Gardening is a great way to eat green without spending a fortune.  It doesn’t have to take up an entire field or all your free time to be successful.  Like many things, a good garden is one that works smart not hard. 

1.      Be a square.  Square-foot gardening gives you more bang for your buck, allows you to work your garden with less time, and rotates your crops without having to plan in advance. 

2.      Grow what you eat.  I know gardeners who grow onions because it is “time” and they end of giving away or trashing all of them.  Don’t waste your time on crops you won’t use.  Plant what you need and what you want and you will enjoy your garden much more.

3.      Extend your seasons.  By using some garden cloth and some plastic you can extend your growing seasons to almost a year round garden (depending on your region). 

4.      Add a few herbs and perennials.  Not only do they increase the attractiveness of your garden to people, but to beneficial insects as well.  Another great benefit is that many of the perennial flowers can be used for cooking – they add zing and color to your meal.

Planting your own, smaller garden, gives you control over what is grown and how it is grown.  You don’t have to wonder about just how organic the products may be.  You know exactly where the seeds came from and how they were grown.  Gardens don’t have to take up a lot of space or a lot of time, but they will save you a lot of money in the end.