With the price of groceries climbing, many people are trying to find low-cost alternatives to feeding their family while keeping everyone eating healthy. A summer garden is the perfect way to add to your fresh food while saving money.
Planning a garden takes time and patience if you want to pack as much as possible in. Here are a few things to consider when fitting everything in.
Start with a map
Draw out your garden plot on a piece of paper. Then mark in where any objects (eg. fence, bush, etc) that surround the garden are. Finally, mark in the sections of the garden that get full sun, shade, and any sections that have good and poor drainage.
Plant needs
Some plants need full sun while others like a little shade. Then there are plants that do best when sheltered away from the wind and even others that like dry soil. Find out which of your plants are the neediest of all and place them in your garden first.
For example, we plant peas every year. The first year we had them at the front of our garden and they did well until a strong wind tore them out at the base. Now we plant them along the back against our fence. Even with the wind, the fence acts as a brace and keeps them in place.
Cost of vegetables
When I first saw that cauliflower was being sold at $5.97 each, I thought it was a typo. Now they are going for even more than that. Ask yourself what are the vegetables that you like, that you can grow in your area, and that are a little more expensive in the grocery store.
There is no point in planting copious amounts of something that you can pick up for mere pennies in the store.
No space? No problem.
If you don’t have the luxury of a garden in your yard, you can still grow your own vegetables. Many vegetables can be grown in pots on balconies, and you can look into available community gardens in your city.
There really isn’t anything like the taste of fresh vegetables, and the best part is that once they are grown, there is no charge to you to pick them and eat them.
Take care of yourself
You can’t reap the benefits of your hard work if you’ve hurt yourself to get there. Bending, twisting, lifting and stretching in your garden can take its toll and it usually isn’t until the next day when those aches and pains set in.
Topical pain relievers like RUB·A535™ Extra Strength Heating Cream have you covered. It starts to work on contact and provides fast acting pain relief of muscle and joint pain.so you can sit out on your deck and enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of your labour.
Disclosure: This post is part of my Church & Dwight ambassadorship.
Sheri publishes, and writes at This Bird’s Day where she shares all of the thoughts in her head without the voices. Sticking mainly with content for Canadians, Sheri shares family stories, product information and anything that fits into her (and her family’s) daily activities.
Comments on this entry are closed.
There is nothing better tasting than fresh vegetables right out of your garden! Good tips.