As the world continues to fight against the Coronavirus COVID-19, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to purchase what you need from supermarkets. We have all see the empty shelves and fights breaking out about toilet rolls as the supply chain become increasingly strained.
As most of the world starts to self-isolate to help combat the spread of the disease, thoughts turn to how you can supplement your fruit and vegetables by starting to grow these at home.
Not only will you save money, you will also avoid the supermarkets which will increasingly become battle grounds for the remaining fresh produce until things calm down over the coming weeks.
This is something the UK faced last year with fears over a no-deal Brexit scenario which threatened food supply chains also.
While there is little risk of actual food shortages at the moment, some popular vegetables could be in short supply. Luckily it isn’t hard to grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs.
Grow Your Own
A simple way to mitigate an incoming price hike is to start planting your own vegetable garden at home.
Even if you live in a small apartment with a balcony, you can do a bit of herb or potato cultivation. If you have a yard or even a small bit of land, you can plant even more.
If you are wondering how to start gardening, we have a few simple ideas to get you going in the right direction. There are many ways to use the space you already have, and get yummy homegrown produce in a few months’ time.
Here are some of our guides to growing your own produce:
- How to Plant & Grow Potatoes: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Mushrooms: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Tomatoes: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Sweet Potatoes: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Lettuce: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Carrots: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Cucumbers: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Garlic: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Onions: Complete Guide
- How to Plant & Grow Strawberries: Complete Guide
Survival Seed Packs
This pack available on Amazon contains all the seeds you need to get started growing your own produce.
Potato Box Garden
Did you know that a 4-food wooden box can produce around 100 pounds of potatoes in a year?
It’s true. All you have to do is build (or commission) a wooden box, and fill it with good quality soil. Then you add some cut-up potatoes of your choosing and wait for the fall. If you have a greenhouse, the potato box can go year-round, and best of all, the harvest is easy.
The potato box is built with vertical slats that can be removed whenever you like, and you can take potatoes as you need them. Of course, eventually, you will have to harvest them all, and use some of the potatoes to start the next generation.
At the moment potatoes are selling from between £0.25 and £0.60 per pound at major UK supermarkets, which means that a potato box could save you at least £25 per year. You will also have a supply of potatoes whenever you want them, and they could be grown organically if you like.
Lots of Options for Homegrown Goodness
Root vegetables and herbs are easy to grow and can be planted just about anywhere. If you have a little bit more time to dedicate to gardening, cultivating your own leafy greens can also be done without too much trouble.
The cost savings from a garden are great, but you will also be doing something that is good for your health. As long as you take some basic safety precautions, gardening is a super healthy activity. Your produce will also be great for you, and you may even have enough to share with your friends!
