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Posted April 16, 2014

Student Saving Tip: Grow Your Own Food

Saving money as a student has always been a hot topic, regardless of the country you may be studying in, and having a few extra pounds in your pocket to spend elsewhere is always welcome. Food is particularly expensive here in the UK and this is an area where students will be looking to streamline expenses.

Eating healthily will also affect your mental concentration, and help you focus for longer periods.

It is not overly difficult to save money on food by way of changing diet, like for instance eating less meat and buying less expensive items to have during your meal. However, there is a way to save up even more money as a hungry student, a way which takes very little effort. Growing your own food has always been popular among those who like more organic produce, but it is not only beneficial in terms of health.

Growing your own produce as a student does not mean needed industrial amounts of fertilizer or excessive amounts of space in your garden. Speaking of garden, many students will live in an urban space without one, but this should not be a deterrent to growing some lovely potatoes, carrots or tasty organic vegetables.

So if you are curious about how to begin growing your own tasty produce, keep reading.

Starting Out If, as mentioned, you don't have access to a garden it is quite easy to hire out an allotment for a petty yearly sum. There is also the possibility of building an indoor growing area, for instance by using plastic window boxes, hanging pots or just your regular plant pots. It would be wise to allocate at least a room for this purpose, like perhaps a box room with lights or a well-lit room upstairs, but the space needed will of course depend on the amount you wish to grow.

Laying out plastic sheets and setting up an area by windows is usual ideal for growing plants, and the window sill offers an ideal place to grow herbs like basil, sage and much more. Window-sill herb gardens are quite common nowadays, and some postgrads even grow particularly spicy peppers by the window!

Make a plan of what you wish to grow and set up your space accordingly.

Growing Food Patience is needed at all times when growing vegetables and herbs, and you will need to take care of your plants. Though growing things like potatoes or carrots isn't particularly hard, it will still require fertilized soil, water and light. These three things are necessary for growing absolutely anything, so if you are doing this indoors make sure all three are available for your homely produce.

Growing beans is also quite easy, and we've all done it as children. Other things which are not overly space-consuming are tomatoes, tubers, carrots and similar vegetables. All these are easy to grow but will still need to be taken care of. Some larger boxes are definitely recommended if you wish to grow enough to eat, though if you have hired out an allotment it will make everything easier.

Lastly, it really isn't hard to find seeds online or even use the seeds from whatever you bought. Just enjoy the process and, most importantly, enjoy your home-made meal!

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