Canadian Produce: Time To Grow Your Garden

Enjoy Canadian Produce And Save Money

Find out how to cope with the increasing prices of Canadian produce and the benefits of starting your own vegetable garden.

If you open any refrigerator, most people have some form of fresh produce readily available to prepare daily meals. Why? That’s easy because it’s part of a healthy diet

Have you been thinking about growing your vegetable garden? If so, now may be a good time to start, and I’ll explain why below.

If purchasing fresh produce is part of your weekly grocery budget, be prepared to see the costs increase over the next few months.

California is a major exporter of fresh produce, including grapes, melons, peppers, tomatoes, and avocados.

They are currently experiencing the worst drought they have seen in a very long time.

Canada imports approximately $5 billion worth of produce from California annually.

Most of the organic produce we see on the shelves of our grocery stores in Canada is imported, and the bulk is shipped in from California.

According to the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (OFVGA), to mitigate climate change and reduce the environmental footprint of fruit and vegetable production, growers need access to affordable and reliable energy sources, crop science tools to fight pests and diseases, and a stable regulatory environment that encourages competitiveness. 

Impact Of US Produce On The Canadian Market

How could this impact us in Canada?

While it is uncertain exactly how much of an impact it will have, paired with the declining value of the Canadian dollar, the drought that has hit California hard this year.

It is expected to increase the cost of purchasing fresh produce in the United States and Canada.

Some predictions say that we could see an increase of 20 percent.

Buying fresh produce from a grocery store already eats up a good portion of our grocery budgets, so can you afford for it to eat up even more?

Planning your shopping trips and buying produce that is in season has always been a way to spend less on your fruits and vegetables.

Though it does limit the options available to you when you do your grocery shopping.

Importing and shipping costs can easily skyrocket the retail costs of produce compared to the cost of purchasing local food.

Shopping For Canadian Produce At The Farmer’s Market

This past weekend, I had some kid-free time to visit our local farmer’s market for fresh Canadian produce.

I have always enjoyed strolling through the various vendors to see what deals can be found while supporting local Canadian businesses and farmers.

My favourite vendors to visit are the food vendors, both the meat and fresh produce vendors.

I can always walk away feeling like I have scored a deal and have saved money in our grocery budget that can be added to my savings or used to pay down debt that month.

Canadian Produce Grower (Farmer) and Customer Interaction

It’s also nice to have the opportunity to chat directly with the farmers about their products, just in case you have questions about a specific fruit or vegetable.

This type of one-on-one conversation is something that you don’t get at a grocery store. Instead, you get an employee who works in that department.

Although they may have produced knowledge, getting any information about the food you eat from the source is valuable to many people.

Many people wish to purchase fresher produce that has spent less time in transit, and is shipped in, while it’s not only fresher, it is typically cheaper.

Unfortunately, while there is a lot of locally grown produce available in most areas due to climate requirements, locally grown produce is unavailable year-round.

While the produce may not always be local food, in many cases, it is purchased from the grower in bulk, so it can still be sold much cheaper.

My Twenty Dollar Farmer’s Market Canadian Produce Haul

On the Saturday of the Easter weekend, I sent $20.00 with my sister when she was going to our farmer’s market to buy fruit.

My $20.00 bought 4 pints of strawberries, two packages of raspberries, a bag of clementines, and a bag of green grapes. 

While it was not all locally grown, if I had purchased it at the grocery store, I would have paid at least $3.99 each for premium strawberries.

Doing so would have used up almost $16.00 of the $20.00 I had budgeted immediately.

Grow Canadian Produce At Home

With the cost of produce expected to increase, there is no better time than now to start growing your garden at home.

However, if you aren’t sure about where to begin, you can read my “Garden Guide,” which will teach you about preparing your garden.

Food doesn’t get any more local than growing produce in your backyard or on your balcony.

You still have time to start your garden from seeds indoors and plan how you will plant your garden.

If you need to work on your green thumb before starting your plants from seed at home, buying plants from a greenhouse is also an option.

Retail sales for vegetable plants will start to pick up this week, so don’t wait too long to pick yours up to be able to get the selection you would like.

Think Outside Of The Box

Whether you have a small yard or an apartment balcony, there are options for you from hanging baskets to re-purposing an old hanging shoe organizer.

Even if you have a small space to garden, you can come up with some ideas that can provide a home for growing your vegetables.

Vertical gardens are becoming popular for many hobby gardeners as they often require less work to maintain and less space on your property.

If potatoes are a vegetable you want to grow but don’t have the space, you can grow potatoes in a box like I did just last year.

Wood pallets can be used in various ways, vertically or horizontally, to grow your vegetables with no digging required.

The pallets can be enclosed on the bottom and sides with landscape fabric stapled on all sides except the side you will be planting on.

These pallets should then be filled with a nutrient-rich potting soil and then planted with your favourite vegetables.

There are endless ideas on Pinterest for using pallets in your garden.

Take a look and see how you could incorporate one where you live.

With the growing concern of pesticide use on commercially grown produce, growing your own is the best way to control what you put into your body.

Start A Small Garden

If starting a garden and growing your vegetables seems intimidating, pick one or two vegetables you would typically purchase from the grocery store and learn how to grow them yourself.

All the information regarding an individual plant’s growing requirements and ideas on how to plant them can be found on the internet.

As you become more comfortable with gardening, gradually increase the amount of home-grown, local food you and your family enjoy.

While a vegetable garden is a valuable tool in reducing the amount of money you spend on your grocery budget, gardening is an investment of your time and money.

When gardening, you want to ensure you take the appropriate steps to care for and protect your investment.

Buying Canadian produce from your local area may be a great way to save, but remember, nothing is better than growing it in your backyard.

Canada Food Flows

You can explore Canada Food Flows to see how:

• US states supply 67 percent of Canada’s vegetable imports and 36 percent of Canada’s fruit imports
• 81 per cent of BC’s spinach, 70 per cent of BC’s lettuce, and 75 per cent of BC’s onions came from the US in 2022
• 97 per cent of BC’s avocados were imported from Mexico in 2022
• 92 percent of BC’s strawberries were imported from the US and Mexico in 2022

Canada Imports From The USA 2024

Edible fruits, nuts, peel of citrus fruit, melons	$2.26B	2024
Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers	$2.22B	2024

Discussion: Do you prefer to buy American or Canadian produce? Where do you find the best produce deals in Canada?

Please leave your comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Mr. CBB

Related articles

• Growing a garden in a small space (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
• How to build a rock garden with weed prevention (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
• Landscaping on a Budget in Canadian Soil (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
• Sow, Grow, and Save (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
• Growing Our Frugal Garden From Seed (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
• Turning Leaves Into Compost (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
• Fall Gardening, Grow Something And Save (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
• How to create flowerbeds for your home (canadianbudgetbinder.com)