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Plenty of bargains await thrifty Tampa Bay area gardeners. Here are a few:
- Free bulk mulch from recycled yard waste at 20 Pinellas County recycling centers. Call the mulch hotline at (727) 464-7500 for locations and hours. In Hillsborough, yard waste is available for purchase. Call (813) 272-5680.
- Free coffee grounds for your compost or to sprinkle in garden beds. Pick up a complimentary bag of grounds at Starbucks Coffee locations; available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Free gardening advice. This is a benefit provided by your tax dollars. Each county extension service offers advice on a range of gardening issues. Ask to speak to a professional horticulturist or master gardener. Citrus: (352) 527-5700; Hernando: (352) 754-4433; Hillsborough: (813) 744-5519; Manatee: (941) 722-4524; Pinellas: (727) 582-2100; and Sarasota: (941) 861-5000.
- Two free 55-gallon rain barrels (worth $150 each) for Hillsborough County residents. Barrels are $15 for nonresidents. Free workshop shows you how to collect rainwater. Call the Hillsborough County Extension Service at (813) 744-5519.
At the Pinellas County Extension office in Largo, rain barrel workshops are free and 55-gallon barrels are $22 each. Call (727) 582-2100 for information.
- Free composter. Attend one of Pinellas County Extension's free workshops on composting today or Jan. 21 and receive a free flexible plastic composter. Call (727) 582-2100 for information.
- Inexpensive (but healthy) plants. Shop at the Pinellas County Technical Education Center's garden shop, 901 34th St. S, St. Petersburg. Call (727) 893-2500 for hours.
Other good sources for low-cost plants: a master gardener plant sale sponsored by your county's extension service and the annual plant sale at the University of South Florida Botanical Gardens in Tampa; call 813 974-2329 or visit www.cas.usf.edu/garden
- Plant replacement guarantees. Save your receipts if you shop at Home Depot, Lowe's and other garden centers that guarantee their plants for the first year. When buying plants at other nurseries (especially if they are professionally installed), ask about replacement or refund guarantees.
- Get more from your garden membership. You don't need memberships to each public garden. Join just one, and you'll get free entry to all 23 Florida gardens and more than 100 others around the country that belong to the American Association of Botanical Gardens. Membership often includes discounts on classes and purchases. Call 302 655-7100 or visit www.aabga.org for a list of participating gardens.