Grow more, spend less: Farmers share self-sufficient gardening tips to slash supermarket costs
Joe and Ida DeFrancesco share some tips to help viewers save money by gardening at home.
With the high price of food today, more and more people are looking into growing their own fresh vegetables at home — and doing more hands-on planning and harvesting as a result.
Joe and Ida DeFrancesco of Farmer Joe's Gardens in Connecticut joined "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Sunday to explain how to start growing food at home — and how to take on more responsibility for it rather than relying on grocery stores or other outlets when prices are rising.
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The couple first displayed some very young tomato plants.
"Even in the city, you can grow your own vegetables," said Joe DeFrancesco, as he displayed container gardening, including pots holding both tomato plants and lettuce plants.
People can harvest their own tomatoes virtually all summer once they properly set up the plants, said the owners of a small family farm during an appearance on "Fox and Friends Weekend." (iStock)
He mentioned that people can find themselves harvesting tomatoes almost all summer long once they properly set up the plants.
As the plants grow, they'll need to be transferred into bigger and different pots — and in some cases, people will need to fence in their gardens to prevent wildlife from munching and crunching on them, he said.
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"Deer need an eight-foot fence," he said.
He said that indeed, his small business is finding that many more people today want to do their own vegetable gardening.
Given today's high prices, more people are showing an interest in starting their own home gardens — and they can get started right now, said farmer Joe DeFrancesco on "Fox and Friends Weekend" on Sunday. (iStock)
And if that doesn't work for them, he said, then they can visit their local farmers for fresh produce.
Ida DeFrancesco brought along a chicken from the couple's farm — and explained that people can try having chickens at their own home in a "stress-free" manner.
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The farm offers a six-month program, she said, and provides the coop, the feed and the chickens.
But if people "chicken out" and find "it's not for them," she said — then "we take them back to the farm," she said.
She said it "takes about six to eight months for the chickens," once they've hatched, to begin laying eggs.
In light of the high price of eggs, more Americans are showing an interest in acquiring or renting chickens at home in order to get their own fresh eggs. (iStock)
"It's a $50 deposit to get you started," she said.
And then "you figure out which coop that you want," said DeFrancesco, depending on whether families prefer larger or smaller set-ups.
With four chickens laying eggs, Ida DeFrancesco said people can expect to see about two dozen fresh eggs a week. (iStock)
With four chickens a week, she said people can expect to see about two dozen eggs a week.
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"Rent a chicken" businesses are increasingly cropping up, providing availability for the temporary use of chickens.
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To learn more, watch the video at the top of this article, or click here to see it.
