Watch Video >>

With the arrival of Spring, we have healthful opportunities for savings in the food budget, as well as interesting and educational projects for children to participate in.

Whether living in a rural, suburban or even urban area, growing some household herbs and produce is a worthwhile effort. Aside from the savings on the food bill, the sense of security gained from knowing the food is free of contaminates is worth a great deal.

For the urban person with limited space, there are a few options. First, consider priorities. What tends to be expensive in the grocery store? Tomatoes, for example, can often be a bit pricey, and the varieties bred for a long shelf life tend to offer just a shadow of the true flavor of a tomato. Cooking herbs, depending on the time of year, can also run on the expensive side.

In the postage stamp size backyard that is typical of city dwellers, a surprising amount of fresh produce can be raised. A half dozen tomato plants, a row of lettuce and spinach, some bean plants climbing the fence, a few squash plants and whatever else will fit can provide an assortment of fresh food for the plate.

Spacing the planting times of such things as lettuce and spinach so that they will mature at different rates will keep a nice supply throughout the season. Dual-use vegetables will also help to make use of limited space. Turnips are a good example of this, as both the turnips and the greens make a fine addition to the diet.

For urban dwellers that lack even a small amount of yard, window boxes and big five-gallon buckets can provide some needed space on a porch, patio or fire escape (leaving room for escape, of course). The five-gallon buckets can often be gotten for free from local diners, restaurants or even contractors and builders, as essential supplies are purchased in these and the excess buckets are discarded.

Tomato plants grow nicely in these, and there is the added advantage of being able to extend their producing period by bringing them inside overnight on the chilly nights near the end of the season, rather than losing the last of the tomatoes to frost. With this method, a person can have fresh tomatoes right through November.

Other plants work well in buckets as well, such as hearty, climbing green beans and strong and prolific varieties of summer squash. A bit of experimentation will help to discover the most successful and useful plants.

Window boxes can produce a wide variety of kitchen herbs, as can decorative pots on a patio or porch. As these reach maturity, they can be easily stored by freezing or drying, allowing home grown herbs to be available through the winter and into the spring, until the next planting is ready to use.

Those who have access to a bit more space can easily supply their household fresh produce needs from a garden. Many of the seed varieties of today have been bred to be strong and disease resistant, making gardening easier than ever.

As it is for the shopper who makes the best use of grocery store sales with an eye on the annual food budget, a small to medium sized chest-type freezer may be a good investment for the suburban or rural gardener. While canning excess produce is useful, freezing it is often much easier. In addition, the quality and texture of the food is often better preserved by freezing. The processes involved in freezing allow for a greater retention of valuable nutrients.

As for children, it can only benefit them to understand the processes by which food comes from the earth to our table. Indeed, growing food together is a wonderful teaching opportunity, as the issues related to the food upon our tables are much greater than the mere growing of it.