I know what you’re thinking: I’m not wasting any money if I harvest my fruits and veggies myself. But that’s not entirely true!
A popular home gardener has shown a simple way to save money during the harvesting season. Her name is Amy Shore – @chicksandveg on Instagram.
The trick is simple: wash your vegetables the right way after picking them!
Here are her thoughts!
The Trick
By making a simple grid over an old dustbin, it means I can wash veg in the garden (no muddy kitchen sink) and recycle the water for use around the patch, says Amy in the description of her short Instagram video.
The technique is simple. Get a trash can or a bucket to collect water and something to behave like a colander (the grid in Amy’s example).
Then, rinse your carrots, parsley, cucumbers, and other soiled vegetables above the grid. Finally, reuse the water next time you irrigate your crops.
The Benefits
The first benefit of this process is quite clear: no more muddy mess in the kitchen sink.
But that’s not all!
You get to save time and money with this trick. How? By cleaning vegetables right there in the garden instead of carrying them to your kitchen.
And how do you save money?
Well, the bucket below the grid collects the water you use to rinse your vegetables. Afterwards, you can use that “waste” to irrigate your plants in the future.
The same bucket can also collect rainwater, which is another plus.
All this means reducing the amount of water you use daily. Think about it. A water bill in the US can cost anywhere between $20 and $100 per month per person. (1)
And water and sewage prices are increasing – 51% since 2012 according to 2022 research. (2)
Maintenance of outdated systems, inflation, and insufficient governmental funds have caused this increase.
Rising prices can promote water conservation, too. And that’s a technique Amy taught us with her simple harvesting trick.
The Reaction
Amy’s followers and other Instagram users have applauded this trick.
Wow! What an amazing and easy hack! Thank you for sharing! commented one user.
Another mentioned that those are perfect carrots!! I’ll have to use my grid for this … great idea🌱
And there are many other followers who are grateful for this simple trick. What a good idea! I love low-tech solutions like this and will definitely keep this one in mind…To combine it with rainwater would be perfect!
References:
1. Water Prices by State (2023). Wisevoter.
2. Eaton, J. (2023). The Surging Price of Water. AARP.