Looking to save money outdoors this summer? It pays to share.

That’s how Muskogee Garden Club member Anita Whitaker has watched her garden — and her friendships — grow over the years.

“I always accept freebies from my friends and neighbors,” said Whitaker, a member of Muskogee Garden Club. She said she has swapped seeds, seedlings and plants with friends.

But the best things she has swapped are ideas on reusing bulbs, mulching, water conservation and making your own compost. Such ideas save the environment, as well as save money.

“Everything’s going up,” said Greg Corry, greenhouse manager at Keith Hardware & Supply. “You just have to shop around and find bargains.”

Whitaker suggested planning ahead to decide what you want. Compare nurseries and check for end of season sales.

Muskogee County Extension agent Rodney King said there are several ways to save money, energy and the environment.

“Reduce your fertilizer usage so the plants and grass will not have to grow as fast,” he said. “It will help reduce the environment for some diseases.”

A soil test could help determine how fertile the soil is,” he said. “A lot of times, I see lawns that are way over fertilized. Your soil might not need extra phosphate or potassium.”

King suggested making your own compost and mulch with plants, leaves and grass clippings. Compost is an organic way to help plants grow.

Compost is created by combining organic wastes such as yard trimmings, vegetable or fruit wastes or certain manure in proper rations with bulking agents such as wood chips, according to an Environmental Protection Agency Web site.

The EPA Web site said finished compost can be applied to gardens to help nourish the soil. The site said composting could help a person save at least 50 percent over conventional soil remediation techniques.

Whitaker also reuses bulbs year after year.

“I put my caladiums in pots in the spring and in the fall, I dig them up, dry them and store them in peat moss,” she said.