Plant a Greener Life, Fatter Wallet | NBC 7 San Diego

Plant a Greener Life, Fatter Wallet

Making dollars and sense of the best food to grow



    Sarah Biggart
    Fruit trees are a great investment, but remember to prune them to control size.


        Stretching the food dollar is definitely on people’s minds nowadays. Ever think of an edible home garden with more than just herbs?
        While an herb garden is an easy investment, equally painless is growing tasty produce that yields considerable savings.
        From a dollars point of view, certain varieties of fruit and vegetables are less costly and time-effective.
        For example, snow peas cost about $3.00 a pound and green snap peas take the same or more space to grow and are more expensive. Store-bought frozen petit peas are better, fresher, and cheaper than green snap.
        As an alternative to head lettuce, fancy Mezclun mixed greens cost about $4.00 a pound and grow anywhere – even in pots. Choose Mezclun over head lettuce to plant, head lettuce takes up a larger area to grow and needs more attention.
        A quick tip to yield fruit all season long is to plant 3 or 4 fruit trees in one hole. Remember to prune trees to control the size and height.
        Most root veggies are great, for example Swiss chard and baby spinach are good. Winter cabbage, asparagus, celery, head lettuce, and corn are money wasters due to the large area they take up and amount of gardening they require.