by Kerry Law, January 2009
With food prices on the rise during these belt-tightening times, spurning the supermarket to grow your own fruit and vegetables doesn’t necessarily equal more pennies in your purse. If you’ve been inspired to grow your own this year, here are a few money saving tips to ensure you don’t blow the budget before those first green shoots appear…
Reducing the bottom line Canny gardeners have discovered that bargain supermarkets such as Lidle, Aldi and Netto, enjoying a boom with food shoppers during the credit crunch, also stock cheap packets of seed, often discounted by more than half the regular price.
There are plenty of containers which can be recycled as growing pots. You can grow potatoes in old bins or directly in the compost sacks, or try growing carrots in old Wellington boots!
Browse the Freecycle website (www.freecycle.org) for any gardening equipment that people are giving away, but remember, you can only join if you give something away for free too!
For your crops, good flavour needs investment. Quality compost and rich plant food can increase the cost of your fruit and veg, so home composting is not only a good sustainable method but also a money-saver. A good compost bin can vary in price from £30 to £150 plus depending on size and make. But an old wheelie-bin also does the trick.
Garden Organic’s website www.homecomposting.org.uk is packed full of tips on making your own compost. 
Balcony and window-box gardeners should invest in a kitchen composter such as a Bokashi bin. The bin is made from plastic impregnated with micro-organisms which will turn your vegetable and other food scraps into nutrient-rich fertiliser. When at least half-full a Bokashi bin tends to supply around 50-100ml a week – enough to feed a well-stocked balcony or patio.
Wiggly Wigglers sells an ‘Em’-powered composter kit including two 18l bins and 1kg of Bokashi bran for £59. Single bins are £35. Visit www.wigglywigglers.co.uk.
Or Garden Boutique offers a similar kit but with two 15l bins and 600g of bran for £54.95. Visit www.gardenboutique.co.uk
There are many expensive products available to help you keep your prized veg free of pests and weeds. Make sure you give some cheap and environmentally-sound methods a try first. The Vinegar Institute suggests that weeds can be kept in check with regular sprays of distilled white vinegar. Visit www.versatilevinegar.org for more vinegar solutions for home and garden.
In Part 2: The most cost-effective crops to grow from long-term investments (asparagus) to quick returns (window box herbs).
written by Kerry Amberlaw - freelancer - previously worked for RHS & is a keen organic gardener - using the window box technique :)
Check out Kerry's other articles:
How to Grow Your Own & Beat the Supermarkets
The New Season Guide to An Ethical New Wardrobe
