Is growing your garden starting to drain your wallet? One TikTok user shares a budget-friendly soil-saving hack that not only helps plant lovers save money but also helps reduce household waste.
The scoop
TikToker UrbanGreenQueens (@urbangreenqueens) shared a simple trick that can stretch gardening budgets without depriving plants of the nutrients they need. The idea: stop filling your entire pot with fresh soil and instead start layering it with natural waste, old soil, and a bit of new mix.
In the clip, they fill the bottom third of the pot with yard waste like leaves, twigs, and even kitchen scraps — pretty much like a compost starter layer.
@urbangreenqueens 💡 Quick tip for my fellow plant lovers: Before you fill your pots entirely with pricey soil, consider this: 🌿 Start with a layer of your garden waste including twigs, leaves, or even kitchen scraps (composting 🪱 in disguise). 🌱 I then like to add some 'old' potting mix with new soil. This not only saves you money but also promotes better drainage and reduces waste. It's a simple, eco-friendly hack to make your urban garden and houseplants thrive without breaking the bank. 💰 #urbangardening #sustainableliving #gardenhacks #gardeningtips #ecofriendlytips #moneysavinggardeningtips #budgetgardening ♬ original sound - UGQ
Next, they added pest- and disease-free soil from old pots and topped it all off with their nutrient-rich custom mix.
As UrbanGreenQueens said in the post's caption, "It's a simple, eco-friendly hack to make your urban garden and houseplants thrive without breaking the bank."
With this method, you can easily fill large planters without using as much fresh soil.
How it's helping
The biggest win for this hack is its cost-saving benefit. According to GreenOp Landscape, potting soil can now set you back by $4 to $15 per bag, and that's good for only around one to two cubic feet. Using a combination of organic waste, old but healthy soil, and new soil mixes can lead to significant savings per year.
On top of that, by reusing yard waste, this hack reduces landfill contributions and promotes nutrient recycling, making it an eco-friendly approach to gardening. As an added bonus, gardening has been shown to improve mental and physical health.
What everyone's saying
The online gardening community loved the tip.
One commenter wrote, "I fill mine with leaves and sticks after fall or a hurricane. It fills space and breaks down into new dirt, win-win."
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Several hours a week 🧑🌾 Another added, "Yes!!! So much better to compost what you already have and make the soil you have to buy stretch farther."
It's a small change that's earning big praise — and helping both plants and people thrive more sustainably. Now, along with this hack, if you're looking to try more eco-friendly habits, you can consider repurposing old containers for gardening or growing your own food.
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