How does growing your own save you money?

I keep on reading that growing your own vegetables is a good way to 'beat the credit crunch' (though how this helps you get a loan or mortage is never explained). This makes me realise that I've never actually sat down and totted up the net cost/benefit of my fruit and vegetable growing and poultry keeping. But then, decades of practice and parsimony passed through the genes mean I don't do things in the same way as many people. 

I suspect if I added up the cost of materials and food for the poultry over the years (even with all structures home made or free-cycled), I would be well out of pocket despite buoyant egg sales. But then, the birds produce about a ton of straw manure which makes vegetable growing possible in a very thin and porous soil, and it's sentimentally valuable to have many generations of ducks or hens you've raised yourself. 

If the your sole reason for growing food is economic, then here are some tips.

Don't spend too much on seeds

Most of the catalogues that spend a lot on marketing have very expensive seeds. In fact, some are so overpriced that the companies have a number of half-price seed sales through the year. T&M harass you with a lot of junk emails if you get on their list, but among those will be some half-price veg seed sales. I've bought about half my seeds from their sales in the last few years.

Some garden centres also reduce seeds by half at the end of the season, around June-July.

And some seed merchants are simply better value than others even without reductions. I buy a lot from D T Brown

Also consider some budget brands, though seed quality can be variable. I recommend those from Lidl which were only about 35p for small packets, c. 55p for larger packs of peas and beans. They have good range of largely continental varieties which personally I like a lot. (The one vegetable I'd insist on quality seed for are parsnips, which can be hard to germinate at the best of times.)

Don't throw away last year's seed packets

Most vegetable seeds will actually remain viable for a number of years (the exceptions are parsnips and lettuce, though I find the latter will germinate the following year with reduced fertility). I just planted a row of Forono beetroot with a sell-by date of 2003 and it germinated with as much vigour as if it was new. Opened seed does need to be stored well, in a dry, cool place.

Save your own seed

This sometimes happens by accident if you find a pea or bean pod that has escaped picking. Dry any of these off and then shell. Discard any that look too shrivelled or brown.

Don't buy seed potato or onion/shallot sets mail order

Self-evident; the postage will be astronomical and chances are you'll find exactly the same varieties in your local garden centre unless you live on mars.

Don't be tempted by gadgets

If you do end up with a seed catalogue full of weird and wonderful things, don't be tempted by any of them. The one exception is a roll of environmesh which is essential for keeping caterpillars of brassicas. All the others are a waste of money.

Don't buy lots of fertilisers or pesticides

If you're creating a vegetable plot from scratch, then the soil won't yet have been denuded of nutrients or have built up a lot of pests or diseases. Soil treatments are really for those who have been cultivating a plot for a long time, and need to return what has been taken out to stop the soil becoming exhausted.

Don't buy fruit bushes/trees from catalogues

The fruit offered by the glossy catalogues is very over-priced in comparison with smaller, specialist nurseries, plus postage will be astronomical. Also, all fruit is a medium to long term investment, and it may take a few years before you get the value of the purchase price back in fruit. Check out any local nurseries first. Buckingham Nurseries used to be the best value mail-order supplier of the more popular varieties of top and bush fruit, but I haven't bought anything from them for a while.

Some catalogues do offer good deals on strawberries though, I've bought them from Marshalls on a couple of occasions when they've had a good offer.

Don't create gluts

If you sow a lot of one vegetable in one go, then you'll probably end up chucking a lot of it away. Sow little and often, leaving gaps between sowings. Learn how to store things properly. If you don't have a cool place to store sacks of potatoes, they will germinate in mild weather and will have to be thrown away, so grow a mixture of varieties you can use through the season and a small amount of maincrop until you're sure they will store well (I've ended up storing mine in paper bags in the bottom of the fridge).