Is food cheaper to grow?

[Lavender2]

Gardening ... and Husbands ... jeesh ... I could tell you stories .. but I won't ...
Oh, just one ... Sweet DH says, "If you grow it you should be able to EAT it!"
Unfortunately, I like to have some flowers also, dear... stay sweet and I will tell you which ones you should not eat ....

Seeing so many gardeners, with big gardens and equipment... and possibly resources that not everyone has access to, can make it all seem overwhelming to someone new to gardening.

I started out with a row of green beans, a couple of tomato plants, and a bush cucumber in a dinky spot behind my garage... oh so many years ago.
Best advice, start small... you will find ways to make it worthwhile over time.
You may find that you are eating more vegetables/fruits because you grew them.
We encouraged the kids to help. They are now excited to grow their own food ... and that is priceless!

 

[journey11]

Cool discussion! Vfem, wouldn't this make a fabulous topic for your gardening column? In this economy, with "Victory Gardens" being very popular again...

Well, we may be a slightly biased lot, but I think all the replies here have been pretty objective!

From my own experience, I would say YES, it is cheaper to grow my own veggies and fruit. But there are many factors involved in your methods that affect that.

Can you put a price on the flavor of a homegrown strawberry or a vine-ripe heirloom tomato? I think it would be a very commanding price if you could!

You'll need to consider your personal objectives before you begin, and I agree, you should definitely start small. See if you like it...if it's for you. If you spent $50 on plants and seeds and killed them all, yes, you'd be at a loss. It takes a certain degree of love and devotion to a garden to make it prosper.

I also take into account the value of gardening to me as an enjoyable hobby, a practical form of exercise, and weeding--IMO--is the best stress-relief therapy in the world. I love to pull them by hand! Call me crazy...ha. I can't count my time in the garden as a cost because for me it is a labor of love.

There are a lot of ways you can control your costs in gardening too. A little creativity and ingenuity can save you a lot of money.

Here's a few examples:

Borrow or share a tiller (although I would say, in probably 5-10 years of major gardening, this purchase will pay for itself).

Obtain free 5 gallon buckets from your deli rather than purchase decorative plastic planters.

Save seed from year to year (as applicable to certain types of plants).

Start your own plants from seed (for the cost of two hard, tasteless, pathetic, store-bought tomatoes I can buy a pack of seed and grow 50 tomato plants that will produce bushels of flavorful tomatoes that I can can and give away to friends and eat on fresh until they come out my ears.)

Don't buy boxes of fertilizer or bagged compost. Anyone can make their own compost and depending on where you live you can often obtain mountains of farm animal manure free for the hauling. Even city-dwellers can find organic matter for composting free for the asking (coffee grounds and veggie scraps from restaurants, etc.)

If you go with raised bed gardening, there is no need to go to Lowe's and spend big bucks on composite lumber kits. (Search the forums here for lots of info on raised bed gardening.)

There are many ways to cut corners and save money if you want to. Don't believe everything the HGTV and DIY shows tell you!

I think gardening is especially cost effective if you do it to supplement your food costs year-round. A water-bath canner is a very small expense for what you can do with it (or borrow one!) Tomatoes did well for you? Can whole, as sauce, salsa, ketchup, etc. Jars are reusable and can be purchased cheaply at yardsales. If you have a basement or garage, many veggies can be stored over winter (like apples, potatoes, carrots, beets, winter squash, etc.) I love "shopping" in my basement! If only for what I save by preventing frequent trips to the store and avoiding impulse buying--it makes it worth it.

Quality and healthfulness are a big issue for me as well. I like knowing my food hasn't been drenched in pesticides and that it's clean and fresh, and picked at the peak of ripeness.

Consider what you would pay for a half-pint of raspberries or blackberries at the store... You can pay about $8 for 3 plants and they are very low maintenence. You can grow enough berries to eat fresh, make pies, and can jam. Certainly cheaper than buying them. I spent $18 on 50 strawberry plants last year and had strawberries coming out my ears.

Ultimately it should be something you enjoy doing. If you find it tedious or don't have the time to keep up with it, you won't get so much out of it as many of us here do. I agree with jamespm_98, start small and see if it's for you. I would not go out and buy tons of equipment and seeds all at once. A small container garden or a 3x12 plot is enough to start some tomatoes, peppers and squash in and if you do well and enjoy it, expand gradually from there.

Hope you have fun and eat well next summer! :happy_flower :tools :rainbow-sun

 

[beavis]

For me gardening is an addiction, but a positive one.

I get exercise, fresh tasting organic food.

My daughters know that food comes from a garden, not a supermarket.

They have their own gardens....priceless.

I spend $$ on my gardening, because it is my passion, but I also reap handsome rewards that I could never put a price on.

 

[curly_kate]

I agree with Beavis 100%. I don't have kids, but I love seeing how excited my nieces and nephews are when they pull carrots or corn from my garden. And I agree with those who pointed out that the start up costs are generally where the expense is. I spend very little money every year on my garden, as long as I can show some restraint when perusing the seed catalogs. Like others have said, gardening is as much therapy for me as it is a hobby. :coolsun

 

[seedcorn]

Is it cheaper?

Depends on what you want it to be? If you just want a few vegetables, replace a few flowers w/peppers or tomatoes.

If you want, peas, green beans, corn, etc........then it's a tiller, garden space, labor, garden seeds, etc. Some things can be had cheaply or you can just buy what you want wherever is convenient and possibly pay too much so you lose your savings.

What is priceless??????

knowing where your food came from, fresh out of the garden has a different (better) taste, plus it's a work of love--ie hobby, way to work out aggravations, etc. If you have kids, it's an excellent way to bond. Yes, they may moan, complain (mine did) but now my daughter has her own 10' X 30' rock flower garden......I'm told as is her Mom to stay out, don't touch.

Downside?????

Once you taste "out of the garden" fresh vegetables, nothing else will equal it. I hate store bought tomatoes because of this.

 

[ninnymary]

Lavender2 you are so funny! Thank you for understanding about gardeners and husbands. My mine is great but he just doesn't have the love for gardens and chickens like I do! He does go along with the flow though.

Digits - I think I am the one getting all of the pleasure and poor hubby has to do the hard work. He has a bad back and doing very little yard work kills him the next day. But he still helps me move things around.

Everyone else - You have so much wisdom! I appreciate all of your advise.

I will start small. My yard is small and the only space I have for veggies is in front of my sunny flower bed. I took out the plants in front so that I could have room. It will basically be a long, about 28' long space in front of a bed.

I will be able to hold cost down. I received a gift certificate for Home Depot where I will be buying alot of my stuff. I know, it's not the great variety of plants but it's a good start for me.

Can't wait for Spring!!:rainbow-sun

 

[journey11]

Digits - I think I am the one getting all of the pleasure and poor hubby has to do the hard work. He has a bad back and doing very little yard work kills him the next day. But he still helps me move things around.

LOL, I forgot about that aspect! Yes, my poor dh has to do the tilling for me because I can't hold onto that beast of a tiller my dad has! He may not enjoy the labor, but he sure enjoys the eatin'!

 

[HiDelight]

my husband does virtually no yard work
and if you took my hourly wage as a nurse and compared it to the amount of produce alone I would loose ..and in the markets I frequent I can actually buy good fresh food in season that is about as good as anyone can grow ..but really truly I can not do that!!!

I love to garden!!! and it does not matter how much it costs I will always make sure there is somthing for the garden as well as other essentials in life ...
and re my husband

ok I take it back he comes out sometimes and walks around then will ask "is that a weed" and if I say "yes" he will pull one


and he makes beautiful gates and water spots for me!

but no yard work

thank goodness for kids who want to make beer money when it comes to moving huge piles anymore ..I am getting tired and will pay for that service!

 

[dickiebird]

This past season was the first time we put in a garden in 30 years. I still had the equip. we used the last time we grew vegs. and I still spent a bunch on hardware. The idea for a garden was my wifes...guess who did all the work?
I know we could have bought what we grew for a lot less, but I enjoyed the experience and some of the work. I had over 300 starts in our back room and still bought some plant.
I think it would be hard to make a first year garden and have the ledger come out on the plus side. But I'm in this for the the long run and have gained soooo much knowledge from this last season that I would not trade for any thing!!
THANX RICH

 

[seedcorn]

Gardening ... and Husbands ... jeesh ... I could tell you stories .. but I won't ...

Gardening ... and Wives ... jeesh ... I could tell you stories .. but I will ...

Never fails before whatever ripens in garden, cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, corn, etc, she'll buy in the store saying it was so cheap. Wait 3 days, and it would be fresh and good.

Then she will complain about how much I spend on it but when she goes to see her Mom, she raids the garden..................telling her how hard she works in garden.......no one gets in my garden to weed except me, altho daughter/son get to help pick up straw from neighbor after wheat and bed garden down.