Growing your own food in your own garden is a sure fire way to achieve maximum satisfaction, but it can come at a significant financial cost if you don't achieve instant success.

We've put together some simple tips to help you save money and enjoy homegrown fresh produce from your own patch this year.

1. Growing great soil

If you want to master growing great veggies for next to nothing, you first need to master growing great soil. Healthy, living soil rich in humus is the key to a successful edible garden. In many parts of Perth we are not blessed with great soil to start with as much of the Perth Metro area is built on a big sand dune! The best way to build good soil on budget is to master the art of making compost.

You can also reduce your spending on mulch by chopping and dropping your weeds to feed the soil. For great value green goodness, consider seeding a low cost green manure to grow an optimal combination of plants to chop and drop.

2. Grow free plants from cuttings

Make friends with your neighbours, join a Buy Nothing group or help out in your local community garden to find lots of green thumbs who love to give away free cuttings. Many herbs will grow easily from cuttings like mint, rosemary and basil. Sweet potato slips are often offered by folks who have an abundant patch too.

A propagation station is a useful and attractive way to grow new plants from cuttings.

3. Regrow food from scraps

Celery and spring onions are two examples of vegetables that are easy to grow from scraps. Cut them off about 3 cm from the roots and place them in a glass of water for a week or so to encourage the roots to regrow. Transplant into the garden and watch them flourish.

Many people enjoy growing avocado plants from the seed. Place the seed into an avocado vase after making a small cross on the base of the seed. Watch it slowly sprout roots before carefully transplanting it into a pot.

4. Make your own mini greenhouses

We love this simple hack to make your own mini greenhouses from empty berry containers. 

They already have holes for drainage and air flow and they're the perfect size for seed raising.

As they're quite shallow, you'll need to keep an eye on watering. A bottle top sprinkler is a really useful inexpensive tool for watering seedlings. Like all greenhouses, don't let them get too hot. Move them into a shady spot when needed. When your seedlings are touching the lid, it's a good sign they're ready to move out into the big wide world of your garden.

5. Add beneficial plants and flowers to naturally repel pests

A wide range of plants are known to attract or repel pests, making them very useful elements in an integrated pest management plan. Integrated Pest Management is an approach to combat pests and pathogens using a combination of sustainable methods, helping you to become less dependent on expensive synthetic pesticides.

Plants for natural pest management

A biodiverse range of plants and healthy, nutritious soil can encourage the development of a thriving garden ecosystem. Taking care to plant seasonal vegetables in the correct season can also guard against potential pest problems. Beneficial bugs like ladybirdsare a brilliant, natural, spray-free way to manage pests in your garden.

We'd love to know your dirt cheap tips for gardening on a budget. Please share them in the comments or tag us on social media.