One of my favorite ways to save money on food is to plant a garden and grow our own. Even with my hereditary brown thumb, I’ve managed to be somewhat successful at getting a few things to grow.
We got most of this year’s garden planted at the end of April. Last year’s garden was fairly successful, bringing us 100 pounds of fresh produce. This year we’re hoping to top that, and we were a little more selective in what we planted and how we’re doing things.
We planted:
- Potatoes
- Jalapenos
- Green and red peppers
- Tomatoes – beef steak, Roma, and yellow cherry
- Butternut squash
- Cucumbers
- Peas
- Dill (sadly the bunnies ate this already)
- Radishes
- Carrots (we think the bunnies got a bunch of these too)
We’re planning on planting more radishes and carrots after the first harvest of those to get twice as much.
We also have the raspberry patch, the grape vine, and two apple trees, plus a small strawberry patch amongst the front yard landscaping. And I have basil and parsley growing on the dining room table, which I’ve managed not to kill for a whole year! I think we have some onions and garlic bulbs in the garage, but those have not been planted yet. *pausing to add that to my to do list*
Last year we learned that the squash will take over the garden. So this time we gave the one butternut plant a huge area to grow in and take over. The cucumber plant also has a larger area, although not quite as big.
We didn’t plant any green beans this year, because while they grew really well last year, we are still eating them from the freezer, and they’re not a favorite with Jesse or the kids. We will probably still get some from friends this year, but if not, we won’t miss them too much. We also skipped the watermelon and pumpkins, because they take up a lot of space and don’t give us a lot of food.
Last year our focus was on trying things out. Seeing what we could get to grow. Seeing what we liked to eat.
This year our focus is on weeding and watering and trying to get a higher yield out of the plants that we know we like and eat often. Having a garden, especially a big one, is a lot of work, but I’m so looking forward to the fresh veggies to come!
Also, if you want some grow-your-own-food-and-feed-your-family-for-cheap inspiration, check out this series from The Prudent Homemaker. She not only grows a lot to feed her family, but also has money-saving tips for grocery store shopping, storage, and bulk buying. I am so impressed!
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