Your veg plot and an important source of food for reasons of lack of money?

[TrialAndError]

Some very informed and well received advice, thanks very much to all.

I think the "cost of production" is important for many (petrol etc) although my allotment is 3 minutes walk away so that's not a problem. The freezer costs also probably don't apply to me, we've always had two and they provide lots of space. Will definitely look into saving my own seed though because I've never done that. That requires a little thought when selecting the initial varieties and, as suggested above, only use F1 seeds when open-pollinated varieties are a poor alternative.

Beans I can grow well so that's good, spuds I do grow but blight can wipe out an entire crop so care is needed.

Tomatoes for flavouring bland tasting crops is an excellent idea. Making relishes from tomatoes, onions, garlic and apples is also something I will try more of next year. Maybe a few more herbs would also be a good idea. This year I was given lots of cooking apples and pureed them down then froze. They replaced most of my liking for cartons of apple juice!

Chickens, now that's something I have absolutely no idea about. Will check that out in the poultry forum and have a good think. I love omelettes, frittatas and best of all eggy bread.

[Bren In Pots]

You can't go wrong with Kale I sow mine Feb/March time and we're still eating it now, just a couple of leaves of the plant and it keeps on producing. Its very versatile on a dinner, in a curry, soup or pie.

[Scarlet]

I'm also a kale fan, easy to grow and you can harvest for months!
Over the years I've cut down on varieties and now I just grow a handful of things I like to eat and what grows well for me.
I'm not sure you save yourself money though, things like carrots and onions can be so cheap in the shops but the taste is never the same.

[Thelma Sanders]

True Scarlet! I can't grow carrots on the plot for love nor money - I grow a few in tubs at home - but do buy them a lot as well as onions.
I can't grow them very well either cos I have a lot of Onion White Rot on the plot. Bummer!

[BUFFS]

since being retired from work with spinal damage we have to grow to be able to eat,coalition goons have now decided that my disabled wife is perfectly fit, I have to grow more next year as I will be the sole income and without filling the freezer we would go hungry at least 3 months a year, but it does seem to taste better...

[Scarlet]

I can't grow them very well either cos I have a lot of Onion White Rot on the plot. Bummer!

I get that too! I now have a dedicated spot that I use every year for my garlic that (fingers crossed) seems to be onion rot free.

[Bren In Pots]

I know one thing since I've been growing veg its been easy to eat more than our '5 a day'

[rary]

I understand what was said about the cost etc. but as was also stated the benefits from the fact that you control what chemicals go on to your plants and into the soil for pest control, therefore what you eat cannot be costed, I used to do a lot of hill walking as a hobby and the cost was an accepted fact as it was something I enjoyed, every hobby has an accepted cost and with gardening you get a good return which can benefit others
With all that out the way I usually grow early potatoes better taste less cost, chard has a long season using it as a salad veg. and later for steaming and stir fry, leeks and onions good in various menus,and possibly the most expensive crop to me is tomatoes but the taste of just picked tomatoes is something you cant get in the supermarket. I do grow more than this but the aforementioned are the staples
Oh and it gives an excuse to be out the house when the house work need done.(not that I would do that)

[Veggielot]

I don't think of growing veg as a money saving exercise, for me its more of the general health benefit of being outdoors and doing some exercise and from that angle I consider it good value.

If you want to get the best return financially from your produce avoid anything that takes a lot of time and space, multiple crops are better than one. Avoid anything you can buy cheap unless you have spare room. Go for veg which store well. If you can grow veg together, I remember reading a suggestvof growing sweetcorn, with climbing beans and squash in the same bed. Never tried it but should maximise yiu produce.

[Feral007]

Thanks for reminding me vegielot, I need to go out and put some bean and squash seed in around the corn we planted last time it rained. Trying to cover in the gaps when the winter green manure dies off. If it ever stops being cold in the mornings so it does die off.

Another thing for us, is improving the soil. We have a farm and while I can't afford to do a lot out in the paddocks, gradually we are trying to make the soil better, so the grass and then the taller bushes and trees can take hold. Doing something for the earth in general is a good thing imo. Even if we never 'need' to feed ourselves, improving things for future generations is a little of what I like to think we are doing. And I know the wombat appreciates it

[Bill HH]

I understand all the above, thats why I grow my own food. But the original question was about saving money on food bills in these hard pressed times. I think to save money by growing your own requires a lot of work, a lot of cost savings (ie second hand materials etc) a cheap plot (Either low rent or owned) and a lot of luck. If all the cost are taken in account including your labour at £8 an hour (minimum wage ish), fuel etc, I dont think you have a hope in hell. For instance how many carrots would you need to produce to pay for a bag of compost or fertilizer? Spend 5 hours building a free green house, thats £40 in labour, You would need to grow quite a lot of veg just to pay for that. How much does it cost to produce 5lbs of spuds or carrots?
If your only reason is to save money then hire yourself out to do other peoples gardens or get a second job, much more profitable.
The truth is we grow stuff thinking we are saving money but then your family descend and end up walking away with armsfull of cucumbers and tomatoes etc. If your serious about making it pay you should be selling that sort of surplus. We buy stuff like thermometers, daleks, water butts, tools etc. The sums dont add up. Those who do really make it pay get my admiration but I think they are few and far between.
The other thing of course is the size of your plot and the quality of your soil, I have no chance on my postage stamp garden, maybe a large allotment plot would stand more chance.

[Feral007]

Agreed Bill, but I also think that I can get stuff out of the garden or the chicken coop when I am flat broke. Whereas I can't always make more money come out of my purse. And of course, I don't want to work more and spend more time away from the family. I garden at home so they can always find me if they want to

But it is hard to make anything cheaply these days. If you make your own compost, and fertilisers from used crops, and make things out of freebies then it gets close. And it depends if you're comparing prices to cheap supermarket stuff or organic, fresh stuff, which generally prices itself out of our pocket anyway.

[veggiechicken]

With the capital costs, like GHs and tools, you should spread the expenditure over the life of the item. For example, I've had one of my GHs for 30 years - that equates to about £10 a year. I can recoup that in tomatoes alone, each year.
You shouldn't cost your labour into the equation, because its your free time when you might otherwise be doing something that did cost money - like going out for the evening.
This could run and run - it all depends on perceptions and attitude.
I grow stuff in my garden because I enjoy doing it. Knowing that I can go out there and find something to eat is very reassuring. I have to maintain the garden, whether I grow edibles or flowers - so I may as well eat my garden as not.

[Bill HH]

Yes I kinow all the pros, keeping fit for instance, but saving money I think not. As for costing your food against organic veg, I really do wonder how much of it is organic? I think we would be shocked if the truth were known. Same with free range eggs, having 5000 poultry in a huge deep litter pen with a pop hole that they dont use is not free range in my book. So there are of course good reasons to grow your own but cost saving is best looked on as a bonus in my opinion.

[Margit]

Our garden helps reduce our food bill. We try to grow crops that will vine and grow vertically, beans, peas, cucumbers. We also try to grow other veggies that will store well garlic, onions, potatoes and squashes.