Plant a garden they say..."Think of the money you'll save on food!!"
ya right I say.
Lets just lay this all out here for you....Hundreds of dollars on my raised beds, hundreds of dollars on dirt, hundreds of dollars on seeds....WHERE DID I GO WRONG!?!? What are these people talking about?
Save money my a$$, good thing this was a passion and a hobby because those are supposed to be expensive right??
So burning through money in my gardening fails is what I am here to share, live and learn and share our wisdom.
Sooooo "they" were right. Ouch, choking that one down. I prefer to not be wrong ;) Gardening can be amazingly cost effective, not only cost effective even profitable if you want. I just didn't do my research before I built my beautiful oasis of garden utopia. I wanted it all and I wanted it now! So a lesson in patience and a lesson in life.
So you want to start saving money and eating healthy? Then definitely
start the year before you want to plant a garden. Planning is key.
1) Location, location, location!!
A) Does your yard have enough sunlight? If your plants don't grow there will be no saving money. Decide what plants you are going to grow and check their specific sunlight requirements and make sure your area of choice provides this to them.
B) Soil. Does the area you are planning on using need the soil amended? Are you doing raised beds? (Are you wanting to really save money...see my post on creating your own soil- coming soon)
C) Trees. Are there Cedar trees or cotton wood trees above your location? Think about not only the mess of cottonwood but cedar actually alters the ph of the soil and is not ideal. Of course you can work around anything, but if other options are available it will make life easier.
D) Can you easily access water at this location? If not seriously reconsider, but always up to you.
2) Plant beds to full capacity
Utilize your planting space to the fullest without starving your plants of crucial nutrients: companion planting (https://www.westcoastseeds.com/garden-resources/articles-instructions/companion-planting/ )
My favorite is a very popular ancient technique called the three sisters. ( link to a three sisters guide) Its the epitome of nature working together, you have your corn that serves as a trellis for your beans and the squash that serves as a moisture barrier/root cover and weed suppressant for the other two plants root systems. Plants working in harmony, saving you time watering and weeding.
3)Plant only what you like to eat!
A garden saves you money if you plant only what you are going to use! Not just what's easy to grow - although if you have any farm animals they will most likely eat the excess which will save on feed costs. So there really is no way to loose on eating home grown, and you can always share with family friends.
As for vegetable selection - plant your more expensive grocery items along with easy storage foods (preserve/store/freeze options) Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, corn, peas and beets can all be canned or frozen; vegetables like onions, potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash that can be easily stored in a cold room/gargage.
3) Build you own seed supply so you don't have to buy!
Buy your seeds at the grocery store - harvest seeds from foods you eat and you will be dual purposing your investment. Many foods from squash all the way to strawberries in Organic foods will product a viable seed that can be dried, stored and planted in the spring. Stay away from GMO products or patented foods as they are known to produce sterile seeds, no sense wasting time drying and storing only to be disappointed when they do not germinate. Utilize your fall and winter shopping to reduce any need for spring seed purchasing.
Also seek out local seed savers clubs, here on Vancouver Island we have a lovely club that puts on a Seedy Saturday in many towns up and down the island, you can join and trade seeds or purchase seeds at hugely discounted prices.
Herbs -biggest bang for you buck and easy to store. If you have any friends or family that currently garden this is by far the best way to plant your herb garden, cuttings, seeds or splitting of their existing plants will produce more herbs than you will ever use and they are considerably expensive grocery products. I dry and use mainly all my own herbs now and love it.
4) Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
My biggest spending error was not rethinking what I could reduce, reuse and recycle. Depending on what your vision is decide what you actually NEED. Did I really need the big beautiful 2" rough cut cedar raised beds....absolutely not, do I still love them anyways? 110%! Most often there are ample selections of containers, pots and bare ground that will support a prolific garden that you can dig up around the house or from thrift stores or again the family and friend discount.
Having said that recycling is great! love it, but here are my thoughts depending on how natural you want to be - paper products contain a number of chemicals that I am not comfortable using in my food garden, I save the newspapers or cardboards etc for my flower only gardens. Plastic containers-not my fav for food products again but do what you are comfortable with, reduce reuse.
5) Automate!
Now I know this seems like a suggestion to spend money rather than save money BUT hear me out on this one. You are having a rough morning, kids are not cooperating, dog ate the garbage or insert any normal daily life that takes more time than planned...you forget to water the garden and leave for work. Well the garden doesn't care if your entire world came apart at the seems this morning, its 30 degrees out and it only takes on single mistake to loose the last 6 weeks or waiting. Its well worth the $30 timer, hose and sprinkler, trust me! -and the ducks love it too ;)
Gardens are worth the time, effort and learning curve.
I wouldn't live without one!
Red Neck Hippie - 2017