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10 Best Gardening Supplies to Buy at the Dollar Store (Plus 5 to Avoid)

May 17, 2020

I love shopping at my local Dollarama or Dollartree (or really any dollar store for that matter!) and I love it even more when I can get my favourite gardening supplies there too for a good deal. This Spring I took a trip to my local dollar store to see what I could get on the cheap, and was really surprised at how much there was! From gardening gloves, to gardening tools, and of course, seeds, pots, and more, there was so much to choose from.

So here’s my list of items I think are a really good deal, and a few that seem like a good idea, but I would probably pass on.

Garden Tools

You can get cheap and cheerful hand gardening tools at the dollar store, that are perfectly good for any light container or urban gardening that you want to do. If you’re using them for a weed-infested, overgrown spot, it’s best to skip the dollar store ones and invest in higher quality.

Pop Up Mini Greenhouse

For $3, you get a functional mini row cover that’s perfect for bringing plants outdoors early. The plastic is a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I could have easily put this in a larger space. The only downside is that it doesn’t come with something to attach the plastic to the wires. I personally like using binder clips and find them very convenient.

Fabric Grow Pots

Fabric grow pots are all the rage, and these ones are particularly cute! I’ll let you know my full opinion once I’ve actually used them for a season, but on looks alone they’re an A+.

Gardening Gloves

Perfect for light gardening jobs! Invest in the rubber-lined kind if you need to do more heavy duty weeding and garden chores.

Landscape Staples

I love using landscape staples to hold my fabrics in place. At 15 cents a staple, you can’t beat the price.

Plant Supports

Why spend tons of money on a plant support when you can get a perfectly functional one for just a few dollars? Lots of different varieties of supports to choose from.

Garden Decor

There’s tons of cute options, and because the prices are so reasonable, you don’t need to feel bad if you tire of it in a few years and pass it along to someone else.

Small Trellises

Need a cute little trellis for your small-space garden or containers? The dollar store to the rescue! There’s so many choices and they’re much more beautiful than you think they’d be for under $5.

WhirlyGigs (for keeping birds away)

The birds in my yard are too smart to be fooled by whirlygigs. But if your birds are not as smart, whirly gigs are a good first step to keep pesky birds from eating your lettuce and other tender greens.

Kids Gardening Toys

If you have a young helper in your life, the dollar store is a great place to get cute looking kids tools that don’t break the bank. If your young helper is a little older and more serious about helping you in the garden, then you might consider getting a more expensive and better quality set of tools. But for a sweet toddler who just wants to mess around in the soil or help you water a pot or two, dollar store toys are perfect.

5 Dollar store gardening items to avoid

While there are plenty of great finds at the dollar store, there’s also some items you really should take a pass on, especially if you’re a more serious gardener. Here’s the 5 items I would not buy.

Tomato Growing Kits

Sure, some of these kits might be perfectly fine for the plants that are in them, but there is no way that pot is going to be big enough for that tomato. If you want to buy the kit for the seeds, go ahead. Just know that it might need to be repotted in the future.

Seeds–if you need a specific Variety

Seeds from the dollar store will grow. They’re just not a good idea if you care deeply about what variety you’ll be planting that year.

Gardening Gloves

Wait. . . didn’t you put that in the must-buy section? Yes. However, if you’re doing a lot of weeding and need something that will really last, the dollar store gloves are likely not good enough quality to last you even a season.

Pots

Because of the nature of the dollar store, the size of pots you can buy there are going to be very difficult to take care of. They’ll dry out quicker, your plants might fry if you don’t water them multiple times a day, and you’ll be extremely frustrated.

Soil

Okay, so usually you can’t find soil at the Dollar Store. But if you do–it’s going to be in such a small size that, for most gardeners, it won’t be a deal because you’ll need so much more soil than the size that is offered. Buy soil elsewhere.

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

2 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: dollar store, gardening gloves, gardening tools

10 Vegetable Gardening Essentials

May 8, 2018

Gardening season is here! If you’re planting a vegetable garden this spring, you’ll want to check out these 10 items that make the job a lot easier.  These are all items I personally use or are as close as possible to the ones I use myself.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something by clicking a link, I earn a bit of extra coffee money at no extra cost to you.  Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

1 Comment
Filed Under: Gardening Tagged: beginner gardener, garden weasel, Gardening, gardening course, gardening gloves, raised vinyl beds, seeding square

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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

Recent Posts

  • Bloom Times: What Cut Flowers Grow When in Zone 3
  • The Best Vegetables & Flowers to Start with Winter Sowing
  • 21 Cut Flowers to Grow in Part Shade
  • The Best Grow Lights for Seedlings (from Budget to Bougie)
  • How to Grow Eucalyptus for Cut Flowers (Even in a Short Growing Season!)

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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I love seeing the world through this loving boy’ I love seeing the world through this loving boy’s eyes.  Honestly, I’ve been so sick that I wasn’t really in the mood to “do Valentines Day” but there was this sweet little voice going on about how excited he was for today and how much he loves his family and I just couldn’t resist.  So whether you’re on your own, part of a couple, or in the thick of life-with-littles craziness, Happy Valentines Day!

#valentinesday2020 #mylittlevalentine #boymomlife #lifewithlittles
How do you pass a cold -28 day? By planning your How do you pass a cold -28 day?  By planning your garden, of course!  Today in my stories I’ll be going through the steps I take to start planning everything out.  I’m curious, do you start planning now or wait until the last minute?

P.S.  want your own copy of this planner?  This is the newly updated paid version and it’s on sale by itself from now until Sunday for only $5.  If you’re from Canada, use the code CANADA to make $5 USD be closer to $5 CAD.  Head over to the link in my bio to get yours.

#gardenplanning #gardenplanner #gardenersofinstagram #gardenersofig #organizedlife #organizedliving #wintergardening
Curious about growing lettuce indoors? My experim Curious about growing lettuce indoors?  My experiment is a success so far, although it’s still going to be awhile before I’m eating another salad off of them.

Okay, so maybe a little rant today.  I think sometimes in the gardening space we’re guilty of making things seem easier than they are.  Myself included.  This lettuce project is a case in point.

Was it easy?  Yes.  But will it provide me with endless salads all winter long? Nope.  Or at least not at this scale.  I’m going to estimate that I’d need at least 15 plants this size, especially since it’s winter and everything just grows slower.  And I’m the only person in my family who really eats salad.

In conclusion, this is a fun project to pass the winter, and not a truly sustainable source of lettuce.

Thoughts?

#growinglettuce #eatwhatyougrow #growwhatyoueat #wintergardening #indoorgardening #plantproject #sustainablefood #gardenersofinstagram #gardenerslife #northerngardening
Part of the mystery of seed starting is knowing ex Part of the mystery of seed starting is knowing exactly what to start when.  Every two weeks, I'll be posting these handy guides so you have enough time to order your seeds and be ready to plant when it's time for your area.  To find out when these veggies, herbs, and flowers need to be started where you live. . . ⁠
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1. Search out your area's last frost date.  There are plenty of calculators on the Internet.⁠
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2. Count backwards 8 weeks from that date.⁠
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3. Start these seeds when that date hits.⁠
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If you follow me because we're in similar zones--don't panic, it's not time yet!! I won't be starting my 10 week seeds for another two weeks, and even that is slightly on the early side. (I'm starting everything a bit early so I can hopefully plant it out before baby gets here--I won't be physically able to do it after.) I like posting the info early for followers in warmer zones and so you can save it and still have time to order/buy seeds & supplies.⁠
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Which one of these are you most excited to start?⁠
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#seedstarting #seedlings #homegardener #northerngardener #homesteading #urbandhomesteading #homesteadingskills #gardenlife #gardenlifestyle #startingseeds
Eeeek!!! My luffa seedlings are up!! I’m growing Eeeek!!! My luffa seedlings are up!! I’m growing the whole seed packet in hopes that a few of these little luffa babies will provide me with zero waste sponges that I can use for home cleaning, and as an exfoliant in home made beauty products.

The catch?

These plants are notoriously hard to grow, especially when you live somewhere cold with a really cold growing season—and if they get a hint of frost on them they turn to mush and all my hard work is ruined.

Gulp.

But gardeners are born optimists, so I’m giving it a shot—because you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

P.S. if you’re trying luffa in zone 3 like me, just basically ignore all the directions on the seed packet.  Start them immediately (two weeks ago would have been ideal) and follow along because I’ll show you exactly what to do and when.  I’ll be popping these under a grow light once the sun goes down.

#luffagourd #luffa #loofah #seedlings #seedstarting #northerngardening #northerngardener #gardenersofinstagram #gardenersofig #mygardenthismonth #gardenlife #canadiangardening
This weekend I took a big leap of faith. I came t This weekend I took a big leap of faith.  I came to New York to meet with other content creators/business owners to dig deep into what we do and create a strategy around our messaging.  I don’t even know how to properly describe what all went down, but is was incredibly life changing and I really feel connected to this tribe of women who are committed to playing to win and being the people our businesses need us to be.  I’m so excited to share what I’ve planned for my business with you in the coming months.

#playtowin #gardenblogger #businessowner #wahmlife
Is there such a thing as a no-fail houseplant? I Is there such a thing as a no-fail houseplant?  I think the Sansevera or Snake Plant or Mother-in-law’s tongue comes close.  Sure, it might be the vanilla of the plant-loving world, but it is so good for so many situations!⁠
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It can handle you forgetting to water it, low light, or bright light.  It is somewhat forgiving if you are an over-waterer. ⁠
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I’ve had this one for 2 or 3 years now and I keep getting rewarded with more spikes.⁠
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Plant lovers, is there another houseplant you think would be perfect for beginners?⁠
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#crazyplantlady #houseplantsofig #houseplantsofinstagram #snakeplant #houseplantlove
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