Grow what you eat

[cam]

I have heard a campaign where they are encouraging people to take control of their lives, by growing what they eat. Even though this will not solve the problem completely it will free up funds that were used to buy these items for something else.

[CopyCat]

Can I just plant the pizza boxes, or do I have to plant slices of pizza ???
No really that is a good idea... And I do have some tomatoes and
jalapeno plants planted in pots on my deck...

[mandarinpeel]

if you figure out a pepperoni pizza plant let me know, because that would save me money so i wouldn't have to buy them in bulk for my fiancee, haha.

[Ricky]

We grow a lot of stuff, and weather permitting should get a decent sized crop this year. It's definitely nice growing your own, and if you can can stuff, or freeze it then yes you will save yourself some money. Seeds are way cheaper than most veggies in stores.

[moo6]

I'm not sure whats up with the land in my yard but its nonplantable, is that a word? I have tried all plants, herbs, flowers - nothing at all will spurt up driving me MAD!

[AbigailD]

Some yards are just like that. In your case you might want to have a raised, enclosed bed that is filled with more fertile soil, or consider testing the soil that you have to figure out what the problem is.

[Collyweed]

There are other things you can do in addition to Abigail's suggestions. For example, some vegetables, like sweet peppers, will grow very nicely in a small container and without taking up much space.

Originally Posted by moo6

I'm not sure whats up with the land in my yard but its nonplantable, is that a word? I have tried all plants, herbs, flowers - nothing at all will spurt up driving me MAD!

[purplefdu]

Test the soil-yearly. Even if your soil is perfect it can go back to being pretty crappy if you planted heavily and it ate up the nutrients.

I figure I spend about $100 yearly (thats probably a bit high) on soil, fertilizer, seeds, and seedlings for my raised bed. I get two seedlings of beans/peas, carrots and radishes and buckets of tomatoes though. I also get plenty of everything else I grow such as corn, squashes and melons. I figure since tomatoes alone are 2.99/lb I only need 34 lbs of tomatoes to break even.

I do actually plant things I don't eat alot of and trade with neighbors who grow some thing better than I do.

[Ricky]

Lots of things are suited well to container gardening. Potatoes are one of them-they are very greedy on nutrients and will strip the soil, so unless you are planning on rotational crops (which in fact are an excellent idea) containing such things is good.

[CopyCat]

Well I guess I'll be starting over come this weekend with my grow your own
project... I'm afraid that I was out spraying roundup on some undergrowth in
the woods surrounding my house this past weekend... And well, a gentle
breeze carried the overspray to the plants on my deck... Note to self: Never
spray roundup with a breeze blowing... So although the woods surrounding
the house are starting to look pretty good now, my yard looks like hell...
Happy note: I sure am glad I had my catnip planted down the street...