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The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2025!

Suffolk_lass
Suffolk_lass Posts: 9,839 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
Welcome to the new ups and downs of growing your own!

Everyone is welcome. Come and tell us about your growing shenanigans

What do you like to grow?

Are you going to try anything different this year?

Did you try anything different last year? Did you like it? Would you grow it again?

Do you have any tips for growing?

Do you make anything with what you grow?

How much does growing your own save you?


I'll use this post for links that folks might find useful. If you want something adding in, please just let me know 🙂
Save £12k in 2025 #2 I am at £564.77 out of £6000 after January
OS Grocery Challenge in 2025 I am at £301.10/£3000 or 10.04% of my annual spend so far[/COLOR] annual
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the Grow your own thread
My new diary is here
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Comments

  • KajiKita
    KajiKita Posts: 6,243 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 1 January am31 8:59AM
    Subscribed! 😊 Thank you for setting this up @Suffolk_lass 😊

    I tried yacon for the first time last year. Never again! It had no flavour and made me uncomfortably ’windy’. 😂 Shame, I had high hopes for it. 

    A big success though were peas - possibly all the rain? I have saved seed of this variety for this year 😊
    Tracked what I would have spent if I had bought the organic produce I got from the plot - £210, a lot of which was herbs - it’s amazing how quickly those add up. Tomatoes did well in the treehouse, cucumbers were hopeless - lack of sun? 

    Not trying anything new this year. Well, not yet, I haven’t placed my seed order(s) yet though 😉
    Main focus will be keeping on top of the bindweed - going to set up a ‘kit’ for this of scissors and a small bucket to go round every morning before I go to work, as I have a relatively late start / finish in my new job. 
    I’m not very confident with making things from what I grow (apart from eating / cooking them straight away), so that is something I will be watching other people’s posts for encouragement on this year 😊

    Happy new growing year to one and all. I’m excited again for the fresh start 😊

    KK
    As at 15.01.25:
    - When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £244,153
    - OPs to mortgage = £9,694 Interest saved £4,182 to date
    Fixed rate 3.85% ends November 2029

    Read 4 books of target 52 in 2025, as @ 7th February
    Produce tracker: £11 of £300 in 2025

    Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
    Watch your words, they become your actions. 
    Watch your actions, they become your reality. 
  • Glittering_M
    Glittering_M Posts: 172 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    Hello,
    I'd love to join again, although I lurked a lot last year!

    What do you like to grow?
    Veg, herbs and some flowers. Still new to gardening and my plot. 

    I had a very unsuccessful year on 2024 re. growing.  Nearly everything died! 

    I'm very happy with the chamomile and winter savory I sowed in 2023 though, they really got into their stride last year and the bees loved the winter savory.

    Are you going to try anything different this year?

    Yes. 

    Possibly a small pond and adding a new bed in for veg. I like flowers and the idea of a cut flower bed but it seems Iike a lot of effort.

    Toying with the idea of a poly tunnel and onions as I've never tried growing them (put off as everyone just says they are cheap to buy so not worth it). 

    I'd like to increase my herb garden and learn more about using herbs safely. 

    Toying with the idea of getting a walnut and a sweet chestnut tree. 

    Also intrigued by the idea of a small stretch of wheat.

    I'd like to get better at thinking about how I can keep stuff throughout the year, about a year ago I made kimchi and that was great.

    Did you try anything different last year? Did you like it? Would you grow it again?

    I don't think I did, it was just such a terrible year! 

    Do you have any tips for growing?

    Still getting the grips with it myself! Make sure you label seedlings and don't sow so much you run out of space! 

    Do you make anything with what you grow

    Not sure if this is a question about finance make or in terms of produce. No to finance. I save my chamomile for tea and I've made kimchi but I'd love to do more. 

    How much does growing your own save you?

    2024 was definitely a negative as nothing grew!
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 14,173 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Homepage Hero Name Dropper
    Daughter bought me a packet of parsnip seeds for my birthday. 
    Nowhere in the garden to grow them, so filled an old plastic recycling tub (after drilling some drainage holes), with a mix of home grown compost bin, peat free compost, topsoil and planted half a dozen seeds.  Watered and fed (comfrey compost), saw toms & courgettes in nearby growbags come and go, almost 8 months later, harvested on Christmas Eve.  Could've bought a bag of similar for 8p inthe supermarket, but boy were they good with Christmas dinner.  
    NY resolution, do it again.
    If any left, leave to go to seed, insects love the flowers, you get free parsnips forever

    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
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