Is Gardening Really Cheaper Than Buying Fruits and Vegetables?
With rising food prices, many people are considering starting a garden. This makes sense, since humans have been growing their own food for thousands of years. Things just come out of the ground and literally grow on trees. Gardening has many benefits: it can be spiritually and emotionally fulfilling, it enhances the look of your property, and it provides delicious food. It doesn’t hurt to save money either.
At first glance, this might seem like an obvious win: when you grow tomatoes, for example, you get free tomatoes instead of buying them all the time like a sucker. But gardens have hidden costs, and not all crops are the same in terms of profitability. Can you really save money by growing your own food? The answer is yes, but you have to be thoughtful about it.
Do some gardening math
Once again, your high school algebra teacher wins. This is another moment in your life when you will use math.
The starting point is your initial investment. The good news here is that gardens are relatively cheap. A few years ago, the National Horticultural Association did a cost study and concluded that most home gardens require about $70 in initial investment. This money goes towards seeds, soil and/or fertilizer, cages, covers, water, tools and fences if needed. The good news is that you can expect to earn around $600 a year, and going forward, seeds are incredibly cheap compared to grocery store-grown fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes on the vine cost about $2 a pound, but a bag of seeds will cost about $4, and each growing plant is capable of producing eight to 30 pounds of tomatoes (although of course there’s no guarantee you’ll get that many). ).
These are good numbers, but keep in mind that there are running costs as well. Water, for example, will be a regular item in your budget. You will need to handle pesticides and use other measures to protect your crops. Also, there will be breakage, which means some of your crops will die. Frost can come unexpectedly and destroy more, and all the wild living creatures nearby will stare hungrily at your garden. These breakage factors will make your initial solar ROI estimates look silly once you’ve run out of them.
Another consideration is what you plant. Some plants are more profitable than others, but there’s no point in planting a high-yield plant if you’re not going to eat it. When planning your garden, choose fruits and vegetables that you enjoy and will actually eat, because to get the best bang for your buck, you need to eat a lot of what it produces.
These are the most profitable crops.
So, you are going to overcome economic anxiety by planting a home garden and living off your own crops. What are the best plants to invest in? Here are some of the most profitable crops you can plant.
Tomatoes. As noted above, tomatoes are a great investment. They do not take up much space and are very easy to grow. Seeds are the cheapest and offer the most economic benefit, but they take a long time to produce. Buying seedlings or a mature plant will set you back between $4 and $8, but you’ll get those red beauties a lot faster, and since you’ll still get at least eight pounds worth of tomatoes, you’ll save yourself about $3 each. lb.
Press. Pumpkin plants are not as productive as some crops, but they take a long time to grow. For example, $3 seeds will get you up to 10 pounds of zucchini, compared to about $1.50 a pound at the store. Plus, zucchini freezes well, so if you’re having a bumper crop, you can spread those savings over the entire year.
Leaf salad. Lettuce is incredibly versatile, so it’s the perfect crop to use at almost every meal. It also grows very, very well, requiring a bimonthly harvest. You will have a lot of salad. A pack of seeds usually costs less than $3, so you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.
Green bean. For $3, you can get a packet of seeds for this easy-to-grow crop. Alternatively, the plants will cost about $2 each. A single plant usually produces 40 to 60 bean pods, and you can plant the seeds a week or two apart for consistent yields. Fresh green beans cost between $2 and $2.50 a pound at the grocery store, so you’ll absolutely save yourself some money.
Herbs. If you pay Big Spice for herbs at the supermarket, you are overpaying no matter how much they charge. Herb seeds are incredibly cheap – typically less than a dollar a pack – easy to grow and will give you as much mint, basil and parsley as you could possibly want.
Berries. Freshly picked fruits are quite expensive. A pound of blueberries will set you back $7. Instead, you can buy three blueberries for about $30 and get about six pints of blueberries each year. Raspberry bushes will be a little more expensive for about the same yield, so they are still a very economical choice. What’s more, they will continue to bring you delicious berries year after year.
Okra. Fast growing and relatively easy to care for, okra is a great choice for an economical garden if you enjoy eating okra. You can get a packet of seeds for about $5, which usually gives you about three plants, each producing about a pound of okra once the plants have matured. While fresh okra costs about $5 a pound at the store, that’s a pretty good savings.
Cucumbers. Cucumber seeds will cost you about $6 a pack, and each plant will produce about 10 six-ounce cucumbers, or about four pounds. Given that cucumbers cost about 70 cents a pound in the store, all you need is about three plants to break even, and every other plant will generate a return on your investment. Bonus: You can pickle your cucumbers, which will take one more item off your shopping list and save your harvest in a time-honored way.
Calais. Kale kale at $5 a pack of seeds can be a great addition to your home garden. It grows very fast and each bunch of kale you pick represents a savings of about $1, so you’ll get your investment back pretty quickly. Plus, kale is delicious and extremely versatile, so you can enjoy it in so many different ways.
A well-designed home garden can really save you a lot of money. Just keep in mind that it takes a lot of work and maintenance, and your time has a cost too. Just because you’re saving money doesn’t mean your garden is cost-effective if it takes precious time. However, a home garden is certainly worth considering as prices continue to rise everywhere.