Lettuce prices aren't coming down. Here's how gardening can save you money on fruit and vegetables

How to grow your own lettuce. (ABC North Queensland: Nathalie Fernbach)

With consumers being told to get used to paying $10 for a lettuce, the rising price of fresh fruit and vegetables could mean they're off the table for many Australians.

A cheaper solution could be to plant your own.

North Queensland horticulturist Phil Murray says starting a vegetable garden doesn't have to be overwhelming.

A polystyrene box, or even a bag of potting mix, will do for growing veggies in. 

You can keep fresh vegetables on your plate by starting your own veggie patch. (ABC Rural: Alys Marshall)

Mr Murray said the first step was to put holes in the bottom of the bag for drainage, then to flip it over. 

Then you can rough up the bag to mix the soil, cut some openings for the seedlings and place the bigger plants in the corners of the bag.

"That will give the little plants a bit of a head start," Mr Murray said.

From little things big things grow

Some of the easiest plants to grow are seedlings, Mr Murray said.

Tomatoes and capsicums would thrive in the potting-mix planter.

"Shallots make an excellent addition and can be planted quite thickly and can be thinned out as the plants grow," he said.

The plants won't need to be fertilised for about three months. (ABC Radio Hobart: Rachel Edwards)

From just a handful of lettuce seeds sprinkled onto the potting mix, Mr Murray said a hearty crop could be anticipated.

"They'll start to germinate in about a week or two," he said.

"There are probably 100 [that are] going to come up in here."

Mr Murray said a salad would be ready to plate up in about two weeks' time.

The seedlings wouldn't need to be fertilised for about three months after planting.

Phil Murray says a bag of potting mix is all you need for your container. (ABC North Queensland)

Mr Murray said those looking to grow something more challenging could try their hand at sprouting spuds.

"You need to plant them in trenches usually and backfill them as they grow," he said.

But Mr Murray said a garbage bin half-filled with compost could be the way to go.

"And as they grow you simply fill in around them," he said.

A growing trend

Dinny Draper, a garden assistant at a nursery in Townsville, said she had noticed over the past few months more people wanting to start their own veggie patch.

"The pandemic first brought people out growing their veggies and herbs because they had to stay at home," Ms Draper said.

Dinny Draper says it's satisfying growing your dinner yourself. (ABC Northern Tasmania: Sarah Abbott)

Ms Draper said herbs and lettuce varieties were proving particularly popular.

It wasn't just the cost that was sparking interest, Ms Draper said.

Disruptions to supply after flooding earlier in the year also prompted people to grow their own.

"You grow it, then you just go out and pick it," she said.