Producing Your Own Food and Other Supplies

Producing your own food is a good way to not only save money, but also to know exactly where your food is coming from.  If you don't know when you'll be able to earn income, producing your own food is one way to make sure you'll never go hungry. Depending on your lifestyle and property, you might be able to supplement what you buy at the grocery store with a tabletop herb garden, or you might be able to operate a small scale farm with a garden, chickens, cows, an orchard and/or your own dairy.  Since several of our readers operate these kind of farms as their primary source of income, we've collected some of their suggestions as well as advice from our friends who are hunters and avid gardeners. 

Growing a Garden

The UN estimates that it takes a minimum of .17 acres of land to feed a person for a year.  Of course, that assumes a steady supply of water, great soil conditions, and a farmer who knows what he or she is doing.

The first step to growing your own food is to figure out where to grow it.  If you live in an apartment, your choices are probably limited to window boxes or the back porch.  This means you'll be limited to plants with shallow roots and small footprints.  If you want more room, consider starting a neighborhood vegetable garden.

If you own or rent a house where you can garden a piece or all of the yard, you can plant a lot more.  More space means that you need to take the time to plan. 

What should I plant?

Deciding what to plant in your backyard or porch garden is a major decision if you plan to make this one of your main sources of food.  Unless you're planning to take up farming full-time, however, you need to concentrate on plants that are easy to grow, are high in nutrition, and can replace high cost produce at the store.  Tearing out all the sod in your backyard for a corn field will just give you way more corn than you could ever eat or use, and reduce the value of your property .After all, who really who wants to buy a house with a cornfield in their backyard?  The plants on this list, however, will look good in a variety of gardens (some are even decorative) and provide you with a lot of produce for very little upfront investment.

Berries  Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are considered cheap when your buy them for less than $3 for 6 ounces.  That's over $5.33 a pound; you can buy seafood for less.  The reason they're so expensive, however, is that they are hard to pick, pack and ship.  These plants have thorns that make picking slow, and the plants are easily damaged by pickers who are being paid by the pound.  They also tend not too last too long after they're picked, meaning that most supermarkets throw out or donate a lot of product.  Fortunately, these plants are relatively easy to grow.  Place them near a fence so that the vines have something to cling to.  As an added bonus, the thorns make them a good choice for planting anywhere that you want to deter people from coming onto your property.

Citrus  If you live in a warm climate, these trees are an ideal way to save money.  Lemons and limes are some of the most expensive fruits at the grocery store, but they're also some of the most versatile.  Lemon juice can be used for everything from bleaching hair to cleaning drains.  If you grow your trees from seed expect it to take at least three years before you get fruit.  If you choose to buy trees it's possible to get fruit your first season.  Just make sure that your trees are protected in the winter.

Herbs  These can be grown in a backyard garden or tabletop container, making them practical for just about everyone.  Fresh, organic herbs at the grocery store can cost you several dollars a bunch, while growing them yourself is practically free.  As an added bonus, many varieties are natural insect repellants, making it possible for you to grow organic produce.  Besides cooking, you can also use them in a variety of natural remedies.  Learn how to make your own lotion, soap, and other bath supplies and you can save yourself a fortune on holiday gifts.

Peppers  This is a good plant for container gardens or outdoors if you live in a warm climate.  Depending on the variety, peppers can cost between $2 and $7 a pound, which makes growing them a great way to save money.  Sweet peppers can be used in a variety of dishes, and are a great source of many different nutrients.  If you get really ambitious, learn which varieties to breed for heat and flavor and start making your own hot sauce.

Aloe  This is a great medicinal plant, and you can usually find them fully grown at a nursery for less than $5.  Use it to treat burns and rashes.  While aloe gel isn't too expensive, this is a plant that grows quickly and is easy to harvest.  Just pull off a leaf and the plant will keep growing.  Since it thrives in poor soil, plant it in places where nothing else will grow.  It's also considered to be a decorative plant, so consider it in your front yard.

What you shouldn't plant

These plants needs a large amount of room to grow, and/or you can purchase them relatively cheaply at the grocery store.  If you have limited time and space, don't bother with these plants.

Corn.  In order to get ears that you can eat, you'll need at least six rows so that will cross pollinate.  That's a huge amount of space, and unless you make your own tortillas, you probably can't eat that much.  Corn is also one of the cheapest vegetables you can buy.  Dedicate your garden space to something else.

Wheat and other grains.  Many of the familiar varieties (read: the ones your family is used to eating) of these plants require a great deal of agricultural know-how.  In addition, it takes a lot of space to grow, and processing grain on your own is incredibly time-consuming.  There's a reason that grain mills were the first automated machines that our species invented; making flour is incredibly labor intensive.  Fortunately, bread is fairly cheap at the grocery store.

Ginko Biloba  If you use this supplement, you may be tempted to save some money by growing it yourself.  Unfortunately, it's a terrible plant to deal with.  The pollen the male trees produce is terrible for allergy suffers, as is the fruit on the female trees.