Grow your own

I'm sure it's been discussed many times, the plentiful savings one can make by growing your own vegetables and this has certainly been my experience. However, in this day and age, time is a precious resource, backyards are getting smaller and whilst patience is a virtue - it's one that I lack quite a bit of. So although I have longed for a quarter acre block with vegie garden from back door to back fence, I have made do with what I could manage with the time and space available to me.

Portable planter for under $10!



After scouring my local recycling depot for some second hand pots I stumbled upon an old kettle bbq. With a little lateral thinking, this bbq has now become my portable planter! It has wheels to move it around to optimise sunshine, my little dogs can't reach the plants and best of all I don't have to bend! Total cost of this project was $9.95! The old bbq cost me $4, bag of potting mix was $2.95 and I picked up 4 plants for $3 at my local sunday market! I placed scrap felt in the bottom of the kettle bbq as the holes were quite large and I placed an old washing up tub underneath to catch the water as it drains out - then this water can be used to re-water the plants. Now I can enjoy fresh strawberries and assorted herbs for less than what it costs me to drive to the supermarket! Other ideas for a portable garden could include; old washing basket trolleys, old bassinetts with black plastic as a liner or old wheelbarrows, be creative today!