Life on a Budget

With summer creeping up on us, now is a great time to think about starting your own vegetable garden. Whether you decide to plant a small or a large sized garden, it can provide some fun and is a great money saver for the summer.

You will have to choose an area that gets plenty of sunshine. If you don’t want to take away from your yard, you can get extra large planters and grow herbs and certain veggies on your deck. I don’t get a ton of sun in my yard so I plant a very small area that gets adequate sun with a couple of zucchini and summer squash plants and put cherry tomatoes and all my herbs in planters. It works great.

Seeds are generally very inexpensive (usually $1 - $2 a packet) and can usually last a summer producing vegetables if taken care of properly. If you do plant a large garden and produce more than you and your family can consume then consider freezing and/or canning your veggies for the winter months.

A couple of good articles on getting a garden started:
How to: Start a Garden
Sunset.com - Short on space? Grow veggies anyway!

Share a Garden

I’ve also heard of, but have never tried, community or shared gardening. Each member pays a low fee and/or helps tend to a “public” garden. It’s a great way to get fresh veggies if you don’t have the time or space for one of your own.

How much money can you save?

Depending on the size of your garden you can save anywhere from the cost of a few tomatoes and zucchini to the cost of all or most of your veggies for the summer and even possibly the entire year.