1)  Grow your own.  Growing your own can help to drastically cut your food bill.  As an added bonus, you get to control the use of fertilizers and pesticides. 

2)  Can and freeze for the winter months.  Many people plan a large garden so that they will have enough to can and freeze for future months.  These come in handy for soups, casseroles and crock pot meals.

3)  Buy in-season produce.  I am more likely to buy cucumbers, tomatoes, and other produce when they’re at seasonal low prices.  When tomatoes are $.99/lb I’ll plan to make pico de gallo, tomato casserole, and other dishes that use tomatoes.  When they’re $3.99, I find something else to make that’s less expensive.

4)  Buy locally.  Last week I was thrilled when I stopped at the farmer’s market and found squash and zucchini for $.19/lb and sweet potatoes for $.29/lb.  I walked out with two large bags of produce for only $2.97.

5)  Properly store the vegetables.  Some vegetables like to be stored in air tight containers.  Storing vegetables the proper ways lengthens their lifespan. 

You might also like 10 ways to eat more fruits and vegetables.

What ways do you save money on vegetables?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

You’ve started a garden to save money, not to spend it! Who knew that it could be such a costly operation? Mulch, soil, fertilizer…the list seems to go on and on. Before you shell out a lot of cash, you may want to try thrifty alternatives for some items. Here are a few things I do to make gardening frugal:

• Make friends with a farmer. If you know a farmer, paying for expensive fertilizers will be a thing of the past. I asked my neighbor if I could buy a wheelbarrow of aged cow manure and he dropped an entire backhoe load of manure in for me and wouldn’t take a dime. Even if you pay for manure, odds are that it will be cheaper than the stuff that comes in bags at the store. (Make sure it is aged, though. Fresh manure can burn your plants right up!)
• Swap plants with friends and neighbors. I found a good price on parsley – a four pack for $2. I split it with the rest of the family. I also gave away over 30 of my prolific strawberry plants. They hopped out of their bed to grow in the path. In return, I’ll get help digging out a few big things I need to move. In years past, I’ve gotten tomato seedlings, peppers and a ton of perennials.
• Use cardboard and newspaper. I lay cardboard on my temporary vegetable garden paths before I put down a layer of mulch. This way, I can make the layer of mulch a lot shallower and still keep weeds at bay.
• Collect leaves in the fall and chop them up with your mulcher or by running over them with a mower. (Make sure there aren’t any sticks, first.) Chopping leaves gives you a head start on leaf mold, which sounds unpleasant, but is rich crumbly stuff that plants love. This can replace expensive bags of hummus.
• Head to a real farmer’s market. We have one of those overpriced markets where plant nurseries set up booths, but there’s also a local market at the local auctioneer’s barn every Monday. That market is filled with booths of veggie plants that are downright cheap.

Katelyn’s first love is holidays, but she also enjoys living a thrifty lifestyle and has been gardening frugally for many years.

image (c) Linette Gerlach

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

You can plant a garden even on a shoestring budget. For very little money you can grow enough food to help feed your family through the winter.

Here are a few tips to help get you started:

• Start your plants in recycled pots, or containers you make yourself. You can make your own plant pots out of newspaper, or egg cartons.
• Buy your seeds at the local farm store. There you can buy as much or as little of each type of seed as you want, and you’re paying by the weight. You don’t have to buy extra if you only want a few watermelon seeds, and the seeds are usually cheaper than purchasing pre packaged seeds.
• Swap seeds and plants with neighbors. If you have extra tomato plants, or chives trade them with your neighbor for peppers, or thyme.
• Save your own seeds. You can save your own seeds from many plants for next years crop. Before you save a particular seed do a little research to make sure the plant will grow back true from seeds.
• Start a compost pile, and make your own fertilizer for your garden. This is a huge money saver, and you’re also recycling your waste at the same time.
• Make your own potting soil, by mixing about half regular soil, with half compost. You may have to play around with the mixture a little to suit your soil.

If you have tips for saving money in the garden, feel free to share them in the comment section.

Linette shares more gardening advice at Mother Earth’s Garden, and cooking and gardening advice at The Home and Garden Cafe.

Image L Gerlach

Post from: Thrifty Mommy