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Growing your own vegetables can be expensive, but there are several ways to minimize costs and still have an abundant harvest.
Growing your own vegetables can be expensive, but there are several ways to minimize costs and still have an abundant harvest.
With today’s rising food costs, more and more people are looking for ways to grow some of their own food. But growing your own vegetables can be expensive! However, there are several ways to minimize costs and still have an abundant harvest.
First, grow your own plants from seed. Purchasing heirloom seeds will ensure that you will be able to save seeds from one year to the next. Plastic egg cartons can be used, especially those clear plastic ones with three sections. Make drainage holes in the section that held the eggs. The bottom part will hold excess water, while the top part becomes a mini greenhouse until the seedlings sprout. The most crucial thing is to use a good seed starting mix which needs to be sterilized to prevent fungus gnats. Adequate lighting is needed, but there are many options for inexpensive grow lights.
Outside you need to prepare the soil for transplanting the seedlings. Many folks, especially older adults, and those with limited space, have turned to container gardening. Fabric grow bags, raised beds built with logs from trees that have been cut, five-gallon buckets or plastic totes (both with drainage holes placed 2 inches around the sides) are all less expensive than buying or building elaborate raised beds. Filling these containers can be costly, however, a method called “Hügelkultur” will save a ton of money, while amending the soil and retaining moisture at the same time. Hügelkultur is the process of layering organic materials, beginning with logs, then branches, sticks and twigs, leaf litter and kitchen scrap compost, then finishing the top 1 to 2 inches with topsoil and mulch.
As far as fertilizing goes, nothing beats composting. Composting requires three basic ingredients: browns (dead leaves, branches, and twigs), greens (vegetable and fruit kitchen scraps, grass clippings, eggshells, and coffee grounds) and water (just enough to keep it moist). Your compost pile should have approximately equal amount of browns to greens, while alternating layers of organic materials of different-sized particles. There are numerous types of composting bins, with many either no-cost or very inexpensive. The materials used to compost are free, yet, given time, they produce an extremely nutrient-rich soil amendment.
For pest control, there are many household products that can safely and inexpensively be used to rid your plants of pests. Just make sure to research the pests you want to eliminate and follow the instructions given by reputable garden experts. Aphids are best dealt with by spraying with a water hose. Many insects, and their larvae and eggs, can be hand-picked for disposal in a container of soapy water. Biological pest control using lacewings, ladybugs, parasitic wasps and praying mantids also keep harmful insects under control.
Heavy mulching with newspaper, free wood chips, and straw will help in weed control. However, very few weeds will grow in raised bed and container gardening.
And last, but not least, is water. Having a collection device, such as a rain barrel is one option. If gardening on a larger scale, and if you happen to live by a lake or stream, it may be more cost-effective to pump water from these sources to water your garden.
Once your garden is established, maintaining it properly with adequate amounts of compost, mulch, and water, will provide you with an abundance of fresh, pesticide-free produce while saving you lots of money at the grocery store!
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MARSHA DONALDSON, a Master Gardener, is a trained volunteer with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. For gardening questions, call the Help Center at (662) 620-8280 in Lee County or (866) 920-4678 outside Lee County and leave a message.
Ginna covers food, entertainment and lifestyles for the Daily Journal.
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