Growing flowers, herbs, or shrubs such as Lavenders, tobacco, Thyme, or Rosemary in the garden.
If you are living in the hot and dry or almost to the drought time of the summer season. Do you want to save money on buying herbs, tobacco, any types of flowers into beauty cream such as hand/face cream or for health through eating and cooking flavour in any meals?
It is not hard to make or to grow flowers, herbs, and shrubs from cutting or bought seeds/plants in the nursery centre or in the shop. I was grateful for our grandparents, and great-grandma taught me to grow anything from the garden or even to save buttons, materials for recycling clothing, and other products around the house.
You probably think that I am an old fashioned deaf person as a greenie person or frugal person. I used my skill to create something useful to recycled item for future use or make herb flavour/spices, a healthy product like lavender pillow, soap. It is basically on budget-wise on saving the cost than buying expensive or rubbish stuff from the supermarket, health shop, or online shops.
Since my travelling days over and my studies in BA degree were over back to 2009, I began to grow flowers and vegetables into food such as jams, chutneys, plum, and tomatoes sauces and reuses broken items such as bookcase into a wall shelf, or a planter box. I found that when I am doing this and it saves me the cost without spending an expensive item or buying plum/tomato sauces at the supermarket.
My partner came into our relationship, and he found the price on buying tobacco is higher due to the MPs want to put tax and price up each year. For example, this year, a packet of tobacco – Rothmans Red 30g cost $59.90. The MPs wanted every smoker to cut back or stop smoking due to high lung cancer. I told my partner that I could grow tobacco in the garden but not allow to sell to other people due to the law. Anyone in New Zealand can legally buy seeds and develop their own tobacco. Although it is legal to sell tobacco seeds, it is illegal to sell home-grown tobacco plant material or to give it as a gift. Tobacco, which is grown, must be for personal use only. He could not believe it that I learned to grow tobacco from our great-granduncle, and my partner said, why not and go ahead if I am okay to grow and know what to do. So I am growing tobacco and keep thousand of seeds over 11 years. He still buys tobacco from the shop and switches to homegrown tobacco from time to time. It gave him the benefit of cost saving for bills to pay or himself.
What did I do with the lavender? I picked the seeds and use for baking scones, perfume as pot Pourri, or to make a little pillow, wheat bag. I cut and dried lavenders by hanging upside down in the sunroom. I used the same way by growing garlic bulbs, herbs into dried leaves for baking.
Growing fruit trees and vegetables in our extensive gardens, and I use fruits such as plum, feijoa, crabapple, loquats into sauces, chutneys, and jams. With vegetables, I use any vegetables such as tomatoes into tomatoes sauces, chutneys or salads, pies or quiches. Yes, you can freeze any vegetables up to 6 months or a year. The more you can make sauces or jams and store in the pantry, and it will give you a long run. As my partner often complaining that I made too many and he provides some chutneys, sauces or jams to his workmates.
So why not start growing simple plants such as lavender, herbs, get a fruit tree, and you will have time to wait for another 2 years or ask your family or friends if they got any fruit trees to give you some fruits. Be sure to provide jams or sauces in return to your family or friends in the way of saying thank you for the fruits or vegetables.
You will be amazed by how much you can save on any cost and enjoy making any items at home than buying in the shops.
Life in Eureka 