I am a stingy gardener! Or ... Does Growing Your Own Vegetables Save Money?

As a Master Gardener, I've been getting asked a lot recently whether it makes economic sense to grow your own vegetables.

There are a couple of things to consider: In 99% of cases, its better for the environment to grow your own. These costs are not always internalized (ie you don't pay for them out of pocket) but they are still important to take into consideration in the greater ecological picture.

But back to the cost that you, as a vegetable gardener incur: There is always a spectrum of expense. If one rushes off to the garden center and buys small bottles of bat guano based fertilizer, $35 tomato cages, and $4 plant starts, the economics can get a little out of whack.

If you make your own compost, start from seed, save your own seeds at the end of the season, and trade with others (particularly in a community garden), you can garden for next to nothing. I am proud to be a particularly stingy gardener and am lucky to have a neighbor who gives me berry starts and other friends to swap and share with. I also organized a seed and plant swap last year at the College I work for. Last year I spent about $20 and am still eating tomatoes from my freezer, green tomato chutney, and frozen berries. I love my pot maker that makes seed pots out of newspaper. (Coming soon to www.apothecary-shoppe.com) I got mine as a free demo but they are only $12 and well worth the investment.

I also am surprised how often people grow things that they don't like to eat. If you don't eat it, its a waste of money/time/effort/space to grow it. I also advocate growing things that are expensive to buy (berries for example), particularly those that are best eaten organic (the so called "dirty dozen"), and that are easy to grow (particularly to start with). I actually think growing potatoes can be a good choice - I like to eat potatoes, I only eat organic potatoes, they can be grown in an upright wire cage so they don't take much space, they are easy to grow, and it is extremely satisfying to unearth them so it keeps my daughter inspired! I also love eating zucchini, so I grow them, even though they are cheap to buy. Plus I like to plant a potager style garden, which allows you to grow things close together is messy harmony, and results in more vegetables and fewer weeds (in my experience).

Here is a great resource that may inspire you to keep accurate records for your garden this year: http://www.modernvictorygarden.com/gardeneconomics.htm


Hope that helps! Have fun!
Best wishes
Erika