Learn How To Grow Your Own Kitchen Garden And Save Money

There’s nothing more satisfying than looking at the basket full of fruits and vegetables you have raised yourself; what say? Don’t you love when your dinner includes a salad made with homespun greens? Indeed, eating veggies you have grown in your sweet little kitchen garden is incredibly beneficial and a moneymaking approach. No wonder many homeowners are now adopting this fad of growing their own kitchen garden!

Of course, you feel this sense of beautiful achievement you get from raising that perfectly sun-ripen cucumber full of juices. And that basket full of cute little tender beans is something you always adorn your kitchen platform with a touch of freshness and purity. Well, if you don’t have a kitchen garden, this write-up will inspire you to have one. In today’s hot and healthy topic of discussion, PenLoom has brought you the benefits of growing a kitchen garden, mainly to save money…

First and foremost, let’s learn what NCBI says about Home Gardening…

“Gardening increases creativity and inspiration; positively improves participants’ mental well-being, establishes trust and close connections, and increases cultural awareness; helps create a sense of home, cultural identity, and belonging; and provides a safe, encouraging place to acquire new knowledge while learning more about gardening.”

“In addition to serving as food sources and places of learning, gardens can also be used as memorial spaces, a gathering place for cultural celebrations, and as places of healing. The literature has shown that home gardens have three significant impacts.”

First, they establish a connection between gardening and psychological well-being.

Second, gardens are time capsules of past memories that reintroduce familiar landscapes, trees, plants, and social relationships.

Thirdly, home gardens are personal and are meant to be personalized. They give people a license to express their individual cultural and creative identities that reflect their values, passions, and gardening preferences.

Why is growing a kitchen garden beneficial?

Growing a garden ensures you eat healthy and pure and comes with cost-effectiveness. Even a tiny yard can yield copious amounts of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and kitchen ingredients if appropriately managed. Eventually, one can perhaps make savings to the grocery budget. Indeed, growing your own food is a healthy way to save money and live a healthy lifestyle.

Even basic gardening is enough!

Of course, with today’s tight economy, everyone is finding innovative yet traditional ways to cut expenses. A kitchen garden helps homeowners reduce the amount of money for groceries, provided the cost involved in growing is minimum. Regardless of potential savings, growing your garden is rewarding, and here are the primary ways to do so.

As a matter of fact, there are a plethora of vegetables and fruits you can quickly grow in your small garden. All you need is a location with sun-exposed and well-drained soil and a nearby water source. Also, you need to understand the climate conditions for different types of vegetables. Cold climatic conditions are suitable for vegetables like carrots, beets, cauliflower, and lettuce; and are supposed to be planted in early springs and harvested by mid-summer.

And vegetables like tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, and squash should be planted after the frosting weather and harvested by early fall. It is called succession planting; you can grow two or three seasonal crops in a small yard. In fact, you can also think about interplanting and companion planting to make efficient use of a small kitchen garden.

Also, growing herbs like lemongrass, mint, parsley, sage rosemary, and thyme is a pragmatic way to save money; you’ll get fresh greens whenever needed!

It saves money, how?

The expenses of gardening are minimum if done systematically! However, the total bill for a self-grown garden will vary based on the number of plants, types of plants, and the growing season’s duration. In order to calculate the exact amount of money spent on gardening annually, one can keep notes of the following aspects:

The cost of plants, seeds, or saplings.
The total money spent on garden essentials (tiller, gloves, spade, cages, pots, water sprays, coverings, and fences).
The cost of fertilizers, plant nutrients, and earthworms bought annually.

And if managed properly, the average kitchen gardening experiences a satisfactory ROI (Return on investment).

The cost-effective ways to do gardening

There are multiple ways to stretch your bucks, and here are the common factors you can consider;

Select fruits and vegetables you and your family like!

It is necessary to keep this in mind while purchasing seedlings or saplings for growing a garden. Of course, what is the point of sowing when you and your family won’t consume something you like? Put simply, you will probably not take care of the vegetables you don’t like, so wasting time and money on them is totally unnecessary.

Choose vegetables that are expensive and hard to get at grocery stores!

When you decide to save money on vegetables, always grow those items that cost a lot. Melons, tomatoes, beans, beets, onions, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, and lettuce, takes less space and are easy to grow. It would be best to grow the greens you use daily to save an extra penny and get the biggest investment return without making any extra gardening efforts.

Grow vegetables that can be stored easily!

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and winter squash fall in the category of vegetables that can be stored for months at optimum temperatures and light conditions. And vegetables like beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sweet corn can be stored for a long time by canning or freezing; give it a thought! Growing vegetables that can be preserved for a long way of canning or freezing is an ideal way to multiply your dollars.

Adding to it, your kitchen garden can be as beneficial as your imagination allows it to be

Growing greens add a different level of appeal to your home and surroundings and adorn your home’s aesthetics. Indeed, a kitchen garden always makes your home look captivating, greener, and peaceful; it eventually uplifts your mood and spreads a wave of positivity. Also, gardening activities bring you and your family closer to nature, and you certainly start opting for sustainable living. Be it composting or recycling; you naturally start thinking about these healthy ways of living and contributing to “Mother Earth.”

Final Thoughts

Growing your own kitchen garden is apparently an inexpensive way of preparing meals! Not only do you save money, but you feel more positive when you cook something from your garden. Involving in garden activities keeps you active and allows you to breathe fresh air and learn more about plant behavior. Do find time and space to grow your own garden and save money. Also, if you want any specific gardening tips, do let us know in the comments.

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