Gardening to Save Money
by: Oz Gardener
How to Save Money by Growing More of Your Own Food
Grow highly productive vegetables – lots of yield for the
space allocated - that you enjoy eating and that you can harvest from
spring through fall.
Since you’re limited to the surface area that you have on the
ground, “go vertical” to get the most production
from the space that you have.
Waste nothing. Eat it, share it with someone in the community, or
compost it.
Money-saving Vegetables
Pole beans – they’re delicious, good for you, can
be harvested over a long period of time, and the seeds are easy to
plant. A single 20 foot row of pole beans on a homemade twine trellis
will provide dozens of fresh servings and some extra beans to freeze
for later.
Growing beans on a trellis also makes them easier to pick than bush
beans … there’s little bending or stooping
required.
Greens packed with Nutrients – spinach, Swiss chard, and
mesclun mixes are more interesting and more nutritious than lettuce.
Bright lights Swiss chard is also extremely attractive in the garden.
Tomatoes – are America’s #1 home garden vegetable
… and for good reasons. Entire books have been dedicated to
the tomato! There are many gardening benefits to growing tomatoes
– they’re good for you, they’re tasty,
they add delightful color to the garden, and the dollar value of the
yield can be very significant.
Peas are another high-yield crop. They’re not as easy, and
not quite as productive as pole beans, but, if you have the space,
Sugar Snap or Sugar Ann peas are wonderful because you can eat the
entire pod.
Leaf lettuce is extremely easy to grow from seed and will yield plenty
of produce over a long period of time. Multiple plantings will extend
your harvest. You can save a lot of money by growing your own.
Less Obvious Money-Saving Gardening Ideas
Composting – making your own compost is, by far, the best
long-term investment you can make for your garden. There’s
just nothing better than natural compost for your garden’s
soil. It will help your plants defend themselves from diseases, too!
Grow Your Own Tomato Plants from Seeds - it’s fun and
it’s easier than you might think. All you need is a container
(egg carton, yogurt cups, etc), a little soil, and a sunny windowsill.
An Apple a Day – well, not immediately. How about planting an
apple tree? Apple trees are great dual purpose trees –
obviously they provide good fruit; but, they’re also an
attractive shade tree.
Garden Grown Gifts – home grown vegetables and flowers make
wonderful hostess gifts. All you need is a little basket or vase, and
you can create a gift that is inexpensive and attractive at the same
time.
About The Author
http://thegardenofoz.org
http://www.gardenofoz.org