Vegetable growing - Does it Save money ?

LittleMissAspie

So what are the absolute easiest veg to grow? I'd like to try growing something but I don't know anything about gardening. Also I will need to grow in pots, not the ground. My garden faces south-east but is narrow with a tall fence, so I'm not sure it actually gets much direct sunlight.

HariboJunkie

feefeelalabelle wrote: »

its the non smelly! good job as the bag broke on partner haha ! its got alot of twiggs in it though, do you think its ok ?

I would sift out the twigs and mix it with some soil/compost and then it should be fine.

angelavdavis

LittleMissAspie wrote: »

So what are the absolute easiest veg to grow? I'd like to try growing something but I don't know anything about gardening. Also I will need to grow in pots, not the ground. My garden faces south-east but is narrow with a tall fence, so I'm not sure it actually gets much direct sunlight.

Lots of fence space for runner beans then. Work out which is the sunniest spot and put all your pots there. Strawberries are easy (buy small plants), tomatoes, potatoes (buy seed potatoes), salad leaves, herbs. These are all pretty easy.

Look at the other posts on here for lots of tips.

RAS

angelavdavis wrote: »

Lots of fence space for runner beans then.

or climbing french beans, mangetout, TALL peas or smaller pumpkins.

JoeyG

This thread is just what I've been looking for

I'm currently in a flat with no garden, it was my plan to have a place with a garden in 5 years or so but due to negative equity that looks unlikely... so I'm looking at allotments now, the problem is I have no experience with growing vegetables at all.

I suppose my question is, how is the best way to learn all this stuff? books? courses? trial & error?... and when is the best time of year to be looking at all this?

Lotus-eater

JoeyG wrote: »

This thread is just what I've been looking for

I'm currently in a flat with no garden, it was my plan to have a place with a garden in 5 years or so but due to negative equity that looks unlikely... so I'm looking at allotments now, the problem is I have no experience with growing vegetables at all.

I suppose my question is, how is the best way to learn all this stuff? books? courses? trial & error?... and when is the best time of year to be looking at all this?

Best way to learn.
Books help, there is no doubt about it, take them out from the library I would advise, Alan Tichmarsh's book, isn't a bad place to start, or Carol Kline.

This forum is OK for some of the basics, but this is better reading tbh
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/index.php

Read as much as you can and try to get your head around all the different aspects of growing, like when you sow and plant out, what you can sow where and at what times. Crop rotation, what each different crop needs.

If you haven't grown anything before, start now! Growing anything will help get you started and give you vital experience. Grow on the windowsill if you haven't got anywhere else.

There is no doubt a book which tells you what to do at which time is a good investment, but each garden is different and you will learn to be guided by the weather as much as anything.

If you are getting an allotment, there may well be someone there who will help you and be available for advice. Gardeners are usually a cheerful lot and willing to help someone out. If you can find someone there that is willing to help you and take you under their wing, that will be the best thing.

Lots of things to remember, but some points are.
Its not rocket science! You put the seeds in the ground and they do the growing, all you have to do is give them the best conditions you can.
If you do the same thing every year, sometimes it will go wrong.
Everyone sometimes has a bad year, normally once a year with at least something.


I don't know about courses, you may be able to find one.

Now is the best time of year to be looking at this. Have you applied for an allotment yet?

SEE

I did a table of costs last year and all together I saved £443 on fruit, veg, and shopping petrol costs.

I grow in my back garden:T

When you start picking your runner beans and see that they're a £1 a small pack in the supermarket, or rhubarb is £1.50 for 3 little sticks. You soon catch on as to how much money you're saving.

scotsaver

I've never added up how much we save but I definitely think it's MORE than worth it, I too only grow in our Back Garden and in previous years we've had more Rhubarb than we can eat, cooking apples, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, tomatoes, cucumbers, salad leaves, rocket & courgettes and last year for the first time we grew our own potatoes which were so nice that this year I am growing even more and also dug over one of the flower beds to make another Veg plot and planning to grow even more this year like, onions, carrots, parsnips, leeks, cabbage, swede and also this year I'm not wasting money buying loads of flowers to put into hanging baskets, instead Im growing mini peppers and tumbling tomatoes to grow in the baskets, think they will look just as nice and they are edible, real MSE.;)

rhiwfield

Did a quick calculation the other day and worked out that our veg and fruit plots (in garden) should save about £300 this year on shop prices if I get a decent crop, more if you compare with organic. But in the shops the runner beans are tough, the carrots and sweetcorn have lost their sweetness and I cant even buy leaf beet, kale or purple sprouting broccoli.

When the asparagus, apples and greengages hit full production I'd expect annual figure to go up to nearer £500. It would be even more if OH and DS2 would eat salads :rolleyes:

Seed and compost and fleeces/netting will set me back maybe £40 a year, less this year as I'm getting a lot of compost from a neighbour and not growing pot plants for my 2 DDs new gardens. The main costs we've incurred were planks/stakes for raised beds and fruit supports though we'd expect these to last for maybe 15 years at least. Oh, and a greenhouse as well that was pure indulgence!!

Doom_and_Gloom

You may wish to grow some flowers to attract insects to your garden to pollinate your plants scotsaver. Although I understand you wish to maximize your crop it is of little use if you can't get them pollinated. Some you can do yourself I realise but there are some that are near impossible to do without the aid of insects.
I wish you well with your veg plot.
D&G.