4 Dollar Store Gardening Tricks You Need to Try This Spring

raised bed vegetable garden with wire cloches — (Image credit: Iryna Tolmachova / Getty Images)

Gardening can become an expensive hobby quickly, especially in spring when you’re starting all over again. But there are tons of clever ways to cut costs on necessary spring gardening items, many of which you can find in unlikely places – like the dollar store.

I’m a sucker for a good deal, especially when it comes to gardening supplies. I know tools will get dirty, hardscaping features will become weather-worn, and plants may only last a season or two. So I hate to spend too much on anything. That’s why the dollar store is a great place to look for thrifty ways to grow a garden for almost nothing.

In my years as a gardener and garden editor, I’ve come across lots of savvy money-saving tips and tricks to help you grow more frugally. But these dollar store gardening tricks are the ones I’d take to the bank.

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1. The Viral Dollar Tree Mini Greenhouse

dollar tree mini greenhouse held up in the sunlight

There’s a reason the Internet has been going gaga over this mini greenhouse from Dollar Tree. It costs $1.25 and it’s perfect for both beginner gardeners and green thumbs alike. This simple seed starting tray comes with a clear plastic cover that holds in moisture and keeps seeds moist until they germinate.

It’s compact enough to fit on any windowsill or sunny kitchen counter. And the open tray style, as opposed to individual cells, means you can start more seeds in the same amount of space. You will have to prick out seedlings a bit sooner and transplant them into larger containers once they develop their first couple sets of true leaves. But it’s totally worth it for a tray that costs less than $2.

Don’t have a Dollar Tree nearby or don’t have time to make a special trip? Amazon offers a very similar seed starting tray with a cover that’s a good dupe for this viral mini greenhouse.

You can also use a plastic tote as a greenhouse, if you’ve already started seeds in other containers, but need to protect them from cold overnight temperatures. Pick up a plastic tote at the dollar store or use an old one you have lying around the house.

2. Cheap Garden Cloche Colanders

Plant seedlings covered with plastic colanders with bricks on top

This is an idea my sister actually came up with when groundhogs were going after her vegetable garden – and it’s really quite clever. Turn a cheap colander from the dollar store into a garden cloche to protect tender, young plants from hungry wildlife.

The colanders she bought for her garden from the dollar store only cost $1.25. This is a perfect solution if you have a lot of plants you need to protect. Ok, maybe they’re not as pretty as say, these wire cloches from Amazon. But at less than $2 per cloche, they’re certainly worth it.

If you’d prefer something with a more similar look to a traditional wire cloche, you can also try wire mesh waste baskets, like these ones from Amazon. They’re ideal for protecting taller seedlings and plants. You can find small wire trash cans at almost any dollar store. Or Amazon also has wire cloches that look almost exactly the same.

3. Savvy Seed Organizer

Gardener holds plastic seed storage container in front of plants

Take a stroll down the craft aisle next time you’re in the dollar store. You may just come across one of the best seed organizers you’ll ever find. A craft bead organizer, like this one from Amazon, is the perfect way to sort and store seeds for your garden and it only costs a few bucks.

Figuring out how to store seeds after planting is always one of my biggest struggles each spring. I hate to invest much money into a storage container, but then I always end up losing leftover seed packets because I leave them hither and yon around the house.

This spring I’m finally upgrading my old plastic pencil box that’s bursting open because it’s so overstuffed with seed packets for a craft bead organizer that keeps my seeds neat and tidy. Then I’ll have plenty of room to buy and harvest more seeds!

4. Adorable & Affordable Hummingbird Swing

Last summer, I made an adorable DIY hummingbird swing from items I bought at the dollar store down the road. It was a fun and easy project that helped support hummingbirds during their great migration south at the end of the season.

All it took was some pipe cleaners, red beads, wire, jute twine, and a stick from my backyard. You can get all those items for just a few bucks on Amazon or the craft store as well. The red beads attract hummingbirds – it’s their favorite color – and the stick provides a cozy perch for birds to take a much-needed rest on their long journey.

This is a perfect project for young gardeners or bird lovers of any age. And spring is a great time to do it because hummingbirds will be returning to gardens again soon for the summer. Spend a few dollars and create a mini paradise for these beautiful pollinators.

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Laura Walters is a Content Editor who joined Gardening Know How in 2021. With a BFA in Electronic Media from the University of Cincinnati, a certificate in Writing for Television from UCLA, and a background in documentary filmmaking and local news, Laura loves providing gardeners with all the know how they need to succeed, in an easy and entertaining format. Laura lives in Southwest Ohio, where she's been gardening for ten years, and she spends her summers on a lake in Northern Michigan. It’s hard to leave her perennial garden at home, but she has a rustic (aka overcrowded) vegetable patch on a piece of land up north. She never thought when she was growing vegetables in her college dorm room, that one day she would get paid to read and write about her favorite hobby.