Produce can really add up at the grocery store, especially if you buy organic produce. If you eat a lot of fresh produce one way to save is to plant a vegetable garden. My family enjoys a large garden each summer. Not only do we enjoy the fresh produce but it is a great tool for teaching kids where our food comes from.
The soil in our area is poor so we have raised beds with soil that we purchased. It is expensive to get started with raised beds but once they are made, they should last several years. Just introduce new compost and fertilizer each year to keep the soil full of nutrients. Instead of throwing away used coffee grounds, add them to your garden soil. Coffee grounds are great compost and add nitrogen.
If you don’t have space for raised beds, container gardens can be very successful. Tomatoes, herbs, peppers and eggplants do very well in containers. Herb gardens can also be successful right in your kitchen window. I love the fragrance of fresh herbs and they can add a lot to any meal. If you don’t want to mess with growing your own produce, consider joining a CSA. If a CSA is not feasable for you, checkout store like Trader Joe’s for organic produce. I buy most of our organic fruit from Trader Joe’s for a reasonable price. Always keep the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables in mind when considering organic produce.
The climate in your area will determine how long your growing season is and what type of produce can be grown. Southern states can grow some produce year round. Most vegetables can be started from seed.
When our garden starts producing, I end up with more vegetables than we can immediately use. I do preserve some of the vegetables by canning or freezing so that we can enjoy our harvest in the winter months. Although frozen veggies are not as tasty as fresh, they are great in casseroles, stir fry and soup. Plus I like the fact that most of our produce is grown organically!
The best part about having our vegetable garden is seeing the excitement on my kids faces. They help prepare the soil, plant the seeds, water and harvest. Last year my then 3 year old son said “Mom, isn’t it so great that we can grow the food that we eat?” That right there makes the hard work worth it!
Linked at Teachers of Good Things
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Thanks for linking up with EVERYTHING FRUGAL!
I love your ideas. Produce waste is something I’m always trying to remove. I wanted to pin your post with the Pin It button you provide, but is says that there wasn’t any pinnable graphics in the post.
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Thank you for linking up with us this month! We live in Vegas and both the soil and the weather are not so great for growing veggies. But we do have a small, raised garden. This is our first year trying it out so my fingers are crossed! My brother has pretty good luck each year so we’re doing alot of the same ones he’s had success with. Thank you for the compost tips!!
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