If you are short of space in your garden try an indoor herb garden instead. There are plenty of smaller varieties and dwarf varieties of herbs that will grow quite well in small pots that can be placed on a kitchen windowsill. It makes cooking easier as you do not have to run to your outside garden to pick a few herbs. You can just simply turnaround and grab a few leaves!
Growing an indoor herb garden is easy and fun, lots of kits are available that have everything that you need to get started. There are even kits available that are fun to use and will get the kids involved. You get the same benefits that you would growing outside, but with some definite advantages.
· It is easy to monitor your plants
· Maintenance is easier
· No bugs eating the leaves
· So no nasty chemicals needed
· Easy to pick fresh leaves for cooking.
As most herbs are aromatic when you plant an indoor herb garden you get the fantastic fragrance they provide (air freshener any one?). You never now you may even get inspire whilst cooking and using the fresh leaves rather than the dried ones sitting in you cabinets will give your cooking a much better flavor.
Growing herbs indoors can also protect your outside plants as herbs by nature can be very invasive and if not controlled can take over the rest of the garden, but by growing your herbs indoors in pots this problem is overcome.
We all now that having plants in a room can make the room warm and cozy. Now by growing herbs indoors you get warmth combine with pleasant fragrance and a useful plant too.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Can I save money growing my own fruit and veg?
Can I save money growing my own fruit and veg?
The answer is yes you can by following 5 simple steps.
1. List what you and your family like to eat, e.g. apples, swedes, peppers etc.
2. Then take that list and get mark each item as either expensive, cheap or in between. For example here in the UK carrots are cheap but Chilli peppers are expensive.
3. Then take those that you have marked as expensive and look at their growing requirements an compare those to the space and climate etc you have available. Also remember to include the amount of care that is needed. It is no use deciding to grow something yourself if you are away a lot of the time and this crop needs daily watering.
4. Once you have done this you can repeat 3 if you think you would have the room to grow more.
5. If you have no option but to grow the items on the list that are marked as cheap, then pick those that take up the least amount of space and are in the ground for the shortest period of time. And wherever possible use successional sowings to extend the cropping period.
Here in the UK fruit is generally more expensive than veg so try growing things like Blueberrys and if you have space in a sunny location citrus fruits.
Always remember to pick up your windfall apples and use to make juice/puree which you can then freeze. Both eating and cooking apples can be used for this.
The answer is yes you can by following 5 simple steps.
1. List what you and your family like to eat, e.g. apples, swedes, peppers etc.
2. Then take that list and get mark each item as either expensive, cheap or in between. For example here in the UK carrots are cheap but Chilli peppers are expensive.
3. Then take those that you have marked as expensive and look at their growing requirements an compare those to the space and climate etc you have available. Also remember to include the amount of care that is needed. It is no use deciding to grow something yourself if you are away a lot of the time and this crop needs daily watering.
4. Once you have done this you can repeat 3 if you think you would have the room to grow more.
5. If you have no option but to grow the items on the list that are marked as cheap, then pick those that take up the least amount of space and are in the ground for the shortest period of time. And wherever possible use successional sowings to extend the cropping period.
Here in the UK fruit is generally more expensive than veg so try growing things like Blueberrys and if you have space in a sunny location citrus fruits.
Always remember to pick up your windfall apples and use to make juice/puree which you can then freeze. Both eating and cooking apples can be used for this.
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