Last Updated on June 26, 2022
I love gardening. It’s a relaxing and satisfying hobby no matter where you live or what kind of space you have to work with.
I got my start gardening in my parents’ backyard when I was a teenager. My mom let me practically take over a small patch where she usually grew some flowers each year. I expanded that small square of garden space and grew anything I could find at the local nursery that looked interesting. Over the years, my garden included flowers such as zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, petunias, lantana, and bachelor button, as well as herbs such as chives, oregano, and lavender, along with veggies such as tomatoes, peppers, green beans, zucchini, and eggplant.
I have my own home with a modest-sized backyard now where I grow blackberries, raspberries, asparagus, and various annual veggies such as green beans, tomatoes, and bell peppers. My kids also like helping me grow sunflowers, zinnias, fuchsias, and other flowers, and they have fairy garden sets they like to arrange among the flowers.
While I buy many of my gardening supplies from local nurseries or hardware stores, I’ve also found some unlikely places to purchase everything I need for my green thumb. Aldi, for one, sells a rotating stock of various gardening supplies ranging from greenhouses to planters to plant stands and even some live plants. Also, dollar stores are a surprisingly good place to buy garden gear.
I’ve purchased seeds from Dollar General and Dollar Tree and seed starting trays from Dollar General, and all of the major dollar stores sell all kinds of plastic planters, gloves, décor, trowels, and other things to help make your outdoor space perfect.
I paid a visit to my local Family Dollar recently to see what kinds of gardening supplies they had in stock. It was later in the spring when I went, so I didn’t see as much in the way of seed-starting greenhouses or seed packets, but Family Dollar still had a decent selection of gardening supplies if you need pots, potting mix, decorations, or other gardening tools.
Here’s a look at what I found.
Potting Mix, Plant Food, Garden Gloves, and Garden Hoses
Gardening gloves, spray bottles, grow kits, potting mix, and garden hoses at my local Family Dollar.
I spotted name brand Miracle-Gro plant food and potting mix, along with other generic brands of container mixes or potting soil. These are smaller bags, so you may get more for your money going with larger bags from a nursery, but if you need potting soil and Family Dollar is your only option, they do carry it.
I also saw some $3 grow kits for strawberries, parsley, cherry tomatoes, sunflowers, basil, and coneflowers. These include seeds, potting mix, and a pot.
Family Dollar also had garden hoses for $17, garden gloves for $1 per pair, and spray bottles for $1.
Garden Tools, Hose Nozzles, and Floral Scissors
Garden tools and hose nozzles.
If you need trowels or spades, these are readily available at most dollar stores, including Family Dollar, where they cost $1 each. I even noticed some name brand Black & Decker hand garden tools. I also saw hose nozzles ranging between $3 and $5 and floral scissors for $1.
Planters and Garden Fencing
Planters, garden painting kits, and garden fencing.
My local Family Dollar carries planters in various sizes and price points. Most planters are plastic, but I also spotted some metal ones. Planter comes in square, rectangular, or round shapes. Some are stacking, and some have watering holes at the bottom.
There are stepping stone and garden décor painting kits for $3.
I also spotted some cute ceramic animal planters for $3 each.
Ceramic zebra and elephant planters.
Garden Décor
Garden decorations.
Dollar stores are fantastic places to purchase inexpensive tchotchkes to decorate your garden. From colorful flowers and birds on stakes for $3 to pinwheel spinners or solar lights for $1 each, or various decorative frogs, turtles, owls, and more, the garden aisle in the dollar store is loaded with affordable ways to add style, color, and personality to your outdoor space.
Pinwheels and solar lights.
Fairy Garden Supplies
Fairy garden supplies, birdhouses, and other garden decorations.
Not to mention that stores like Family Dollar are my favorite places to buy fairy garden decorations. I spotted $5 kits that included a miniature camper trailer and accessories perfect for outfitting a fairy garden. Most of the fairy garden items I own are from various dollar stores. They tend to have a good variety and are the most affordable fairy garden decorations you’ll find.
The Verdict:
Family Dollar is like the other major dollar stores, Dollar General and Dollar Tree, in that it sells a nice range of gardening supplies each spring. If you need planters, gardening gloves, hand tools, grow kits, decorations, or solar lights, it’s worth taking at look at what Family Dollar has to offer.
