Fresh food is expensive...do you grow your own?

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rolliepollie087
rolliepollie087 Posts: 251 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How many of you have your own garden? Container gardens, large landscaped ones...? I tried to grow my garden this past summer, however I managed to get one cucumber...I failed to water / weed it =P

I'd love to see pictures =D

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  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    I try to, but I am a really gardener. This year I have apples and plums, and a ton of cavolo nero, sorrel and courgettes. I can't grow tomatoes, am useless at chillies, and my peas and beans all got eaten by slugs.
  • rolliepollie087
    rolliepollie087 Posts: 251 Member
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    Awww! I hate that! I lost a bunch of my sunflowers to a heavy storm. I was realllly looking forward to all the seeds I was going to have. =/
    Check out motherearthnews.com! It has awesome pest control / organic gardening info. =D
    I try to, but I am a really gardener. This year I have apples and plums, and a ton of cavolo nero, sorrel and courgettes. I can't grow tomatoes, am useless at chillies, and my peas and beans all got eaten by slugs.
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
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    We started our first garden this past summer. Its called Square foot gardening. We got a ton of tomatoes/cukes/sugar snap peas/peppers/lettuce and some green beans. RIght now we have pumpkins growing.

    Hubby has the green thumb...mine is black when it comes to gardening.
  • rolliepollie087
    rolliepollie087 Posts: 251 Member
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    Is Square Foot gardening like compact gardening, getting the most out of your space?
    and hey, at least one of you has a green thumb! =D
    We started our first garden this past summer. Its called Square foot gardening. We got a ton of tomatoes/cukes/sugar snap peas/peppers/lettuce and some green beans. RIght now we have pumpkins growing.

    Hubby has the green thumb...mine is black when it comes to gardening.
  • Snoetje
    Snoetje Posts: 11
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    Yes, i do grow my own food. This way i know for sure it's all organic. This year i had tomatoes (red and yellow ones), peppers, cucumbers, beans, several kinds of lettuce and herbs, zuchini, raspberries, strawberries, black berries, plums, apples, cherries and pears. Now i'm trying to grow a pineapple, mango and lychee. But those are just for fun because i'm not living in the right part of the world for those tropical plants (netherlands).
    I will look for some pictures later.
  • becka63
    becka63 Posts: 712 Member
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    We have an allotment as well as growing veg in our back garden. Whilst it does cut down on the grocery bill, I'm sure we spend that on food for the vegetables! As well as other costs that seem to incur. I don't think you can beat home grown veg for taste, we're just harvesting our sweetcorn at the moment and it's sooooooo sweet- never seems to taste like that from the supermarket.

    I like to grow food that I wouldn't necessarily buy as well - we have asparagus, red currants, borlotti beans and two quince trees.

    I also like home grown food because it makes me eat more seasonally- I'm not a fan of having strawberries and asparagus on Christmas day, but I shall look forward to my own parsnips, baked quince and hopefully kale by then!
  • kjannan
    kjannan Posts: 248 Member
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    I've just planted 7 cherry tomato plants in my garden today, tomorrow I have beans, parsley & lettuce to put out :)

    I love eating food I've grown, it's a lot fresher & cheaper.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    I don't have a garden, but I go to my local market every Saturday. For around £7 I get two massive bags full of veg and that makes up 60% of all my meals!
  • Ezwoldo
    Ezwoldo Posts: 369 Member
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    I moved home and started growing parsnips, turnips ,pea and beans and the slugs just feasted on the lot no matter what I did they just kept coming back for more the only thing I have are parsnips, so I'm going to try something the slugs like less next year.
  • swisspea
    swisspea Posts: 327 Member
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    Thats amazing! my boyfriend and I live in a pretty big city, but plan on moving out to a small town soon- I cant wait to have a garden! Yours sounds like a dream, and your goals are exactly what I want!
    We have an allotment as well as growing veg in our back garden. Whilst it does cut down on the grocery bill, I'm sure we spend that on food for the vegetables! As well as other costs that seem to incur. I don't think you can beat home grown veg for taste, we're just harvesting our sweetcorn at the moment and it's sooooooo sweet- never seems to taste like that from the supermarket.

    I like to grow food that I wouldn't necessarily buy as well - we have asparagus, red currants, borlotti beans and two quince trees.

    I also like home grown food because it makes me eat more seasonally- I'm not a fan of having strawberries and asparagus on Christmas day, but I shall look forward to my own parsnips, baked quince and hopefully kale by then!
  • SueGeer
    SueGeer Posts: 1,169 Member
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    My hubby loves veg gardening....this year we have courgettes, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, green beans, celeriac, onions, peppers & spinach; also apples, grapes & strawberries. Asparagus too, but that can't be harvested for 3 years. I think that's all!

    Sue :smile: x
  • cheeksv
    cheeksv Posts: 521 Member
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    Try a farmers market. The food is cheaper and fresher than getting your produce from a supermarket.
  • rolliepollie087
    rolliepollie087 Posts: 251 Member
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    Farmers markets are excellent!
    I don't have a garden, but I go to my local market every Saturday. For around £7 I get two massive bags full of veg and that makes up 60% of all my meals!
  • Cdcaldwe
    Cdcaldwe Posts: 189 Member
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    I canned over fifty quarts of tomato juice this year.
    Canned about fifty pints of salsa.
    Canned fifteen pints of spaghetti sauce
    Froze fifteen dozen ears of corn that i removed from the cob
    Beans did horrible this year but i still have about 80 quarts from the year before
    30 quarts of pickles

    For you meat eaters out there
    I usually can about 70 quarts of deer meat a year.
  • rolliepollie087
    rolliepollie087 Posts: 251 Member
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    WOW. That is astounding!
    I canned over fifty quarts of tomato juice this year.
    Canned about fifty pints of salsa.
    Canned fifteen pints of spaghetti sauce
    Froze fifteen dozen ears of corn that i removed from the cob
    Beans did horrible this year but i still have about 80 quarts from the year before
    30 quarts of pickles

    For you meat eaters out there
    I usually can about 70 quarts of deer meat a year.
  • Maid_Of_Horror
    Maid_Of_Horror Posts: 4
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    Ive just started my veggie patch about a month ago, so far ive had success in a range of herbs and lettuces, i also have carrots and capsicum, garlic and beetroot on the go.. im finding it easier to make helathy eating habbits when all the good stuff is right outside your door.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    I try to, but I am a really gardener. This year I have apples and plums, and a ton of cavolo nero, sorrel and courgettes. I can't grow tomatoes, am useless at chillies, and my peas and beans all got eaten by slugs.

    Sorry, that should have said a really BAD gardener.

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