15 guides
Grow-your-own guides
Plain-English guides to growing food on a budget. Conditions vary by area, so check with your local Cooperative Extension office. We don't sell anything garden-related or earn commission.
Getting started
Is it worth it, containers, soil and your growing zone.
- Does growing your own food really save money?
It can, if you grow the right things and keep costs low.
- Container gardening on a balcony or patio
No yard needed: pots, buckets and grow bags.
- Good soil for less: compost and soil basics
Feed the soil, and make your own fertilizer for free.
- Know your growing zone and frost dates
The two facts that decide when to plant.
What to grow
The best-value crops, seeds and keeping the harvest coming.
- The crops that save the most money
Expensive to buy, easy to grow, and you eat them often.
- Seeds or transplants? What to buy
Seeds are cheaper; some crops are easier from small plants.
- Keep the harvest coming: succession planting
Small sowings every few weeks instead of one big one.
- Grow herbs on a windowsill
The cheapest place to start.
Spend less
Free supplies, water and cheap pest control.
- Free and cheap garden supplies
Seed libraries, swaps, free mulch and secondhand tools.
- Water wisely and keep the bill down
Deep, early and at the roots.
- Pest control on a budget, without harsh chemicals
Check often, catch problems early, use barriers.
Harvest and keep
Picking, preserving, saving seeds and sharing.
- Harvest at the right time
Picking often makes many plants produce more.
- Preserve your harvest safely
Freezing is easiest; canning needs tested recipes.
- Save your own seeds
Free seeds for next year from a few easy crops.
- Share your surplus
Swap, gift or donate what you can't use.