People always used to tell me that home-grown tomatoes taste better than store bought. Stan and I aren’t big tomato fans so I never thought anything of it until I tasted one and wow, they were yummy. It gave me an idea. If tomatoes taste better home grown, wouldn’t other things too?
Stan thought it would be a great idea to plant some peach trees and grow our own peaches. The problem with that is our two dogs find entertainment by gnawing at the small trunks. No matter how we cordoned them off, the dogs still managed to get to them. So that idea was a bust. Then he planted berries along the fenceline but on the outside so the dogs couldn’t get to them. Well, the deer and jackrabbits did. So no berries for us.
Then Stan realized that we had a strip of ground between where the driveway ended and where the fence started. It’s about 2ft by 15ft. It’s out of reach from the dogs and the animals don’t like to eat standing on concrete or smelling some of the herbs we planted. We used this spot to plant a small garden. It’s been very successful. 
We’ve got lots of different herbs as well as lettuce and artichokes. I think we’re going to try to plant bell peppers next.
This has been a great way for us to save on groceries. I rarely buy spices. I never buy lettuce and once we get the bell peppers going, I’ll never have to buy those either. Even if you live in an apartment you can still be your own grocer. Don’t be discouraged by location or size. With a little TLC, you can do it. Besides, I have a brown thumb and we’ve still managed to make it work. Here are a few resources I’ve come across that can help you.
If you have a bit of space, check out this article HERE.
If you are limited on space or need to keep out animals, check out this article HERE.
If you want an excellent urban gardening resource, go HERE.
Do any of you out there grow your own? What have been some of your best successes? What about failures?
Shellie loves to share her frugal living tips as well as deals and bargains to help you get more with less. A spender at heart, she balances her frugal lifestyle with the occassional splurge. 
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Thanks for posting this. This is one of my next steps if I can get my hubby to join in with me. I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. Just another way to be recession proof and to have more to share with our neighbors…
We’ve done tomatoes on our patio when we lived in an apartment. Worked great! I think we’re going to skip on the garden this year since we’re adjusting to two little ones, but I’ll be back on board next! I’ll be asking you about lettuce, for sure… we go through lettuce like crazy!
I agree on sharing with neighbors. You could even strike up a deal with your neighbors where you each grow different veggies and share, thereby cutting down on the work. :)
My brother made his own special cherry tomato planter after he saw an ad for how to grow them in a hanging basket. The container has a hole in the bottom large enough to insert the plant upside down, leaving the roots inside the container. Fill with soil, and then plant a variety of flowers on top! The tomatoes need no staking, and the whole thing takes no ground space. Does need sunshine or a grow light though. He loved it! We’re SO going to try it this summer!
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