Grow Food for Free: The easy, sustainable, zero-cost way to a plentiful harvest by Huw Ricahrds

In Grow Food for Free: The easy, sustainable, zero-cost way to a plentiful harvest, Huw Richards documents a personal challenge: to grow his own fruit and vegetables for a year without spending money. Having completed it, he sets out the same approach for readers who want to work towards producing fresh food at home with no cost.

Written for home gardens, allotments and container growing, the book explores how to find a suitable place to grow, from a garden to a terrace or balcony. It considers where crops can live, whether in the ground, a raised bed or containers, and provides clear growing instructions for more than 30 popular annual and perennial crops. A 52-week journal follows the author’s year of growing food for free.

Key details

• Author: Huw Richards
• Centres on growing fruit and vegetables at home without spending money
• Covers gardens, allotments and container growing
• Includes instructions for more than 30 annual and perennial crops
• Features a 52-week journal of a year growing food for free
• Includes advice on selling produce to raise money to expand a growing area

Synopsis

Richards explains how to identify and prepare a growing space, source materials, and create a productive set-up with minimal outlay. He also covers making compost, tackling weeds, pests and diseases, and finding an initial supply of seeds.

Ideas include borrowing, bartering, repurposing and propagating, with examples such as reusing an old wooden pallet and planting food found in kitchen cupboards. Strategies for expanding a growing area over time are also outlined.