Money saving garden tips: cost-effective fruit and veg

Preparing a meal from homegrown ingredients is incredibly satisfying and can help to save money too. We asked our favourite gardening experts to share tips on cost-effective fruit and vegetables to grow at home. Here are some of their tried-and-tested suggestions…

Choose value for money seeds

“One of the most cost-effective veg seeds to sow is beetroot. A packet containing hundreds of seeds can cost less than £1, and it’s so versatile and easy to grow. Try classic varieties like ‘Boltardy’. Then protect your precious crops by making a fruit and veg cage from recycled materials like scaffold netting, bamboo canes, blue water pipe and cable ties.”
– Steve Newland from @snewland97

Go for large yields and long seasons

“I always recommend choosing fruit and veg that produce large yields over a long period. Tomatoes, raspberries and courgettes crop for months, and are highly productive.”
– Louise from @our_little_veg_garden

Put the right plant in the right place

“Of course, what to grow depends on your garden. For a sunny location try tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and blackberries. If you have partial shade, choose root crops, salads, cabbages and blueberries. Keep costs down by fertilising the plants using natural compost made from your own garden and green kitchen waste.”
– Abdur from Garden Ideas & DIY

Always grow your own strawberries and raspberries

“Grow raspberries and strawberries. They provide a good harvest and both have a tendency to multiply each year…”
– Derek Daley @fiveminutegardener

Learn to layer fruit bushes for extra plants

“Layer fruit bushes like blackcurrants to propagate more plants. I take a branch and pass it through the bottom of a garden pot. Then fill the pot with compost, fix it securely and wait. After a couple of months you can cut the pot away from the parent plant and you have a new bush to enjoy.”
–Richard from The Veg Grower Podcast

Save money on costly herbs

“When it comes to cost-effective fruit and veg I always think that herbs give huge bang for your buck. Herbs can be used in every meal and turn a standard dish into a tantalising treat. (Sprinkling oregano over cheese on toast makes it into a gourmet dish!)”
– Richard from The Veg Grower Podcast

Plant perennial varieties

“Perennial kale grows well from cuttings and (provided the plants are protected from pigeons) can be a good way to help fill the ‘hungry gap’. And a patch of Welsh onions will provide an almost continuous supply of flavour throughout the year.”
– Carole Hussey from @plot303

Save seeds from tasty fruits

“I like to cook my meals from scratch, so if I come across a particularly flavoursome tomato, melon or bell pepper etc then I will collect and save the seed for sowing in the spring. Not only are the seeds effectively free, you’re growing plants that you know you want to eat.”
– Simon from Garden of Eaden

Create a wildlife-friendly garden for natural pest control

“You can also save money in your garden by encouraging nature to help with pest control. By giving birds, hedgehogs and frogs a home, they will thank you by taking care of slugs and snails naturally for you. Much cheaper than pesticides and much better for us all.”
– Richard from The Veg Grower Podcast

Starting your fruit and vegetables from seed is a good way to stretch your budget. Ready to start growing? Browse our full range of high-quality seeds and find out what to sow and grow each month with our helpful checklists.