Goat Rental: A Budget-Friendly Landscaping Solution For An Overgrown Property

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Save money on landscaping with creative ideas and a little help from unexpected allies. Read this goat rental success story and get inspired for your overgrown property.

Boost Curb Appeal The Smart Way

A Canadian Budget Binder fan recently asked me to help give her property a bit of a facelift by landscaping her property.

The first thing we looked at were ways to save money by reclaiming items for her property that wouldn’t cost her a fortune.

After getting to know a little about her and her life, I was determined to do the best job possible and save as much money as possible.

I’ll get to the goat rental part at the end.

This story has a happy ending for the homeowner and me, as landscaping is a passion of mine.

Use Existing Materials

A common mistake many make is having too many plants in a single garden and not planting in the most desirable locations.

I have lost count of how many plants we moved from poor locations to use in a newly created garden.

Take a look around your property and see what supplies you may already have.

A good pile of rocks was throughout the front and back of the property.

We brought them all to the front of the house to have a uniform theme throughout.

I also noticed that her garden shed could have been in a more functional location than where it currently was.

Just by moving the shed, that alone changed the feel of her backyard.

There was one challenge and that was moving it!

I kindly knocked on the neighbours door and asked the teenage son for an extra set of hands, 5 minutes and it was moved!

There was a need for over-seeding, so instead of buying a lot of topsoil, we purchased five small bags for topdressing.

We used a good amount of soil from an area dug out for the patio in the front.

Mulch For Moisture

Mulching is a good idea in any flower garden.

Initially, it may seem like a lot of work, but it is vital to creating a low-maintenance garden.

It not only looks nice, but if a sufficient amount is maintained on the bed it helps hold moisture in the soil and keeps the weeds down significantly.

Previously, I wrote, “Free plants and easy ways to save money on gardening.” I mentioned ways to save money on mulch by getting it for free.

Though if you’re wanting a particular look, you may have no choice but to pay for it.

Figure out what would be cheaper for you, buying it in bulk or buying it in bags although this really depends on your vehicle situation.

If you have access to a pick-up truck, buying in bulk is a great way to reduce landscaping costs.

You can easily load a yard of mulch in the back of an average sized truck.

Companies will charge a delivery fee and it can be upwards of $50.00 a load so going to pick it up yourself is an easy way you can save money.

If you can’t access a truck, buying in it bags will likely be the cheaper option for you.

Keep an eye out for sales on mulch as they do happen often at big box stores or local garden centres.

Using the bags can also be more time efficient as you do not have to unload the mulch into a wheelbarrow from the truck.

Keep this in mind for purchasing any aggregate, mulch, soil, sand or gravel.

We did not have a truck so bagged mulch was what we chose.

Online Resources

Keep an eye out for online ads offering landscaping materials on such sites as Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace.

People offer lumber, patio stones, free plants, edging and whatever else they no longer need.

If you can use recycled materials for your project you can dump the cost of buying new and save a few bucks.

A seating area out front was something on the homeowner’s desired list.

Luckily, I scored a pile of interlocking bricks for $30.00, which I used to build a patio of 50 sq. ft.

Reuse Materials

We also obtained a few reusable materials, such as free plants, through Facebook Marketplace.

As we continued our search for recycled materials we could reuse from other gardens; we were able to pick up a few close to free from Kijiji as well.

One piece of advice is to air on the cautious side when picking up free plant or gardening supplies.

Free or not, do not acquire too many plants; otherwise, you may have more than you bargained for.

Your garden might not turn out how you expected it to be.

Remember that your garden will fill in as the plants grow, so be sure to plan for that so you are not left with an overgrown garden.

Goat Rental

I had to laugh when I read Mr. CBB’s blog about how to overcome laziness when he joked about renting a goat to help with keeping the lawn trim.

In reality, there is such a thing as a goat rental service, but only in the USA.

If all else fails, if you are a USA resident there is a company called “Rent a Goat” that will put eco-friendly consumers in touch with goat herders across the globe. 

Goat rental is a trendy option for some people who are on a budget or lack time to do the job themselves.

Goats are a great ‘green’ approach to cleaning up hard-to-get access to areas or to clear brush.

Yes, hire a goat for those who might want to kick back and let the animal do their property upkeep for them.

Rent A Goat Is a Cute Weed Removal

Rent a Goat says it’s an environmentally friendly alternative to heavy machinery and toxic chemicals.

It’s also a great way to get to know your neighbours because you know they will all come around just to view the goat clearing action.

It’s not the most cost-effective as the goats work 9 am-5 pm and the price is comparable to landscaping companies at upwards of $400 US a day according to the Rent a Goat website.

I was not aware that the goats had formed a union and voted for office hours only.

Like a professional landscaping quote whether Canadian or American it would also depend on property size, materials and hours involved.

I know I’m not really writing this to be actual advice because it’s not really landscaping, more just cleaning up an overgrown property.

The reality is that you can rent a goat and as funny as it sounds many people do just that to help get rid of overgrowth on their property or as Rent a Goat calls it, “cute weed removal”.

I’m afraid I struggled to find a company or farm in Canada that rents goats.

However, there is a website called Hiregoats.com that offers a worldwide directory for anyone looking for goatscaping.

HireGoats.com is a worldwide directory of companies using goats for vegetation management, often known as “targeted grazing,” “goat rental,” or “goatscaping.”

We help you connect with goat grazing pros who are ready to tackle invasive plants, prevent wildfire spread, and naturally manage nuisance vegetation.

Hiregoats.com

Then again, you could always search Kijiji in hopes of finding goats for sale and forget the rental fees altogether.

That’s smart budgeting, especially if you can have your new goat, which will make you extra money.

You never know who might need the goat rental service in your area.

Going Green Paid Off

I enjoyed reclaiming this property, and no, there was no need to have an on-site goat rental to clear the land with me as I did all the hard work myself.

The owner did not desire an overly modern design or having it look like it came out of a magazine, and was happy with the result.

Not only will she enjoy her new landscaping design but she won’t be losing sleep over how much it cost.

Landscaping the greener way by being creative, reusing materials, and utilizing online resources are three great ways to save money in your budget.

Post Contribution: 

Katrina is regular contributor for Canadian Budget Binder and is as passionate about personal finance as she is gardening. Katrina is a horticulture graduate with over 10 years experience with landscaping and greenhouse production.

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