Grow Your Own - Money Saving Tips and Ideas
When times are hard people resort to growing their own fruit and vegetables and that is happening now in a big way. More people are buying seeds now than at any time since the Second World War. If you have room in your garden then start growing now. I have some growing experience but not a lot, my parents had a small holding when I was younger and we used to grow masses of produce and sell it in our farm shop. Potatoes are easy and leaf beet just grows and grows and taste delicious, salad crops, radishes and onions are good. Have a look at these website for ideas and go for whatever you will enjoy growing.
Swop produce, seeds and ideas
Start a Neighbourhood Growing Association and swop your excess produce with your neighbours. Exchange ideas, swap seeds, give each other advice. I have a friend who swops her Chutney for another friend's eggs.
If you garden is too small go for an allotment. I understand from a recent tv programme that I saw, if a group of you want some land to grow produce on then the council has to provide it. Please check this out, ask, I am not sure off hand how many people need to put in the request but do some research and have a go.
If you have a large garden and you don't use some of it, have a go at renting it out, either for a sum of money or in exchange for free produce. Do a deal with someone, it could work well for all concerned.
Keep a few chickens or ducks for eggs, they are great fun and lovely to have around. Kharki Cambell ducks lay very well indeed and the eggs are delicious. Ducks do need water to splash around in, a secondhand paddling pool would do to start off with. Ducks in particular are great characters and can be good company and make you smile. If you can manage breeding chickens and or ducks they could provide you with meat as well as eggs. The taste is amazing, so superior to supermarket meat. My husband looks after our ducks, at the present time we have about a dozen or so, some are named so they cannot be eaten ever.
Pigs are also excellent for meat. We have not kept pigs as yet but we do intend to in the near future. It is very important that you do not name your pigs.
Game fowl, Guinea Fowl, Turkeys and Geese are also good to keep if you have the space. You will need to buy a book for detailed advice. I will make some suitable books available in my SHOP.
Involve all the family; this can be very rewarding. The garden and animals can provide a retreat from every day stress. Enjoy your garden and have some fun, and enjoy wonderful, fresh, healthy food.