Last week the BBC reported on the increase in food prices which have now gone up by an average 8.3% since January. Meat and fish saw the biggest jumps, up 22.9% whilst fruit and vegetables were up 14.7%.
Meanwhile my little experiment at ‘growing your own’ has almost come to an end for another year. It’s been a relative success, five chilli plants were grown from seed and are still producing fruit for mealtimes. We’ve not bought any herbs (basil, mint, oregano or thyme) from the shops since May now and the tomatoes are just about ready for picking. The only disappointment or failure this year has been the salad which didn’t seem to favour the wetter conditions the summer brought with it.
It’s fair to say the savings made in our weekly shopping bill wouldn’t be described as massive but nor were they insubstantial. If food prices continue to increase in the same vein next year then more and more of us may well consider the Grow Your Own option as a means of tackling the rising costs of a weekly shop.
For those lucky to have an outdoor patch or anyone thinking about giving Grow Your Own a try due to the increase in food prices, the Gardeners Calendar and the Royal Horticultural Society’s website are two very good starting points with advice available on starting a vegetable plot and monthly tips on what to sow.
