Just thought I’d ponder a few money and frugality questions related to the garden today.
Whenever folks talk about saving money on food, gardening comes up as a great way to save money. And I’m sure if you live on a nice big plot of land with good soil, and all you have to do is buy a hoe and some seeds it can be really really cheap.
But my garden seems to have taken a bit more than that.
First, I decided to do the raised beds due to space constraints as well as aesthetic issues. Well, those not only required some lumber to edge it (yes, I know we could have scrounged some) and the pipes to make a trellis support (again, maybe could have found them cheap somewhere) but also the soil mix to fill them with. Peat moss, Vermiculite, compost. None of them are very expensive, but it does start adding up a little bit. Granted, these are one time costs, so if I was going to be all accountantly on you, I’d amortize out the cost of the stuff over time.
Then I decided this year to add the whiskey barrels for the squash, and then needed more soil mix. . ..
I’m starting to wonder if all of this is really any less expensive than buying the veggies at the store. I mean, it isn’t like most veggies are all that expensive anyway.
On the other hand, you can’t beat straight from the garden for freshness and nutrition. And my garden is pretty much organic-I’m sure my homegrown veggies are cheaper than the organic ones in the store. And I can grown varieties that you can’t find in the store. Like the Chard and Turnip Greens, or the violet stringless beans.
And there is something about the self sufficiency of growing it myself, and the connection to the earth.
So is it really saving me any money? I’m not really sure. I’d have to keep much better financial records to try to figure it out. I’d be very interested on hearing everyone elses thoughts on it though. Regardless, I plan to continue, for all the reasons stated above.
I agree that unless one has a surfeit of good crop-viable land, it can be a bit expensive. I live in an apartment in Tokyo and have over the past few years grown a number of things on my veranda. My experience was similar to your re: initial costs for pots, soil, vermiculite and such and I’m sure the value of the yield was much less than the initial outlay (in the first year).
What I am doing differently this year as opposed to previous years is that instead of growing things like tomatoes and cukes, I am growing herbs. Many of these herbs are (to a tranplanted New Englander) prohibitively expensive to buy at the green grocer, so every time I use some thyme, or mint, or whatever, I am ‘saving’ about $2. Granted that I could just do without those herbs in my cooking, but, having come from an area with access to Bread and Circus (now Whole Foods), I can’t bring myself to suffer the loss in quality of life that an herbless existence would spell.
Anyway, I, like you, am not keeping good records of the outlay vs. harvest costs, but I’m pretty sure that now I’m on the plus side of the equation. Plus, as you mentioned, there is nothing better than fresh from the garden.
Oh, and one of the best things I did last year was plant rosemary and parsley. The rosemary is a perennial and just seems to go great gangbusters, and the parsley grows throughout our (mild) winters.
–Shannon
I don’t know if it saves money, but can anything compare to eating a tomato that is still warm from sunshine? I think having your own garden pays for itself ten-fold just in the pleasant feeling of satisfaction you get.
Eventually you will have all the equipment you need, and it will pay itself off. This may take a few years, right? But it’s an investment… In a few years the only thing you may have to buy is seeds, unless you harvest seeds, then there are no more expenses at all except possibly watering your garden, if it doesn’t rain enough. Are you composting your kitchen scraps? You might try using worms to compost – my brother-in-law does that and gets AMAZING soil from feeding his worms the fruit and veggie scraps.
I’ve gardened under many different conditions, and sometimes I’ve kept records, amortized equipment, and calculated costs. It’s been hit-or-miss, but if saving money were my only motive, gardening would not be an efficient use of time. I love having a vegetable garden–it’s cheap entertainment, an engrossing family activity, and something to discuss with the neighbors, as well as a source of delicious, healthy food. For us it’s worthwhile even when it’s not cost-effective.
Once you’ve cultivated the same spot for a few years, you’ll have a much better idea what plants are “good buys” for your garden, and you might be able to raise some surplus to share, sell, or trade with your friends and family. Special occasion treats such as jams, preseves, herbed vinegars and pickles can be frugal but unique gifts, and non-gardeners might be delighted to pay for your surplus.
Hey, I just noticed I’m a “blog you visit.” Wow! Thanks for putting a link to my blog on your blog! Now, if only I could figure out how to do that myself…
Maybe when my thumb grows back…
I guess for one year it is probably not saving money, but if you consider how many years you will use this method, then it may pay off. I do all of my planing in barrels/pots due to the fact that I live in a townhouse, but when I consider that I spent money one year and it will pay off through the years, I think it was a great investment. And it’s fun!
We decided we’d be better off buying the vegetables than growing them, for this very reason, as there are only two of us.
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thanks for all the great comments. as I said, I plan to continue. I think in the long run I’ll wind up saving, but right now I’ve probably spent a bit more than I’ll wind up eating in produce.
Part of it is also whether or not you’d be gardening anyhow. From a strictly financial perspective I agree it’s hit or miss, especially if you’re buying organic. It’s a pretty definite loss if you consider how much your time is worth per hour and whether or not those same hours could have saved you more money in another pursuit. But if you would have been out in the sunshine planting annuals anyway I say plant something you can use. On the garden front, I can’t keep rabbits and crows out of my strawberries. Anyone have any frugal ideas that will be pleasant for the neighbors to look at? We’re pretty deep in the ‘burbs with neighbors on all sides.
I suggest for the crows & rabbits problem a smaller mesh chicken wire which can be placed in a circle around the plants. Cover with a square of same & bend the corners down & attach with the removable plastic ties. If you don’t stake the cage into the ground you can just lift it to harvest. Chicken wire is not very conspicuous & you may even be able to buy some with green coating on it. Also it doesn’t have to be very high since strawberries stick close to the ground. You can also buy this plastic-ish black netting, however I have found that very hard to handle for harvesting your fruit.