How Herb Gardening Can Save You Money

It may not be the first thing you think of when planning your new garden plot, but herb gardening and the cultivation of vegetables in your yard can help keep you healthy, and also save you a lot of money on your grocery bills—that is, if you’re eating right to begin with.

Herbs for the Dinner Plate

You can’t grow Doritos, canned soup or juicy steaks in your backyard, but you can harvest a lot of the stuff that nutritionists, as well as most of our family practice doctors, say we should be eating. Greens are a crucial part of good nutrition. More Americans have started to shop in the produce section of their supermarkets, looking for ways to eat better and improve their overall health.

The problem with this is that it takes a lot of effort to clean those plants and get them all the way to the produce aisle, and to keep them green and nice looking until shoppers can select them and take them home. In fact, the whole process is grossly inefficient. The herbs and vegetables that you get at the supermarket can come from anywhere, and they do. That makes it difficult to get high quality, affordable plant foods at your local grocery chains.

Herb Gardening for Fun and Profit

Around the time of WWII, small home gardens were called “victory gardens” by U.S. officials. These household efforts can still help families enjoy a victory over the high costs of food. Herbs cost next to nothing to grow in your home, and can provide flavoring and content for many meals. With home-grown herbs, there’s no need to scour the label for an organic designation or try to figure out whether someone cleaned the stuff before wrapping it in plastic.

An herb garden can get you some time in the sun, provide for physical activity, and help with learning more about horticulture in general. It can also be a money saver, which is why now is a good time to collect some of the basic gear you’ll need for a backyard herb garden, or even a windowsill garden for those with an apartment space. A small terrace or sill can be a great place to start cultivating greens that you can use for more than just decoration when fixing dinner.

Popular Herbs for Home Gardening

When it comes to a home herb garden, there’s plenty to choose from. Basil, oregano, chives and dill are top choices. Mint can also come in handy for flavoring teas or lamb dishes. Other kinds of aromatic herbs like thyme are common additions to an herb garden. Rosemary, that hardy plant used for flavoring potatoes and more, can grow in a range of conditions, and is often installed outdoors, even as part of a landscaped bed along with shrubs.

Think about adding some of the above to a small garden, and you’ll save on the costs of buying local, organic cut herbs for dishes.