New from Kitchen Gardeners International

[ceara]

I received this in my email inbox today and wanted to share. It makes good selling points when people like us try and encourage others to grow some food.

A husband and wife weighed all produce from their garden and did price comparisons with three different retail options and listed the prices they would have paid for all the stuff they grew if they had to purchase instead of grow. I was really surprised at the total!

my.kitchengardeners.org/forum/topics/economics-of-home-gardening

So it got me thinking, how do other gardeners fare? Do they really save a good amount of money by growing their own? Or is it just a hobby, or even a business in the form of a farm, selling to others?

I remember a few years ago when we first bought this house and talked to people. They all said, "It's not worth gardening when you can get so many items at the store cheap. You'll spend more on getting the garden started than what you would get out of it, not to mention the labor involved."

But no, we persisted and wanted to grow anyway, mainly for flavor, because we all know fresh produce tastes so much better than anything "dead" from the stores. It's been a big battle. Not having much money for compost and manure, we did buy commercial seeds. Combine that with sandy soil that was covered by wild, crazy, overgrown grass and more weedy annuals than you can count and you got yourself a recipe for not much payback for the efforts.

Now that we're able to produce some compost, I don't see us ever having to buy any again. And after a few years of trying to trade online and attempt to save some money on seeds, I finally find this forum. For the first time ever, I will finally be able to have enough interesting seeds to trade with others or giveaway for next year. I hate feeling like a leech. But I really appreciate the generosity of so many nice people. It gives me hope for humanity. I still feel like a novice compared to all the knowledgeable people here.

For the first time, after seeing what the guy at Kitchen Gardener's has done with his nifty chart showing weights and price comparison, and knowing that my knowledge has grown a lot since I first started, I really feel that growing as much of our own food as possible is the way to go. Well, considering how the economy is going anyway.

I'm going to ask for help a lot this year and share tons of pictures. I will need help identifying some wild edible "weeds" because they might be tasty and I just hate yanking something that goes into the compost bin when we could be eating it instead. Hope you are all up for the challenge. haha

Now if I can just figure out where we can get enough planting containers and seed trays. I don't think we have near enough and there's just no money to buy any more.

[americangardener]

Thanks for sharing...

Looks like a nice little discussion there. The figures they're using seem awfully small though.. must be a real small garden. I never bothered to calculate my savings.. but i can say i never have to buy any veggies of any kind in the summer. And the money i make from selling my extras more than makes up for what i do spend on veggies during the winter time. And that's not much either. I suppose if i canned and made jams and jellys and did some other things to extend what i do harvest i'd be able to not buy anything ever. All i really do is store winter squash in the basement and freeze what i can in our refridgerator freezer. But, i know i make out like a bandit. Multiply their figures by ten at least for me, probably more like 20. Then leave out the seed costs.. cause i never have to buy any seeds (what i spend on postage for trading is really a hobby.. i don't really count that.. i don't have to have new varieties) Compost i don't buy either. Soil test.. well.. sorry but i don't do that either.. i know i should... but hey $12 isn't much, it wouldn't even make a blip in my bottom line. Water.. oppps.. i don't water mine much either. Leave off that one.

What they don't count is really the most important statistic which they should.. the time involved. I spend 12-16 hours a day 7 days a week out in my garden when it's not raining. Add all that up at minimum wage and i'd probably be losing money by gardening. A few other incidentals like fertilizer when i do use it.. or bug sprays or spraying for diseases.. and that can take the place of what they spend on water i guess.

Still all in all i like the chart. Let's just say that the health benefits i get from working out in my garden cover the labor costs.. if i had to spend money going to a gym... well i'm back in the black there. I'm making money again.

Now.. what kind of containers you talking? It may be too late for this year.. but come time when all your neighbors start buying nursery plants.. just go down your road on garbage nite. You'll get all the flats and pots and hanging planters you can use for the rest of your life in just one trip. Then learn how to keep re-using em every year.

[ceara]

Well for some plants like tomatoes we grow in non-zip freezer bags and re use those as much as possible. I have enough containers and flats for all our veggies, but now we want to grow tobacco this year, and grow up to the limit allowed per adult as outlined by Canadian law. So we'll need, what... 200 at least. Have been pondering using plastic party drink cups. So I guess the plant container really isn't the problem, but what in the world to put all the cups and baggies on to haul around and put outside for hardening off. This year's seed starting season will be a circus I think. haha

Our "big garbage" times only come twice a year and that's when people throw out stuff like plant pots. And the next one won't be until May. I may have to harass people buying plants at the stores and ask for their containers after they are done planting. lol

[grungy]

Ceara - have you considered paper pots and milk jug bottoms. Made around a 2"diameter object such as a jar, you can fit 9" paper pots inside a bottom of a milk jug. That way you would only have to have 11 or 12 milk jugs, to tote around. Also see our blog for ideas of hoop houses and starting chambers (germination chambers). It will save you a lot of toting around. I value what little back I have left enough not to do the daily shuffle. Blog site - grungysgarden.blogspot.com where you can can find the addresses for the albums (up in the seed offer area), so you can view them.