Planning your vegetable and herb gardens - Tips to save your family money by gardening

January 28, 9:53 PMSeattle Garden & Kitchen ExaminerJerry & Kristy

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A prolific garden can save your family a lot of money 

Food prices are continuing to rise while more and more products get recalled. It only makes sense that all of us considering ways to raise some of the food we eat. The more we food we raise, the less we will have to buy.

By growing our own food, we are able to know exactly what was added to the soil unlike store bought fresh produce. By having our own gardens, we also have the satisfaction of providing for ourselves and being part of the solution and, not the problem. Winter is a great time to start planning your vegetable and herb gardens.

We personally, have saved a great deal of money by growing (and preserving) our own fruits, vegetables and herbs. Each year we go over what worked and what didn’t and adjust our garden accordingly. This is an important part of gardening, adjusting and readjusting to make sure you continually get the most out of your garden.

Not all gardens will, or should, be the same. Each gardener needs to take into consideration which fresh (and preserved) fruits and vegetables your family eats most often. This can be done by simply asking questions - does everyone in the house like green beans, do we consume enough salads to make growing our own lettuce worthwhile? Will your kids snack on cherry tomatoes, carrots or fresh berries? How often do we eat peas or potatoes?

Also consider which fresh fruit and vegetables you seem to purchase every trip to the market and if there any items you avoid buying because they are too high priced, even though they can be grown locally? And lastly, do you wish you could treat your family to organically grown vegetables but the price is just too high?

Going over which items your family will or will not eat will help you decide which things will be fully consumed and therefore, advisable to plant.

Once you know what you would like to grow, you need to consider how much space you have to plant it. Some vegetables take a lot more space and/or can only be once during the season while others can be planted repeatedly. For example, corn takes a great deal of space and you only get one crop per season while lettuce or greens can be planted repeatedly: especially when seeds are started indoors.

If you are short on space you can consider growing some crops in containers. My mother-in-law lives in a senior complex where they all have small patios. Many of the residents grow wonderful flower and vegetable gardens in those small areas, utilizing any large container they can find. My Mother-in-law grows amazing tomatoes every year in pots as well as zucchinis, cucumbers and strawberries. She also grows a few herbs (using them fresh) on her windowsill. Many of the other residents use containers and the small plot of land on each side of the concrete slab. One couple puts in a trellis and grows enough beans each season to last them all year.

Do not let the lack of space stop you from planting a garden!

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