Fruit & veges are SOOOOOO expensive now!

I had a shock too when I went grocery shopping the other day - fruit and vegies have more than doubled in price here on the Fraser Coast, as I think they have in the whole of Australia, due to the recent effects of the floods. So I have come to a decision to grow my own produce because I cannot afford to pay the prices they are asking now. I already grow tomatoes, lettuce and green beans, but I am going in for the big stuff now - potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, silverbeet, beetroot - in fact, anything I can! Also, I am seriously considering apple, orange, avocado, and lemon trees. We live on 2.5 acres, so I'm not short of space! It will be hard work yes, but well worth it in the circumstances. Even if you haven't got room for much, you can grow some vegies in pots or boxes, so give it a go! Your kids will love to get involved too, and it will be an education for them!

Yep, it certainly sucks. We do most of our shopping at the local weekly organic markets but they have not had much recently and what has been there has been snapped up quickly even though it has been more expensive. We also usually get a lot of stuff from the Rocklea markets in Brisbane as we have a friend who goes there every Thursday, but the markets were pretty much ruined by the water. It will take months for them to open up again. They are operating out of their old premises on a temporary basis but there is only about a quarter of the usual amount of farmers there! Now that I have caught up with most things, I will have to get into my garden and do some planting this weekend. We are coming up to Nambour tomorrow for a talk at Isabell Shipard's herb farm. Hopefully it will not rain on us like it does every other time we come to the "sunny" coast!

Well it always seems when there is a natural disaster somewhere all of the Food prices take a hit and go way up even when others cannot afford it. Same with gas as well. I have seen it time and time again here in the US, and it does make you wonder how you are supposed to make ends meet. Sometimes my husband and I might have to shop around even just to find the Best deals.

For goodness sakes where are you moonchild? I've been paying those prices for longer than a year.Mangoes have not been under $3, avos are always $2.40 or more, last year they were sometimes under $2 buit not now. Mushrooms have been $10 for about 3 yrs now. I'm paying around $6 a kg for tomatoes which makes them more than a dollar each. Spuds are $5 - $6 sometimes $7 a kilo. Fruit is shocking too and so are dli items and meat. You'd be shocked. I'm in NSW out west in a remote area.

It's so true! Fruits and veggies are extremely expensive even here in the states. When I lived in Florida, I couldn't afford to buy citrus, though it was grown just a few miles down the road. A half gallon of orange juice was easily $4.00 In my area, that would be considered very expensive. Apples are relatively cheap in our area. Not sure why. We can buy a big bag of apples for around $3.50 at the local Walmart. Those are always a big success in our house. And, canned corn is cheap too, but mostly cause many US acres are planted with corn so it has to be cheap. Watermelons are another household favorite, during the summer time, but they cost at least $5.00 here. And, we live in the Watermelon capital of the South, so I'm not sure why they should be so expensive. I'm determined to grow my own potted plant garden this upcoming spring, if only to save money on fruits and veggies for salads. Seems that will be the only way I can ever afford to have them in the house on a regular basis. Then again, they do say that frozen veggies and fruits are just as healthy as fresh unfrozen produce cause it's picked and frozen at the peak of ripeness and doesn't just get picked and then spend two weeks on a slow boat getting to your grocery store. So that might be another option, just to buy frozen produce.

Food is getting more expensive everywhere but what you say is just too much. I decided last year to start to grow some of my veggies. I would have better and cleaner produce and I would save at the end. I did it although I did not have luck with everything. But I am learning and next year I hope it will be better. But I had a nice potato crop by just planting those old potatoes that start to sprout at the potato bin. I made raised beds and although they are expensive at first, it is a one time job. My tomatoes are wonderful (the best I have eaten since I was a kid) and I hope to have a second arugule crop now (maybe you could still plant some green, we are in the same hemisphere). Last year I had a smaller crop of potatoes but they were potted. Do you have a piece of soil to plant some veggies? It´s worth it and you can mix them with flower plants if you wish.