Growing Your Own Food

[disluhypno]

Every little bit counts, and I'm wondering if there is anyone else growing food in their garden to save on grocery bills? Initially the price of the top soil, compost and seeds can be a bit daunting, but in the end, I am getting organically grown produce for very little money growing it in my backyard.

The rest of the leftover grocery money every month is going into the vacation fund.

I really wouldn't be surprised if this subject has already been discussed, just wondering how many people are doing this right now? What are you growing? Is it helping you save money?

 

[momto2inKC]

We put in a very large garden this year! I spend a small fortune every week on fresh fruits/veggies so having a little break will be nice We have *really good soil so we didn't have to do much prep beyond lots of tilling.
Here's what we planted- corn, tomatoes (3 types), okra, peanuts, bell peppers (all colors), jalepenos, cayenne peppers, brussell sprouts, broccoli, squash, cabbage, carrots, acorn squash, watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, parsley, several types of lettuce and onions. I think that's everything! Our garden is quite big so we had a lot of space to fill

 

[mom0299]

This is our third year with a garden and we get a little better at it each year. This year we planted corn, green beans, peas, onions, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, carrots, and zucchini. We also have two apple trees and grapevines. We just planted strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, but we won't get anything from those this year.

We eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies in the summer and fall. I enjoy canning and freezing, too. People talk about it being so expensive to do it yourself, but I don't find it to cost that much. I really like knowing what is in my food.

 

[janey99]

This is our fourth year of a 1600 sq ft. raised bed scheme garden. Getting it up to snuff has been a financial investment over the last couple of years, but this year we finished off with a buried seep irrigation system and I don't anticipate much additional future cost excpet for refreshing the soil/mulch every couple of years. The garden is in our fenced back yard and is fenced itself.

I've planted this year - green, purple and yin yang drying beans, howden and dill's pumpkin, caveman club gourds, spaghetti squash, dumpling and acorn squash, 2 kinds of French market melons, rhubarb, horseradish, 3 kinds of cukes, lettuces, bok choi, kale, 2 beets, cheddar and Romanescue cauliflower, spinach, purple brussels sprouts, 2 carrots, numerous varieties of tomatoes, large stuffing and hot peppers, a full complement of herbs, snap peas and snow peas, yellow and dark green zucchini, eggplant, soy beans, okra, purple broccoli rabe, and watermelon radishes.

Not only do we eat all summer and can a lot of items for future, we grow a lot of unique varieties of things which the kids really enjoy.

DH jokes that I'm ready for the apocalypse!

Jane

 

[LJSquishy]

Yes! I love flower gardening in general, but I specifically plant a vegetable garden every year to save money on the basic produce I usually purchase so much of.

We currently only have a 6'x6' raised bed (about 16" high) which is small, but this year I am trying "square foot gardening". I used an amazing website that tells you how much of each variety to plant (http://www.smartgardener.com) and it works! I never imagined I could actually plant so much in such a small space. In my 6x6 garden, I have 3 different tomatoes, 2 different acorn squash (2 plants of each), zucchini (2 plants), 8 sugar snap peas, 2 sq ft of green onions, and 2 sq ft of mesclun lettuce (which you can harvest multiple times...it grows back)!

I am THRILLED right now, because my husband is building me THREE more 6x6 raised beds this weekend! I am going to fill one with raspberries, one with blueberries & strawberries, and the other with more veggies.

We have what I consider a pretty short growing season. We can't plant until May, and by the end of September our gardens are pretty much done as it starts cooling way off before freezing temps. But, last year, I didn't have to make a single trip to the store for lettuce...and I was giving plenty away!

 

[blueferral]

Lets see what did I plant this year. 100 strawberry plants. 6 Tomato plants 3 varieties. Pole beans. Cucumber. Bell peppers. Raspberry (they are second year canes). radish. carrots. kolrahbi. onions green and bulb. beets. 3 hazelnut trees. 2 chestnut tress. 12 cherry trees. 2 Pawpaw trees. 5 Kiwi vines. 6 grape vines 3 varieties. 3 apple trees 3 varieties. 2 nectarine trees. 25 chickens (didn't plant them)21 are babies the neighbors dog killed all my other grown hens. I just ordered 30 guinea keets because the ticks are insane this year. I'm tired already.

 

[pixiewings71]

We have a very small garden area, so small that this year we only planted cucumbers (Japanese, Lemon, standard and Armenian), sugar snap peas and carrots. The cucumbers are starting to pop up, which is very exciting, last year we didn't get any Armenian, just the standards. I also have 5 pots with various tomatoes, 1 pot with a bell pepper and 1 with a jalapeno.

 

[PebblesMK]

I will be visiting each and every one of you this summer! Your gardens sound fantastic. Mine is pretty basic, green beans, peas, gold and red potatoes, corn,tomatos, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos. The pumpkins and other squash just randomly grow every year? Plus there is mass amounts of wild raspberries, asparagus and strawberries. I'd love to grow okra and blueberries, but not sure if it will grow in this area? Maybe next year I'll try.

 

[disluhypno]

We put in a very large garden this year! I spend a small fortune every week on fresh fruits/veggies so having a little break will be nice We have *really good soil so we didn't have to do much prep beyond lots of tilling.
Here's what we planted- corn, tomatoes (3 types), okra, peanuts, bell peppers (all colors), jalepenos, cayenne peppers, brussell sprouts, broccoli, squash, cabbage, carrots, acorn squash, watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, parsley, several types of lettuce and onions. I think that's everything! Our garden is quite big so we had a lot of space to fill

Wow momto2inKC! That is a lot of vegetables! How inspiring. It's only my first year, but I have a few vegetables growing. Isn't it fantastic to just go right out into your backyard and pick something you can have for a snack, or for a meal?

 

[disluhypno]

This is our third year with a garden and we get a little better at it each year. This year we planted corn, green beans, peas, onions, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, carrots, and zucchini. We also have two apple trees and grapevines. We just planted strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, but we won't get anything from those this year.

We eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies in the summer and fall. I enjoy canning and freezing, too. People talk about it being so expensive to do it yourself, but I don't find it to cost that much. I really like knowing what is in my food.

Apple trees, that's what I want to plant soon. I think I might be getting a couple for my birthday, . You are right, people do complain about how expensive it is, even though they have never tried it! There are ways to eat nourishing food on a budget, but many people just don't think outside the box (growing it themselves).

 

[disluhypno]

Yes! I love flower gardening in general, but I specifically plant a vegetable garden every year to save money on the basic produce I usually purchase so much of.

We currently only have a 6'x6' raised bed (about 16" high) which is small, but this year I am trying "square foot gardening". I used an amazing website that tells you how much of each variety to plant (http://www.smartgardener.com) and it works! I never imagined I could actually plant so much in such a small space. In my 6x6 garden, I have 3 different tomatoes, 2 different acorn squash (2 plants of each), zucchini (2 plants), 8 sugar snap peas, 2 sq ft of green onions, and 2 sq ft of mesclun lettuce (which you can harvest multiple times...it grows back)!

I am THRILLED right now, because my husband is building me THREE more 6x6 raised beds this weekend! I am going to fill one with raspberries, one with blueberries & strawberries, and the other with more veggies.

We have what I consider a pretty short growing season. We can't plant until May, and by the end of September our gardens are pretty much done as it starts cooling way off before freezing temps. But, last year, I didn't have to make a single trip to the store for lettuce...and I was giving plenty away!

I'm also trying the square foot gardening method in a small raised bed in my backyard. I have a video of it on Youtube, but I don't know if I can post it here so I won't. It's doing really well and I hope to one day be able to never have to purchase vegetables from the store again, only eating what's in season. Good luck to you this season, and in future seasons!

 

[momto2inKC]

Wow momto2inKC! That is a lot of vegetables! How inspiring. It's only my first year, but I have a few vegetables growing. Isn't it fantastic to just go right out into your backyard and pick something you can have for a snack, or for a meal?

I know, I can't wait!

 

[Mom23Disneybelievers]

We love growing our garden. We grow strawberries, peas, watermelon, squash, garlic, lettuces, radishes, tomato, peppers, cucumbers.

 

[ah1126]

I live in a town house and have a very small flowerbed in the front. I planted 2 tomato plants that are doing pretty well! I have alrealy been enjoying them.

I don't really grow them to save money, but I grew up with a garden and I can't stand the tomatoes that you buy in the store.

 

[fall08CP]

I second the square foot method. It's the easiest, most cost effective way to grow food. I get paid to install and help poverty-stricken areas grow food (actually installing at a homeless shelter tomorrow) so we did our research.

I haven't pulled a single in 10 months. I have a 5 gallon bucket for watering and I fill it once a month at most. You use dramatically less seeds so the packets last forever. Last week I planted 96 heads of lettuce with a preschool- 4 per kid. The packet was 1000 seeds for $1. Every seed will grow so we have over 900 left.

Make sure you plant in season. Start a compost pile to replenish soil over time. A garden should be a relaxing place to sit and wind down. If it seems like work, you're doing something wrong

 

[Tower]

I will be visiting each and every one of you this summer! Your gardens sound fantastic. Mine is pretty basic, green beans, peas, gold and red potatoes, corn,tomatos, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos. The pumpkins and other squash just randomly grow every year? Plus there is mass amounts of wild raspberries, asparagus and strawberries. I'd love to grow okra and blueberries, but not sure if it will grow in this area? Maybe next year I'll try.

Like you, ours is pretty basic. It's not a $$ saver when considering the cost of some of the plants, soil etc., but the freshness cannot be beat!
Ours is only 4'x 8', but lots of light so my fave is the tomatoes. When they finally ripen, we love to eat them like apples! So much more tasty than anything we buy in the stores!

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

We always have a garden. It always saves us $$. Not only do we garden, but, a lot of our friends do as well. We all plant different things so we can share out bounty with each other. Doing this has saved even more money.
Last year we tried downsizing and used the bucket method. It worked well for the tomatoes, beans,and pepper. Not so good for the rest. So, this year we are doing both bucket and traditional gardening. Tomatoes (3 varieties), beans, snap peas,and peppers (4 varieties) will be in the buckets. Zuccinni, squash, egg plant, cukes. will be in the ground. We already have rasberries and mullberries every year. I have tried for a few years to grow strawberries, but, they never seem to do good. So last year Dd and I decided to stop growing them and go to a local farm for a pick-ur-own.
We freeze and dry most of out crop every year. A friend is showing me how to "really" can this year.

 

[cheap traveler]

2 years ago, I planted a garden but never managed to get a fence around it. The deer and bunnies really enjoyed my efforts! All I got out of it was squash.

This year, I busted my butt on Mother's day to get the whole thing planted....and put the fence up!

We planted:
(3) tomato plants
(6) lettuce plants
2x2 area of broccoli
3x3 area of sweet corn (only 16 seeds)
8' of green beans
3x3 area of basil
flowers spread in between

*will plant pumpkins in June
*have lots of wild raspberry plants around

I'm really hoping it will trun out well this year! I have only 1/4 acre, and most of it is shaded, so I only built one raised bed this year. If it does well, I'll do one more next year and use up the remaining sunny area.

 

[gillenkl]

Another square foot gardener here - our first year and so far so good: peas, radishes, beans, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, swiss chard. We haven't saved any money yet due to the cost of setting up the garden - so I hope to reap the financial benefits in the years to come.

 

[msmama]

I didn't grow from seeds, but bought my plants from my son's plant sale - so win/win. I get veggies and his school gets $$. ($13 for 48 plants is not a bad price either considering it'll hopefully feed us all summer).

And it's a deck garden - using a kids plastic swimming pool so we'll see how that goes. Last year all I grew were weeds.

This year we have tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, carrots, radishes, watermelon and a few green onions (which grow as weeds in my yard so I don't understand why I'm growing them in my garden, too). The deck garden is the only way I can keep the bunnies away.