Growing your own food can save so much

We have already begun to harvest and started canning

Yes starting a garden is a very good idea, it has healthy benefits as well as saving on food bill in these coming days.

I grew up on a self sufficient farm, so moving to the Bay Area was quite a change. I did finally figure out how to grow a full garden everywhere we have lived, even apartments. I think the best ones are when they grow good enough for your family but also for a neighbourhood co-op or to donate to the homeless. Ithink it is sad to see all the lawn area when people could have beautiful garden space there.

I agree. We just started this summer so it's small but plan to expand it next year. We have cabbage ,banana peppers ,bell peppers ,scallions ,beans and some herbs. It definately helps.

We have been researching into hydroponic gardening so that we can better control what goes into our fruits and veggies.

It's healthier too.

I grow my own potatoes, onions, tomatoes, leeks, peppers, beets, raspberries for jam, I can my own peaches, pears, salsa, tomatoes, apricots, applesauce, pickles, and cherries that I buy from the local farmer's market. I know I save money but the real reward is the taste and experience!

They are definitely better and tastier fresh out of the garden .

Agree, and is there anything better than a tomato sandwich?

You have to be cautious when starting a garden to do it economically. There was a book called "The $64 tomato" that highlighted what gardening costs if you don't approach it in a thrifty way.

I garden and definitely get better quality produce and varieties I would never buy in stores at retail cost. But there are also items I've given up growing because they're cheap in stores and a hassle in my climate.

I joined by local community Produce CoOp. Fruits and vegetables are farm fresh and cheaper.

Melissa is right about how expensive it can be. For next year or fall gardens check out dollarseeds.com , $1 a pack and he sends so many seeds. I make my own compost and have tree guys drop a pile of wood chip mulch a couple times a year. This has been the best thing ever for the health of my plants. They will usually drop it for free if you have easy access.

I get a lot of seeds on freebie sites.

We've started minimally on our deck by replanting the ends of our store-bought scallions (green onions)! We use the green part, then plant the bottom inch if the whites. They grown back quickly and we just continue to snip the greens when needed. No more spending $2 a bunch on them!

I do not have a garden this year as I am physically unable to undertake that work due to an injury. I am learning to pressure can foods to put up for long term use. Buying at great prices now in bulk and putting up for use later is saving me time and money. I got 20 pounds of pork for $31 (friend works at meat packing company - purchased at cost) and about 17 poundswas needed for 18 pint jars to pressure can. The 2 1/2 hours we spent cutting, processing and cooking has provided 18 jars of cooked pork and each jar is two meals for husband and I. The extra 3 pounds was put into the freezer into 5 meals for us to cook and eat later. It will be great to open a jar of canned pork and reheat meat to throw together pork tacos, pork nachos, bbq pork sandwiches and many other dishes that use shredded pork.

Canning is a great idea too !

I'm headed to @Shannon H's house for pork!

Love @Gina B idea with scallions, never thought of that. I chop up an old potato and plant pieces resulting in many potatoes. Works with yams too.

I always admire people who can gardening their own crops.

Good idea!

We have a small garden at our house. I wish that our green beans sprouted, but our jalapeno, tomato, and okra crops are doing very well. Corn is finally sprouting as well.

I grew up on a self sufficient farm, so moving to the Bay Area was quite a change. I did finally figure out how to grow a full garden everywhere we have lived, even apartments. I think the best ones are when they grow good enough for your family but also for a neighbourhood co-op or to donate to the homeless. Ithink it is sad to see all the lawn area when people could have beautiful garden space there.

I love this! I, too, hate to see lawns instead of gardens. It's so wasteful. I'd also much rather see native plants and wild areas than boring, antiseptic lawns drenched with pesticides. Besides, you can save a lot of money by not mowing so much. I love the We Are the Ark group that promotes replacing lawns with native plants. https://wearetheark.org/

Check Facebook or Instagram to see if there's a Food is Free chapter near you. People share the extra produce they've grown. You might also find a Plant It Forward group where people share or trade plants. It can be houseplants, native seedlings, heirloom veggie plants, or any other plant.

I started growing microgreens through Hamama. It was ok but probably would not recommend. https://www.hamama.com/products/hamama-grow-kit-kn2?variant=39353571803301&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2021-06-09&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_y09-8yWewAtRdMILBnUwnbS8VYI6QKm1biu5BX1Z0up6KySR3Kp9RoC4TMQAvD_BwE