PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — WPTV continues to look for ways to help you save money on groceries.
We spoke to a Port St. Lucie homeowner who is growing his own food to cut his grocery bill.
WATCH BELOW: Produce costs prompt more 'backyard gardeners'
In Marty Jacobson's backyard, a lot is growing.
"My best crops are early spring and late fall," he told WPTV as he showed us his tropical trees and vegetable garden.
He has everything from mango trees to banana plants growing at his home.
"I planted (these pepper plants) about six weeks ago and put them in these seed trays that I have," Jacobson said. "And this is how they come up, and I transplanted them into the garden."
He said his peppers will be ready in a month.
His backyard garden is a project that spans years, and is now part of something more homeowners are thinking about.
"We're definitely seeing more people being backyard gardeners," supermarket guru Phil Lempert told WPTV.
He said backyard gardens take commitment and knowledge, especially about food safety, and savings are generally not realized if the gardens are small.
"It is the way to get better tasting fresher produce than you can in a supermarket, where it might have been transported for a week or two weeks or three weeks," Lempert said.
Jacobson believes he is saving money on his items like lemons, cucumbers, pineapples and blueberries.
"I'm on a softball league," he said. "I take them to my friends at softball and the neighbors and friends and we eat a lot of banana bread."
