these better than the fabric ones sold in garden stores because these can be washed off easily with the hose. 

Scissors: I generally skip the garden shears and head for the school supply isle for sturdy scissors. 

Aspirin: I use aspirin when I plant tomatoes. I put one in each hole with the plant. Salicylic Acid is the active ingredient in aspirin and plants produce minute amounts of Salicylic acid when they are stressed. 

Providing a secondary source of this helps boost the plants immunity. It's especially helpful to plants in the nightshade family.

Epsom salts: Many people use Epsom salts to give their plants a magnesium boost. It works well on tomatoes, peppers and roses. Directions for use here. The dollar store usually has large bags or cartons available, just make sure you don't chose one with added essential oils. 

Irish spring soap: Want to know How to keep rabbits out of your garden? They hate the smell of Irish spring! Hang it in your garden and the bunnies will steer clear of it. It also seems to help with keeping deer away too.

Popsicle sticks: these are great for plant markers. They usually come in a pack of at least 100.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon has several different uses in the garden. It can be used for gnats, seedlings and rooting. Here are 6 reasons you should use cinnamon in your garden.

Weed barrier fabric: these have held up well for me, though they generally don't have huge pieces. Check sizing to see how many you'll need. Don't forget to grab some weed barrier pins too! 

Water cans or pitchers: Many dollar stores have watering cans, if not just head over to the drink ware isle and pick up a plastic pitcher.

Solar powered lights: ok, these aren't necessary but boy do they have some cute ones! I have some that have lasted several years and others that were only good for one year...so there's no guarantee on how long they'll last.

Other cheap gardening supplies from the dollar store: kneeling pads, small tarps, mini greenhouse kits, hanging baskets and liners (I've had the same ones for 4 years now!) zip ties, sunglasses, floppy hats, sunscreen (though I only buy brands I'm familiar with) garden flags, mini flag poles, windmills, wind chimes and small statues like gnomes and fairy houses.

The dollar store is basically a thrifty gardeners dream!

I do have a warning for you though: You might want to avoid the hand shovels if you do heavy duty digging. I've broken a few that way. They're great for container gardening though. Generally the potting soil isn't worth your time either, but that's just my experience. 


Want more money saving gardening tips? Check out How to start seeds cheaply.

Happy gardening!

~L 

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