I'm curious to see what folks say. I spent a good bit of money on new raised beds this year and had terrific production with plantings of tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant and greens. I won't recoup my expenses for another year or two, but fewer trips to the grocery store and the fresh flavors from the garden are worth it.

You might be right about the costs... but raising your own veggies both reduces the carbon footprint of the food (i.e. no trucking stuff across the country) plus... it allows you to have extra produce to donate to local food pantries (easily found via www.AmpleHarvest.org).

The point to keep in mind is that the upfront investment will be paid back if you keep the garden going in future years. The cost of tools etc. can be high up front, but a tiller, a hoe, etc. are going to be around for a number of years. My experience is that once established, my annual cost is less than $100.00 for seed, replacement tools, fertilizer etc. and my return is higher. My asparagus patch alone has paid off my tool investment after 10 years. The return on investment is just a little longer than what some have come to expect.

Yes, start-up costs for gardening are high. But, the following season there really should not be anywhere near the initial investment. Just don't get discouraged. Everything will seem so much easier in the years to follow. Over time you will be amazed at the new recipes/cooking methods you seek out to utilize your crops. During the cold months you will be drawn to garden reading and research. Before you know it, it's time to start up! Gardening is really year-round!!

$900+? I have to wonder if that include premium tools or perhaps building of raised beds with purchase of loads of soil...

If so, that cost should be factored over the number of years that equipment/soil can be used for the gardening.

I would think an annual cost will be something more along the lines of $20-40 for plants and seeds (for a 24 x 24 plot), and whatever water costs you have. Maybe toss in $10-20 for fertilizer of some sort...

I like your math, Kay

Those costs seem a little high. If you're gardening to save money why would you spend so much? It costs nothing to dig a garden bed unless you don't own a shovel (borrow one) Amend the soil? make your own compost or trench compost right in the garden. Seeds you can share with a friend or neighbor cause you're not going to plant all the seeds in a packet and if you store them right you can use them next year. I've been gardening for over 20 years and I only plant what my family will eat. I have a small garden that supplies us with onions,tomatoes, green peppers,jalepenos, lettuce, zuchinni, canteloupe and strawberries. What we don't eat I freeze, bake or can. This year I tried potaoes in a trash can, haven't harvested yet but I've heard that fresh are unbeatable so for the price of seed potatoes, I think it cost me 24 cents I'm willing to give it a try. Growing your own food is more than money-its being self-sufficient, getting back to basics. We used to buy fresh, now we buy grocery store, fresh is better all around.

If you are doing the garden with your children. It is a learning time for them. It is time to work together and be together. They can see where food really comes from and how much time and effort it takes to keep it growing. Then they get to eat what they have help to grow. Now that is priceless.

It you then can the things that you grow you have them all winter as well. You know what is in them-no preservatives and the like. How healthy is that.

Food from the garden taste better and is healthy for you. Look at all the benefits that you get from that little start up cost. You gain a lot more than you loose.

Dan and Deanna "Marketing Unscrambled"

Another way to save money especially with start up costs is to start a yard share garden with friends, neighbors or family. You can usually grow much more than you alone need and it sure helps to have someone to share the heavy lifting with. It's a great shared activity for families....everyone eats better and cheaper - AND you lessen your impact! We share seeds, set up neighborhood produce exchanges, and help people interested in forming yard sharing groups - find each other and then nurture those relationships. Please visit - the site is free. hyperlocavore dot com

Yes it does usually cost more. Depending on what you grow will determine how much you save. I know with tomatoes you come out way ahead. The stuff at the market is often tasteless or picked too early. I've grown cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatoes, corn and a few others. The flavor blew away the stuff they sell at the market. That's what matters.

It's absolutely worth it. The thing is, you can't compare the costs vs. the "value" of what your fresh produce would retail for in the supermarket.

The reason? The prized attributes for veggies in the grocery store are uniformity and ease-of-shipping. Taste is not a factor.

You cannot buy vegetables at a store that taste the same as homegrown.

I don't know (or care) if I'm saving money or not. I do it for the flavor.

I never calculated the costs of home-gardening which we've done for the past 18 years. We save seeds from year-to-year which certainly is a cost-savings, although we do purchase selective plants from local nurseries. This year was a terrible year due to cold and rainy weather, so our tomato plants never really thrived until August, when normally we pick the first fruits on July 4. Got plenty of lettuce, cucumbers, swisschard and tomatoes for such a short season, but the zucchini and eggplants never materialized and the plants withered. Still worth it though...nothing like going in your yard and eating the harvest, especially knowing it's truly organic and healthy.

Absolutely, focus on the taste. We've been enjoying lots of "100 meter" diet suppers lately and the taste and satisfaction of eating veggies straight from the garden is almost indescribably great.

Sweet corn, picked and immediately dropped into boiling water is something everyone deserves to try (for instance). The sweetness is astounding.

Sure there are startup costs, but do you include the purchase price of your car in the cost of grocery store produce?

It is a real shame that commercial growers have been forced into a place where something that looks like it should be tasty, and is cheap is what's demanded (all too often).

cheers,
Andrew

I agree with some of the others. The costs are so incredibly high, it's almost misinformation to publish it. A couple of hand tools and a few packets of seed are enough to get started, and if your soil is terrible, then another $30 to $50 worth of manure, until you start building up your own compost and soil.

I hope everyone reads this..Are you serious?! It is really free to save the planet and make a compost pile, rather than buy dirt.. "buying dirt"? Buying seeds is dumb too. I save seeds from a store bought bell pepper of last year. Do you think mother nature needs the gift of money to be self sufficient, and fertilize herself, and sowing seeds? No. I am learning right now how to take a ripped branch and grow roots on it, to replant. Did i need to buy growth hormones? No, its called reading. Study? Yeah, willow tree bark or honey, the best growth hormone out there, free, a gift from mother nature herself. Yeah, it is pointless to grow your own if you seriously can't respect nature enough to know that she provides for herself, its a partnership. Money..? Thats a dumb concept. Is it worth it to grow your own? I guess not, if you think mother nature needs your money. Not trying to be rude, really. I have just learned so much about plants lately and how to do make an entire garden from barely anything. Makes me think about how secure i would feel if the world turned upside down, and there was no grocery stores anymore. People need to learn how to be self sufficient in the face of adversity. It is very empowering. Look for garden forums in your area. Stick your nose in a plant anatomy book. Its easy, and not $900.00!!!