Gauteng Smallholder October 2015 | Page 28

PLANNING Strategies for cutting food costs W ith a little planning and only a modicum of effort the cost of growing one's own vegetables (and flowers) can, over a couple of years, be reduced to no more than the labour involved in planting watering, weeding and harvesting. The planning involved starts when choosing the varieties of vegetables one wants to grow, and the cultivars one prefers. It goes without saying that one should avoid growing those vegetables that are not enjoyed by one's family because they will, inevitably, go to waste. Secondly, the gardener who plans ahead will take into consideration the amount of any vegetable consumed by the household, the nature of the plant from which it comes, the ability to store or From page 24 their home where their hens can be relatively undisturbed for the first few days. “Place a cardboard box on its side with a clean towel inside the box. Place newspaper under and around the box.