Save money on your grocery bill and start growing food. Here in Australia, we are blessed with a great climate for growing herbs and vegetables. You don’t need a massive garden either. Some gardeners have had success in 1-metre plots or even balcony gardens. Here are some of the best veggies to grow to save money on your grocery bill. If you have extra produce, trade with friends or neighbours for their crops.
Lettuce
Cut back on buying bags of salad mix from the grocery store. A few lettuce plants and you’ll be set. Choose easy to grow lettuce like butter, rocket and oakleaf. Once they thrive, you can harvest the outer leaves leaving it to grow more.
Tomatoes
Choose from a variety of tomato plants to grow from cherry tomatoes, roma or plump heirloom tomatoes. There’s something about the flavour of home-grown tomatoes. It’s so much better tasting than its supermarket tomatoes.
Herbs
If you love cooking with herbs, save money and grow your own. Start with basil, mint, rosemary and thyme. If you love Asian cooking, grow coriander and lemongrass. You can grow them outside or inside on a window sill.
Carrots
It’s not that hard to grow carrots. Just grow them from seed. They should be ready after 8 weeks. Carrots are such a versatile vegetable. Eat them raw, baked or in smoothies.
Squash
There are so many different types of squash to grow depending on your preference. Fun and easy to grow, these can be used in a number of different dishes including roasted, baked goods and used in salads.
Silverbeet
Worth growing just for its health benefits, Silverbeet is a great choice to plant. It’s not hard to grow but it can be used for a variety of dishes.
Snow peas
You can use peas in so many dishes so get some plants growing. They are super easy to grow. Just make sure that you have something that they can grow up as they are climbing plants.
Green beans
Easy to grow and tasty too, add beans to your list of veggies to grow. They provide an abundant harvest giving you plenty of food to enjoy.
Eggplant
Although this vegetable takes longer to grow, it’s a delicious veggie to grow. It can be used for a variety of dishes including lots of Mediterranean recipes like baba ghanoush dip and moussaka.
Spring onions
Easy to grow and add so much taste to your cooking. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper to grow spring onion than it is to buy from your local supermarket.
If you need tips on getting started on growing vegetables, check out these articles by Royal Botanic Garden Sydney or ABC Everyday. They give valuable advice on how to start and maintain a vegetable patch.
Want more tips on saving money? Check out our article How to Easily Save Money – 101 Tips to Save on Family Expenses.
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