With so many people worried about the state of the economy and the possibility of a recession, a lot of Americans are looking towards cutting back.  If you happen to have a green thumb, one great way to do this is by growing your own food.  With nothing more than a tractor, a garden tractor sleeve hitch plus its attachments, some seeds and soil, you can grow a lot of food for less gas than it would take you to get to the grocery store.  Even if you kill bamboo and cactus like I do, you can still give it a shot.  The great thing about the garden tractor and the garden tractor sleeve hitch is that it makes the job a lot less manual labor and a lot more fun.

                If you already have a garden tractor for lawn mowing and small yard jobs, then you really only need to purchase the garden sleeve hitch and the various attachments that you need to begin gardening.  Depending on what kind of tractor you own or are planning on buying, a garden tractor sleeve hitch can run anywhere from $100-$300 dollars.  Don't skimp unless you can.  Remember that if you plan on doing heavy duty work, you will need a heavy duty hitch to get the job done.

                You can find your garden tractor sleeve hitch wherever you can find other gardening and lawn supplies.  Large home improvement stores like Lowes and Home Depot will usually have them in stock.  You can also check stores like Sears who, if they don't have it on the showroom floor, will usually be kind enough to order you what you need and have it sent to the store so that you don't have to pay for shipping. 

                There are some companies that make what is called a “universal garden tractor sleeve hitch” but if you look closely and read the specifics on their websites, these hitches do not fit all garden tractors so be sure to read closely before you buy anything that claims to be universal.  If you're new to gardening and are not big on mowing your lawn, you might want to head out to a home improvement store to buy.  By doing so, you can talk to the store employees and gain some professional input on what would be best for your needs.  If you are not confident that the store employees know what they're talking about, try going online to some garden and lawn forums.  Happy gardening!