Growing own produce indoors in winter to save money

[frugaltimes]

I won't be the only one on here who is shocked at the ever-increasing prices of fresh produce, as well as the poor quality in supermarkets at the moment.

Just looking for ideas of produce I could grow indoors this winter? I'm a total novice and not very experienced with growing things or gardening in general.

My DC loves strawberries so I was thinking of getting some strawberries plants going, ready to plant outside in the warmer months. Any success stories to inspire me?

I’m not sure this is likely to save you money, especially if you are inexperienced. It’s a running joke amongst most gardeners I know that anything we grow is unbelievably expensive - I think last year I got 8 tiny strawberries and had invested about £15 in the bare root plants, pots, fertiliser etc - never mind the loving care and attention and watering etc.

How much space do you have on warm sunny windowsills? How much sunny space outdoors? How’s your soil quality? All of that will influence what you can grow.

Yer I’m not sure this is the way to make your bills less. The only thing I’d suggest is pea shoots maybe?

instead maybe switch to frozen veg or choose cheaper veg. Freeze leftover stuff like peppers onions pre chopped for another day rather than let them shrivel in the fridge. Work out when the local shop reduces things and buy fruit/veg reduced.

You won't save money on strawberries. I have one of those light/water boxes and we love having salad and herbs all the time. But it doesn't save money.

Just wanted to add probably not enough daylight in the UK to do much/anything over winter. Things tend to get very leggy, if they grow at all. But certainly get things going around April time when the days are longer. We have a veg plot and grow a lot but it is really hard work and frankly rarely worth it from a cost point of view unless you're growing stuff that's expensive in the shops, like blueberries. You really need a greenhouse though to get things going early IMO.

I'm not sure about growing in winter indoors. I do grow in the garden over summer and then freeze or preserve for winter. I'm very lucky to have several fruit trees though (I'm absolutely sick of plums after this year 😂) I agree with PP that blueberries are good, but I care for mine and I still only get about a punnetful!

Herbs indoors can be good, I do have those on the windowsill but not saving too much money.

You can grow lettuce on your window sill in winter. Generally speaking though, producing any food in sufficient quantity indoors will be tricky due to light levels and space.

Assuming you have a garden, you would be much better off growing things outdoors in anticipation of the next growing season. You can plant broad beans garlic, onions and pea outside now for early crops next year.

Another thing worth investing in is perennial vegetables that you can pick all year round. Here's some information on that www.theenglishgarden.co.uk/plants/fruits-vegetables-and-herbs/alys-fowlers-favourite-perennial-vegetables/

We’ve got an aoent, don’t save any money.

We grow tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, rhubarb ie the more expensive to buy stuff. Incidentally sugar snap tomatoes are the nicest. Also basil, mint rosemary.
We also do cut & come again lettuce selection pretty much all year (goes in sandwiches mostly)

Peashoots/rocket/mizuna/Chinese giant red mustard/land cress, I've grown these all easily through the summer and you could probably grow them on a sunny windowsill. Spring onions, don't bother with seeds, buy some from the supermarket, use only the leaves and plant the white bottom bit. You can keep cutting the leaves as they will grow and grow.

If you have a garden then as a pp says perennial veggies can be great - although some I've had no luck with. I'd recommend perennial kales, jerusalem artichokes and garlic as the easiest - although I have clay soil so you may be different. Blueberries like acidic soil and have always been a disaster for me but I've had success with raspberries and strawberries.

Don't expect to feed the family every day but it's nice to pick things you have grown yourself - I make by own plant food from comfrey plants too. If you grow out doors though, be prepared that all of nature wants to eat your crops as much as you do!

It is expensive, because it is difficult!

Not much grows in the UK in the winter, even indoors, due to the lack of light.

If I was to suggest anything it would be loose leaf lettuce and spinach. However alot of things that are grown indoors get covered in greenfly because there isn't alot else around for them to go for, which especially for newbies, makes the veg rather unappealing.

I planted pumpkin seeds months ago and no way will we get pumpkins . They look healthy and have flowers onthem, but now being freezing, cold and damp in Scotland it’s not the right conditions for growth

Saying that we have a huge amount of raspberries a huge glut that I freeze. Peas grow well and strawberries. I in spring/summer and freeze for winter .I think I’m unlucky with veg . I had lovely brussel sprouts growing one year, I went out the next day to check and bloody slugs had ate them all

Look up seasonal veg and you will see these are much cheaper than out of season veg. We buy the wonky carrots, parsnips and potatoes at this time of year, and they really do only cost pennies. Green cabbages and kale and cauliflower and leeks are all also in season now
Things like apples and pears and oranges are also seasonal and are the cheapest fruits.
Herb plants on the windowsill are the plants most likely to save you money in the winter

Agree
Cabbages are 75p to £1 here,at the moment and are huge!
They keep really well and,I add them to everything
Greengrocers will sell a half or whole bag of spuds fairly cheaply .
Carrots,are delicious and crispy at the moment-roast with honey,balsamic vinegar and herbs
Ditto parsnips

Suggest look at these food waste reduction apps
Free food

Olio

Too Good To Go

You cannot choose what you get

Some other places like community pantys rescue food from going to waste

Some churches or community centres offer "fill a bag fir £5"

Check in your local community what is on offer

Iceland have an offer
Put in £100 before a certain date
Get £15 free
You could buy frozen veg & fruit

Also discount for over 60s

Easier than growing

Get some seed sprouting jars. You then just soak seeds overnight in them, rinse morning and night for 5 days and within a week you will have your own sprouts. You don't need any soil. Super easy, really yummy added to stir fries, salads etc and really healthy. I sprout brocolli seeds, they are an amazing source of sulphuriphane and have 100x the amount in a full head of brocolli!

Herbs on windowsills, sprouts such as mung beans, pea shoots. But you are unlikely to get much more than garnishes - it's not going to sustain you. Maybe in a heated greenhouse, but then unlikely to save you money. But winter is a good time to stock up on root veg (especially when massively discounted around Christmas). Then the rest of year try to buy the seasonal gluts and preserve yourself. If you have outside space try various things in a low effort sort of way - there will be some things that will thrive with little input and you can focus on them. We have plenty of rhubarb, blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, apples, plums with a couple of hours effort a year. Slightly more effort (but still minimal - I tend to plant seeds and water weekly - no nurturing here) runner beans, squashes, borlotti beans, purple climbing beans, oregon sugar pod, golf ball carrots, garlic, raddishes, spinach and salad leaves. Every year I pick a couple of new things to try and now and again something gets added to the regular list, but it's got to be low input. I pick a lot of blackberries and bottle/freeze. I pick nettles and comfry once a year and steep in lidded buckets for free fertiliser to add to watering cans when watering anyway. I just cover weeds with compost and/or cardboard. That's it. I do grow some potatoes and onions every few years to keep my hand in - a useful skill - but they are cheaper and easier to buy in bulk.

The best way is to grow lots outside in summer and freeze for winter. Growing berries in winter is hard

We add a few berry bushes each year. Now after about 5 years we get a large amount of fruits. I have at least 5kg of strawberries, red currants, blackberries frozen. About 2kg of blueberries and raspberries. So we use these to add warm with yogurt to waffles/ pancakes. And crumbles, porridge etc. Berries are easy as plant once and they grow every year

Other things like butternut squash or other pumpkins store very well. So if you grow a lot and harvest September time, you usually can keep them until about February.

So not a huge help for this winter, but for future. In uk you need to get things like seeds pre growing indoors or small greenhouse first as if you start from seed in May or June you won’t have a long enough growing season for any things.

I used to grow plants 365 days a year indoors in Ireland (not weed 🤣). You need proper grow lights and temperature control, it will be €€€. Having lots of plants & damp soil indoors close together can then lead to mould and insect problems.
Buying in season produce when it's cheap and freezing it is a much better plan.

Spring onions regrow very well.

Just from the supermarket, cut off the root with about 1/2 an inch of the white bit. Put in a pot so the roots are touching water and wait for the magic to happen.

Sounds great just water no soil?

Ooh tell me more

Do you have a greenhouse or cold frame?

I grow lettuce, rocket, spring onions, beetroot, herbs & new potatoes in pots under glass through the winter. Overnights I leave candles burning which is just enough to fend off the frost. I don't like candles but people keep giving me them as presents so this is the perfect way to use them. 😁

My greenhouse is near a south facing wall so the warmest area of the garden, and I make sure the glass is clean to ensure maximum light.

Longtime gardener here. It’s highly unlikely you’ll save money. Very little except perhaps lettuce will grow indoors in winter. And even lettuce, you might get one bowl every few weeks in exchange for all of the effort and mess.