2024 Frugal Living Challenge

Prudent

@mumtoomany 13 acres is fabulous, so much scope. I grew up on a 12 care croft in north east Scotland so I can visualise the amount of space you have. The table is a good idea as seeds and compost are both expensive. We got lots of seeds in the 20p Aldi sale this year so have managed to cut costs that way. I am thinking of ordering some spent mushroom compost this year to get our new plot off to a good start. Over the time, we should be able to produce our own compost. 
@Cas your space sounds highly productive. So good to have any free fresh food. I find the herbs and soft veg an especially good return as both are quite expensive to buy. 

dND

@cas What size potato bags do you recommend?  I've not got a house yet but picked up a very small pack - 8 potatoes - of Pink Firs.  I'm working on the principle of growing what's expensive in the SMs first plus I'm pretty sure I can get sacks of basic potatoes reasonably easily around here.  Reading about your garden is making me itch to get growing again. 😁

I might think about growing more potatoes next year but when this house goes through I'm going to be pushed for time this year as it needs a lot of work. 

London_1

One of my DGS bless him got the gardening bug last year and dug out a bit of my garden and he planted Early Pentland potatoes and we had a super crop from them.The second crop didn't do so well, as half were Wilja's and half Charlotte's. Wilja's really wern't very good at all but the Charlottes weren't too bad

 This year, last week at Dobbies I noticed that the seed potatoes had almost doubled in price from last year.As I'm hoping to move this year I told my DGS not to worry about potatoes this year which he was quite disappointed about but I said when I've settled in he can grow what ever he likes in my new garden.

 He is a teacher in an inner city school in north London and I live in Kent He has been teaching his year 5 children all about growing their own food and when the spuds were coming up I had to take photos to send to him so he could show the children how you didn't just get potatoes from the supermarket but that you could grow them yourself. He bought all the kids in  his class a pot and some seeds to try their hand at growing things.He's a good lad and knows a lot of children don't have a garden so have to grow things on a balcony or a window ledge But the children got quite keen and excited to think they could grow something to eat even if it was only a single tomato plant. The plot he dug at the bottom of my garden was a spot that got the sun and measured around 2ft x 8 ft and he managed to grow 16 plants there which we got a good few spuds from I'm thinking the ones he missed digging up me grow in the spring I'll have to see how it goes The red onions set heplanted in an old butler sink didn't do very well but I think its possible because I was away during a very warm period last year on holiday for several weeks so they didn't get watered.

I'm looking forward to my daffs and tulips coming up this year though as I have lots of pots of those on the patio.

JackieO xx

Cas

@Prudent i get through lots of basil so my aim this year is to buy a single pot of basil when it gets warmer, divide up the plants into bigger pots and try to keep them going right into the autumn. That alone will save me a fortune!

@dND I use 40l or 50l pots with a different variety in each one. Last year I bought one of the patio potato sets which I saw advertised in a magazine for about £20 from Y0uGarden which came with 3 potato varieties, pots and fertiliser. They produced a lot more potatoes than I thought so I'm getting another set this year. I've also bought a variety pack of 5 types of seed potatoes from P0tato H0use and the potato sacks are coming from Jamies0n Br0thers. The pots and sacks are a bit of an investment but I love the idea of growing varieties that you don't commonly find in the shops. 

Cas

@London_1 I think what your DGS is doing with the school kids is amazing especially since so many children these days think that food only comes from a supermarket or from somewhere like a fast food restaurant. I grew Desiree, Pentlands and Charlottes last year and got a reasonable amount from my small pots. I also planted a few Maris Pipers which came from a farm shop and was surprised to get a good number of big potatoes especially since what I planted was eating potatoes and not seed ones!  

amber03

I had an allotment that I grew quite a bit on, but the family didn’t eat much of it. They aren’t big veg eaters anyway. Mind you the allotment committee were a nightmare, which was the deciding factor on giving it up. Do grow rhubarb in my garden as I love it. My dad used to have a tub in his garden that he would grow lettuce, few spring onions. Tomatoes in a grow bag. Just enough for himself to use and not waste.  Think I will do the same myself this year, just a few things that I know I will eat.x

dND

Ooh, thank you @cas for that link to Jamies0ns; that's my evening reading sorted. 🤣💕

Cas

dND said:

Ooh, thank you @cas for that link to Jamies0ns; that's my evening reading sorted. 🤣💕

You're very welcome @dND . P0tato H0use have lots of info too so that's my bedtime reading!

suzeesu2000

mumtoomany I have thought of growing fruits, love raspberries, but they take so much space even growing upwards. I would rather use the space for veggies we can both eat - DH doesn’t eat fruit as a rule. 

Have a few bush varieties of green beans, peas & tomatoes to try this year too. I have two small raised metal beds which will go on the ground with a liner and cardboard under them to stop the compost coming through as they are on slabs. I have a black storage chest where the long window boxes and some big pots will go on top hopefully. There are 5 hanging baskets and 7 wall baskets on the walls too. So not much space. 

Every plant has to earn its place I’m afraid. 

I do also have one of those tower contraptions but only one side worked as we don’t get enough sunshine. As I said, our yard faced east. At least I can grow some lettuce and herbs on one side. 

RavenRover

I was speaking to the veggie man the other week at the market and he was saying that potatoes are rising in price this year because a lot of the growing areas have been affected by bad weather. Growing them may be a very frugal option this year.

One school I visit through work is allowing me free reign with their gardening project 😃 So we are going to grow plants that heal us as well as plants that feed us.