Imagine how convenient it would be, for you and your budget, to just be able to walk into your garden (indoor or outdoor) and pick all your salad goodies and favourite veggies. No fuel used and no money spent – an ultimate win! It’s no secret that the cost of living continues to be on the rise, and getting access to fresh and quality produce comes at a price. 

Seeds vs seedlings

There are a number of factors to consider when starting your vegetable garden, whether you’re using seeds or seedlings. For example, figuring out whether the kind of vegetable or fruit you are planting needs a long or short growing season. It should also be noted that a packet of seeds costs less than a seedling, but whether your plant will thrive is a different story. So here are three questions to ask yourself to determine whether to use seeds or seedlings:

• Is the vegetable/fruit easy to germinate from seed?
• Is the growing season long enough for the vegetable or fruit to mature if planted from seed?
• Does the vegetable/fruit transplant well?

Make your own compost

Making your own compost is not as complicated as you might think. You’ll be surprised that the everyday foods we consume have great potential as material for your compost. With a bin, dirt, shredded newspaper or dry leaves, food scraps, a shovel and some water, you’ll be well on your way to making some great home-made compost without having spent a single cent!

Upcycling and reusing

There’s no limit to the different vessels you can use to plant and grow your own food in – what may be junk to one person is gold to another, so don’t limit your imagination.Be on the lookout for items you can upcycle and reuse like old buckets, crates, old bathtubs and even wooden pallets. Almost anything has the potential to make a good DIY planter. It is vital that you learn the temperament of the fruit or vegetable you are growing, as this will inform the size of the vessel you plant it in. Whatever you do, be careful not to go overboard and land up with a backyard full of junk. Grab only what you need.

Growing organically

Growing your vegetables and fruit  free of chemical pesticides has its financial benefits. Including pesticides and chemicals in your monthly gardening expenses can work out to be quite costly. Fortunately, there are more affordable methods to keep those pests away. If you are not in an area that attracts pest-eating insects like praying mantis or you can go the DIY insecticides route.

With the right knowledge, lots of TLC  and making the most of your space – using wall space, outdoor spaces and even indoor spaces – you can grow your veggies and fruit just about anywhere. Yes! Even in your urban apartment.

References

1. https://www.africanbank.co.za/en/home/blog-landing/tips-from-an-expert-grow-veggies-save-money/
2. https://modernfarmer.com/2016/02/gardening-ideas-on-a-budget/
3. https://www.thespruce.com/vegetable-garden-seeds-or-seedlings-1403412
4. https://www.younghouselove.com/younghouselovedotcompost/
5. https://www.gardening-advice.net/vegetable-container-garden.html
6. https://www.treehugger.com/natural-homemade-insecticides-save-your-garden-without-killing-earth-4858819