Does Growing a Vegetable Garden Really Save You Money?

The Krazy Coupon Lady ^ | April, 2017 | Heather

[Diana in Wisconsin]

When spring finally arrives after a long, cold winter, it always seems like a good idea to get outside.

“I’ll start a garden!” I think to myself. “I’ll save money by planting vegetables!”

But then I wonder: is it really worth it? I’m a skeptic, so I had to get to the bottom of it.

1. How much can you save per vegetable?

I looked at a few common, easy-to-grow vegetables to figure out how much they produce per seed, and therefore, how much growing one plant could save.

Cucumbers Store price: $0.69 each or $0.99 each organic per cucumber Price when you grow your own: less than $0.01 each

Generally one plant will produce about 10 cucumbers. Average price of seeds: $0.06 per seed to grow one plant Savings: About $7 for each plant grown, $10 for each organic plant grown

Carrots Store price: $0.17 per carrot Price when you grow your own: less than $0.01 per carrot

One 10-foot row of carrots would produce about 75 carrots. Average price of seeds: $2 for 500, so less than $0.01 each seed that grows one carrot Savings: About $12.50 per one row grown or 75 carrots

Onions Store price: $0.74 per onion Price when you grow your own: $0.03 per onion

One 10-foot row or about 40 onion sets planted would produce about 40 onions. Average price of sets: $1.25 for 40 sets, or $0.03 each Savings: About $28.35 for one 10-foot row of onions

Tomatoes Store price: $0.50 per tomato Price when you grow your own: $0.10 per tomato

One plant can produce as much as 50 tomatoes. Average price of plants: $5 per plant Savings: About $20 per plant grown

Radishes Store price: $0.50 per bunch (about 12 radishes), $1.50 per organic bunch Price when you grow your own: $0.03 per bunch

One 10-foot row would produce about 60 radishes. Average price of seeds: $2 for 200, so about $0.01 each Savings: About $2 for a row of 60 regular radishes, $7 for a row of 60 organic radishes

Zucchini Store price: $0.40 each or $0.70 each organic zucchini Price to grow your own: less than $0.01 each

One plant will produce about 25 zucchinis on average. Average price of seeds: $0.15 per seed to grow one plant Savings: About $10 per plant grown, $17 per organic plant grown

Green beans Store price: $2 per pound, $6 per organic pound Price to grow your own: $0.50 per pound

One 10-foot row would produce about 8 pounds of green beans. Average price of seeds: $0.10 each (40 seeds needed per 10-foot row) Savings: $12 for one row — 8 regular pounds, $44 for one row — 8 organic pounds

Watermelon Store price: $6 per melon Price when you grow your own: $0.01 per melon

One plant produces about 3 melons. Average price of seeds: $0.04 each to grow one plant Savings: $18 per plant grown

2. What about all that water?

So, clearly the data screams “It’s cheaper to plant a vegetable garden than to buy produce at the store!”

But, what about all the other things that go into it? The cost of water, for example!

The maximum recommended size for a manageable garden, especially for beginners, is 16 by 10 feet.

This would be 160 square feet of soil to water. In the summer months, this would require about 14.5 gallons of water per day. In the spring and fall, so April, May, and September, you could cut this in half, and use even less in October if you still have plants like squash and pumpkins growing.

On average across the United States, water will cost $.004 per gallon or about $.04 for every 10 gallons.

So if you used 2,000 gallons of water over the growing season, it would cost you $8, and 3,000 gallons would cost you about $12.

If we filled a 16 by 10-foot garden with two tomato plants, two cucumber plants, two zucchini plants, two watermelon plants, and one row each of carrots, onions, green beans, and radishes, we’d save $210 by not having to buy those things at the store and we’d spend $8.26 on water.

3. What else will you need?

Of course, you’ll need a few tools like shovels, hoes, rakes, and gloves. But you don’t need a lot to grow most things. Start small and then see what is really necessary.

If you have tomatoes or peppers, plan to spend a few dollars on cages or something to help them grow vertically.

If you plant in containers, that will be a big investment in the first year. Adding fertilizers, bug killers, or mulch can be another expense. Knowing what your overall savings will be can help you be super stingy about adding costs.

Don’t forget to coupon, bargain shop, and check out our Home Depot hacks where you can find gardening supplies, plants, seeds, and more.

4. Consider the time you’ll have to invest.

his is a huge one. You’ll likely spend a couple hours a week watering, weeding, pruning, and harvesting.

How much extra time do you have? What is your time worth? And how much do you enjoy being in the garden? (There are obvious physical and mental health benefits.) So…

5. Is it worth it?

With an average-sized garden, it’s pretty likely that you could save $200 on grocery bills during the growing season, even after the expenses.

If you spread that over the five months you are working in the garden, it’s $40 a month.

Considering you’ll likely spend two hours a week working in the garden for at least 20 weeks, that’s $200 for 40 hours of work or $5 an hour.

Honestly, that may not be worth it if gardening feels like work to you or you just don’t have that much extra time.

Therefore, it’s only worth it if you would enjoy all the other benefits of healthy eating, exercise, fresh flavor, being outdoors, and a therapeutic or family-bonding hobby.

https://thekrazycouponlady.com/tips/money/does-growing-a-vegetable-garden-really-save-you-money

[small farm girl]

I feel like some of her prices (yes, 2017) are low...no idea where you can get 40 onion sets for under $2 - really under $4. As for buying one seed for a cucumber plant, also not happening. I find you can still do very well with plants (at my store anyway) for gardening tomatoes and peppers, even lettuce. Last year I was aghast to see Lowe’s charging $4 for a pot with 2 lettuce in it. Who fell for that? We have all our own food (means, fruits, veg) and spend our money on wine, crap at the super and also really good stuff grown locally (flour)This morning, one son and I agreed we might be going back to growing beans for drying this year. Happy gardening Freepers!

[Qui is]

In my middle class So. Cal. neighborhood during 60s thru early 80s it was common for most people to have gardens and fruit trees which we would rely on for most of our produce during the spring and summer.

I think that was because of the generation our parents came from. Both my and my friends and neighbors parents migrated to California after WW2 from the Midwest, south or east coast where most everybody was accustomed to growing at least some of their own food. But towards the mid-80s that attitude changed and fewer and fewer people grew their own produce due to upward mobility and the real estate boom.

Then the cycle seemed to begin again with the trendy and environmental fascist crowds, including my liberal loon brother and sister-in-law whom convinced me to help him build planters and an automatic drip system for their daughter’s school in 2008. I was very pleased with the finished product when completed but discovered like all fads or fashionable endeavors of leftists and green weenies, the school abandoned the project after one planting season and have never used the planters again. They got lots of attention from the media and probably a big fat grant from the state and federal govs and then moved on to something else.

Just another one of my observations and experiences that confirms most leftists lack the courage of their convictions. If there is effort involved and it requires blood, sweat, tears and cash, let somebody else do it and let the government pay for it.

It’s for the children, you understand.

Meh. Live and learn.

[BobL]

“But you will have a steady supply of fresh produce that you’ve already paid for.”

I do see it difficult to defend a vegetable garden if zombies are roaming around due to lack of food in supermarkets. But, maybe, for people who are really out in the middle of nowhere or have good local defense, it might be possible.

[Blurb2350]

Seaweed makes and excellent soil amendment or mulch! Retail fertilizers made from kelp and crustaceans costs a pretty penny.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I have switched over to MAJOR food production in the past decade, versus landscaping and perennial gardens. Some from necessity, but more so now that I have more room and a willing partner to help me who also believes in self-sufficiency. I have everything I need now, over years of buying things a few at a time (tiller, tools, quality hoses, unheated greenhouse) first and second-hand and learning a lot of ‘hacks’ along the way to make life in the garden easier.

I also know exactly what will work for me in my growing zone (5a) so I don’t try to baby anything else along. Between eating seasonally, canning and preserving, hunting & fishing we could hold out longer than most when it all goes south.

Personally? I think you get the most bang for your buck from fruit trees, small fruits, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, potatoes, basic herbs and squash of all kinds; summer and winter keeping.

This season I’m adding plants for a Tea Garden. Nothing fancy, just a few additional pots and plants tucked in, wherever. Adding blueberries because we don’t have them, but we already have strawberries, raspberries and grapes. Plenty of wild Black Cap Raspberries to harvest, as well as Elderberry blossoms (tea) and berries - though the wild birds usually get to them first. We have Morel and Golden Oyster mushrooms in season in our woods; not much nutrition, but a FREE seasonal treat! :)

Your mileage may vary, but I think if you’re serious about it, have the time, are a willing participant (how many of us as kids were FORCED to hand-weed or hoe the garden?) and you’re past that learning curve and initial cash layout for bigger items, then, yes. It will eventually save you money.

That said, I also support two favorite local small farms/enterprises by buying direct on some fruits and veggies. Everyone wins when you do that. :)

[DennisR]

Intangible aspect: taste, flavor, texture.

[SaxxonWoods]

You may not save money but you will eat.

[oldasrocks]

I grow our bedding plants a lot cheaper than $5 a plant. Their numbers are way off what each plant will produce. Properly tended the production is a lot higher. We home can so savings last all yr. Fresh tastes a lot better. Raise chickens for your own fertilizer. Raised beds are easier to take care of. You can fence rabbits out and 22LR works well on squirrels and provide food for table

Moles are easily wiped out. Get an old 1 or 3 hp engine. Attach a metal flex hose to exhaust and put it down a mole hole. Let it run awhile and no moles left.

[1Old Pro]

I usually buy a hanging basket of cherry tomatoes.

I had great luck last year with some Green Bell peppers, left them in the mid size container, South side on the deck.

[Organic Panic]

There is a technique called “square foot gardening” to stretch out the harvest. The problem with gardening is most people will plant a few crops where everything ripens at once. How many cucumbers does one really need in a single week? Not many people preserve their food anymore. I do garden though. The veggies just taste better.

[Redleg Duke]

I believe that it was Robert Browning that said, “When you cut your own wood, it warms you twice.”

The time you spend in your garden is time you cannot spend at the mall.

Our “Victory Garden” is becoming our “Bidenflation Garden”. We will be the “ant” to the liberal’s “grasshopper”!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"How do you even out availability with use?"

That can be tricky, but there are great cookbooks out there that cover that. One is:

You also have to be WILLING to eat or preserve what's available when it IS available, and that's yet another skill set to learn along the way.

My Mom grew up dirt-poor. She will never, willingly, eat another stewed tomato in her life, LOL! Though , she's a sly one at raiding my garden in season! I've never seen my Mom 'grow' anything, other than her daughters. Mom taught us to sew, about art and theater and religion. She's the complete opposite of her Mother, my Grandma Anita, who taught me a LOT about growing food, cooking, butchering, making sausage, raising chickens, buying direct from farms, (in inner-city Milwaukee, no less!) so I more than make up for that and Mom loves that aspect of our lives. "Being with you is so much like being with Ma," she always tells me when she's out here at the farm, helping me weed the garden and stealing vegetables, LOL! :)

[Redleg Duke]

” This woman is an idiot.”

Well, and if you talking about Diana from Wisconsin, then you are a jackass, so it about balances out.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We are looking forward to a few more apple trees maturing so we can make cider for ourselves, too. Even just apple juice or wine would be fine with me.

I mean, how many apple pies and applesauce can two people eat in the course of a year? ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Do you include ammunition prices for when Biden collapses the economy and I have to fight for every cucumber...or for squirrels.”

Have you just met me? Adequate ammo is ALWAYS figured into my calculations. ;)

But, excellent point. Plan accordingly! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Last year I was aghast to see Lowe’s charging $4 for a pot with 2 lettuce in it. Who fell for that?”

LOL! I constantly point those things out to Beau when we’re out and about. But, the market is there, believe me! I have 18 years ‘in the biz’ and when Spring Fever strikes, people will buy just about anything that isn’t nailed down - and sometimes things that are, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

He’s not talking about me; he likes to be the contrarian. ;)

[Psalm 73]

1) You know where the food comes from (and who's been touching it)

2) You can make your own soil (compost) and save your own seeds

3) If the trucks stop delivering food to the stores, you've still got a yard-full

4) You may need the exercise anyway....

[Diana in Wisconsin]

'Square Foot Gardening' is an excellent place to start for new gardeners. Lots of easy-to-follow charts, seed starting/planting dates, spacing, etc. I recommend finding the most current edition, though. Mel has added a lot to the book through the years.