Does growing your own vegetables really save you money?

These days there is an increasing emphasis on healthy eating. Many of us want to consumer more natural and organic products; and last year a study by Imperial College London declared that eating 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day – rather than the 5 portions previously recommended – may give us longer lives.

As part of this trend, many of us have thought about growing our own vegetables. But how easy is this to do? Does it actually work out cheaper or is it just a lot of hassle for little return? There are so many markets around these days – and so much competition in the big supermarkets – is it really worth trying to grow your own?

It can certainly be cost-effective if you do grow your own vegetables successfully. Not only that, but nothing beats the taste of freshly grown vegetables.

So let’s take a quick look at how to start growing your own vegetables!

Setting up a vegetable patch
First of all look round your garden and work out the best possible place for a vegetable garden. Ideally you are looking for a sunny spot that is also sheltered, from the wind. You then need to completely clear the soil of weeds and, for best effect, then cover the patch for a couple of weeks with clear plastic to warm and dry the soil before planting.
Plan carefully before you plant. It is a good idea to divide your patch into different sections for different types of seed. This will enable you to rotate your plants round in future, which will help to prevent pests. Also give each type of plant the most space you can, to ensure optimum growth and quality.
The important thing then is to put in the time and effort to maintain your vegetable patch. You are likely to need at least a couple of hours a week for sowing and reaping, and keeping your patch weed-free.
What to grow?
The main success factor in growing your own vegetables is to choose wisely what you grow. You need to make sure that everything you grow is worth the effort. So look for things that are quick and easy to grow, even with little or no gardening experience and do not need a great amount of TLC.
You also need to bear in mind the cycle of seasons and aim to sow vegetables that will keep producing all year round. This way your gardening efforts will regularly provide you with a good solid basis for your daily menus.

Our Top Ten ideas of vegetables to grow that tick all the above boxes are:

1. Salad leaves such as lettuce. You can cut and use the leaves, and the roots will continue to grow, providing you with more leaves for later. There are so many varieties that you could plant a selection.
2. Radishes. They are easy to grow either in containers, or sown directly into the ground.
3. Spring onions. They grow very quickly and have a multiple of uses.
4. Herbs. Try flat-leaved parsley, basil, oregano, chives and mint.
5. Leafy greens. Such as kale, chard and spinach.
6. Courgettes: again, they come in several different varieties.
7. Cherry tomatoes and cucumber. These would need a greenhouse, or a sunny, sheltered spot.
8. Beans and peas. Climbing beans and broad beans both need climbing frames. Peas also need a little support: chicken wire or netting stretched between supports would do fine.
9. Roots, such as carrots, beetroot and potatoes. Nothing beats the taste of newly dug potatoes!
10. Onions & garlic are also very easy vegetables to grow.

We hope that this has inspired you to get out there and start growing your own! Check back here again soon for more money saving tips from Loans2Go.