On average a single person will spend around $20 a week on fresh produce. That may not seem like a lot, but for a new high school graduate getting ready be on their own for the first time this adds up quickly.

The Mercer County Horticulture agent partnered with one of the Family and Consumer Science teachers at the local high school to teach a class gardening on a budget. All of the students in the four separate money management classes were either juniors or seniors. Majority being seniors getting ready to graduate in a month.

The horticulture agent talked about the prices of fresh produce but how the students could reduce their grocery bill by growing their own, even if they lived in an apartment. The basics of gardening were covered followed by how you can stretch your dollar when gardening.

Students were taught they could preserve their fresh produce through canning to enjoy it throughout the winter. They were taught they could grow vegetables in flower pots, in recyclable materials or basically anything that held soil and had drainage. The method of square foot gardening was discussed where you plant in a square foot area to get the max production out of that space. Finally after talking about seed saving and other topics such as integrated pest management the students did a hands on activity of making their own seed tapes to take home and plant in their own gardens or containers.

At the beginning of these classes the students were asked if they planned to grow vegetables in their gardens at home or when they move out on their own. 30% of the students said they were planning on growing vegetables. After the lesson was completed 50% said they were willing to try to grow vegetables with the knowledge they gained from the gardening on a budget class.