Posted on 04/05/2010 11:30:57 AM PDT by Graybeard58
With today’s tight economy, everyone is looking for ways to cut expenses. Growing a garden has the potential to reduce the amount of money spent on groceries. But this “potential” depends on the costs involved in growing the crops, types and amounts of vegetables grown, yields that are derived from the garden, and other factors. So, the answer to the above question is “yes” – if done correctly.
It’s possible to spend a small fortune on a garden. The humorous book, "The $64 Tomato" by William Alexander, discusses one man’s quest for the perfect garden and how it ended up costing him $64 per tomato (among other things). This astonishing figure is the result of all of the input costs (tools and equipment, fertilizers, pesticides, water, etc.) associated with gardening. These costs can add up quickly, even for a small vegetable garden. The trick to saving money with a vegetable garden is limiting the costs while maximizing yield.
While saving money may be one of the benefits to growing a vegetable garden – let’s not forget that there are others as well. Gardens are a potential means to increase our confidence in food safety and security. We know where the food is coming from and all the history of plants grown in our own gardens. We know what chemicals were used, we know what pests were problems and we essentially eliminated the whole resource-gobbling transportation chain to get the food to your plate. And all that gardening is good for you. It is a great form of physical exercise, and I haven’t met a nutritionist yet who didn’t think that fresh produce was “good for you” too!
So, growing your own vegetables can be rewarding, regardless of the potential savings. But with a few tips, it can save you some money on a grocery bill or two. First – you have to know a couple of basics of growing vegetables.
Vegetable Growing Basics
There are a wide variety of vegetables that can be successfully grown in Iowa. As I walk through the produce section of my grocery store, there are only a few things I see that are difficult to grow in Iowa. The location of the vegetable garden is crucial. Nearly all vegetables need full-sun and a well-drained soil. The vegetable garden also should be located near a source of water. Iowa’s climate allows production of both cool and warm season vegetables.
Cool season vegetables (carrots, beets, lettuce, cauliflower, etc.) are planted in early spring and harvested by mid-summer. Warm season vegetables (tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, squash, etc.) are planted after the danger of frost has passed and harvested by early fall. With proper planning, it’s possible to grow two or three crops in a given area during the growing season. Using the same space for two or more crops is called succession planting. Other techniques, such as interplanting and companion planting, are other ways to make efficient use of garden space. The more efficiently you use garden space and resources the larger the potential savings.
Below are several other important factors to consider when growing a vegetable garden to save you money.
Select vegetables that you like. This is simple – you’re not likely to take care of …or eat things you don’t like. So don’t waste your time or money planting them in the garden.
Select vegetables that can be easily stored or preserved. Selecting vegetables that have a long storage life or that can easily be canned or frozen is a great way to stretch your grocery dollar. Potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, and winter squash can be stored for several months when stored at the appropriate temperature. Other vegetables, like beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets and sweet corn, can be preserved by canning or freezing. Preserving vegetables is a great way to enjoy the “extra” produce later in the year.
Select vegetables that are expensive to buy in the grocery store. To save money, grow more expensive items, like tomatoes and melons, or large quantities of vegetables that you purchase regularly. Consider vegetables like beans, beets, onions, spinach, broccoli, peppers, carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, peas, and Swiss chard. These vegetables provide the biggest returns on your investment of space and time in the garden.
Do some research and start with a plan. Decide what you want to grow and determine what will be necessary to be successful. Plan the garden on paper first. Establish a network of family members, neighbors, or friends that can help you answer your questions. Don’t forget about your local county extension office. There are more than 20 vegetable gardening publications from Iowa State University Extension that can help you (see table below). Each of these can be picked up at your county extension office. They can also be ordered or downloaded online at www.extension.iastate.edu/store. County extension offices are also the meeting centers for Master Gardeners – many of whom have the knowledge and experience to keep your garden growing successfully.
Research and consider ways to reduce your inputs. Collect rainwater for irrigation. Add compost and well-rotted manure to the garden to improve the soil and reduce the use of fertilizers. Practice the principles of Integrated Pest Management to control insects and diseases, reducing your reliance on pesticides. Start with high quality seeds – most are relatively inexpensive, and most can be stored for at least one or two years. Find ways to reuse containers, flats, stakes, ties, etc. Remember that saving money with vegetables usually means keeping the costs as low as possible while still growing productive plants.
Start small. Like many things, gardening takes practice. Plants will require regular watering, maintenance and harvesting. Growing many different vegetables in a large garden can be overwhelming for new gardeners and can ultimately lead to failure. Limit yourself to just a few types of vegetables the first year. When you become more confident in your abilities and resources, you can increase the size of your vegetable garden and grow a wider variety of crops.
Finally, have fun growing your own vegetables. Encourage your neighbors to grow a few vegetables as well. Visit each other’s gardens and trade “extra produce” regularly. It’s surprising how something as simple as a vegetable garden can impact your life...and hopefully your pocketbook as well!
Horse poop is free. :-) The people at the rental barn seem to like it when I make my yearly visit.
Welcome to Free Republic, Thurston_Howell_III.
agreed. *grin*
It’s the fun of the work. Took my Dad shopping last week to the fruit store, he wanted to know if they had plants in yet.
Gets him in the back yard, ever if I have to do all the work. I might have a garden this year. Nothing like a fresh tomato for a BLT!!!
Tomato, squash (squash is almost a WEED!!!!!), Watermelon
There are plans for farms in Detroit, wouldn’t trust the soil.
Now Christmas tree farms, that might work!!
That’s what I’m putting in this year. I’ve had the book nearly 20 years and just getting around to doing it this year (SFG). I’ve been busy reading and researching all winter. I have several trays of veggies (lettuce, tomatoes — 6 kinds — broccoli, onions, herbs, peppers — 2 kinds — & 6 kinds of flowers) in a 6 foot tall green house in my front window facing south. In a couple of weeks they’ll move to the front porch and then to the garden, as soon as the fence is up.
I consult my SFG book so often that it reminds me of when I had my first baby and I’d be holding her in the “bathinette”, trying to read Dr. Spock at the same time. My impatient husband said, “For crying out loud, just put soap on her and wash her!” I got better at all those tasks with the subsequent 3 children, and hopefully I’ll get better at gardening too.
The way I see it, however, is that around here you really can’t save money until you combine canning and freezing and starting seeds early and leaning how to extend the garden life with a cold frame. Our growing season is too short.
Many years ago my late aunt and uncle kept a huge and productive garden in Bakersfield. She canned, made jelly, etc. I asked her how she did it because it is so hot in B, and she told me that she gardened by moonlight. I believed her.
Glad you are still enjoying them. A little truly goes a long way for normal people but I know a few people that eat that stuff by the spoon full.
I sent you an email last year, possibly to a defunct address, telling you that I followed the recipe you sent me for the b&b pickles. I put up about 50 quarts and gave away most of them to friends and relatives, they were a big hit.
I’ll probably make about the same this year.
My cukes were the best last year, can’t say the same about tomatoes. I think we had an excess of rain.
I planted a store bought potato in a bucket last year, just to see what would happen, and I managed to get 5 potatoes out of my endeavor.
Today I planted “real” seed potatoes, and I hope to get a better yield this time.
I've had the same experience. When I give stuff away I ask that they save the jars for me and so far I've gotten back many more than I had out. A couple at church brought me about 6 dozen mixed pint and quart jars. Flat lids are cheap and I reuse the rings.
We have the benefit of a nearly 7 month frost-free growing season, so we can grow a lot of veggies. (Georgia) We also live on a small lake AND have a branch and pond that run through the back yard, so we’re also good on water. ( I irrigate with lake water using in-ground sprinklers which the SFG guy doesn’t care for, but it works for us) The native Georgia clay soil here is worthless, but the SFG method handles that. I do augment ( I cheat ) with more chipped wood/brush (composted) and stream bed gravel (instead of pricey vermiculite) and I seem to do fine. My yields might not be optimum, but I’m also not spending $38/16 sq feet on his three-part formula. (probably 1/4th of that).
You’re right though, the real value comes from being able to preserve what you CAN grow and harvest.
My in-laws are old-fashioned Louisiana country folks, and have canned virtually anything that grows from dirt. WE haven’t done it much, but are looking to do more of it.
We don’t have our garden RIGHT next to the house, but rather about 30 yards away down towards the stream. I have to erect varmit/deer/bird barriers, but they’re pretty much reusable.
We also do a bit of ‘long-row’ gardening for yellow squash and ‘taters. Some day I’ll convert that ... maybe.
We hope to start adding fruit trees as well. (BIG back yard with a long WNW slope down to the lake.)
Fresh home grown vegetables are why we liked vegetables in the first place.
You could do it, and Mrs. Springman could learn to can.
What do you think, Bahbah? Should the Springmans’ go ahead and get dirt under their nails?
Thanks for the advice. Can you elaborate on triple 13?
It’s a fertilizer. 13:13:13. Most feed/seed stores have it as do the big boxes IIRC. Hubby buys it :)
It’s sort of a generic fertilizer. The ‘specialty’ ones (for tomatoes, fruit trees, roses, etc) have different numbers instead of the 13’s.
OK, before we started dating, back when Clinton was Pres. I grew the largest tomatos. I took some work. She would take some.
When we started dating, I was known as the “Tomato Guy”. Her parents didn’t know what to do with all she took!!!
Absolutely. If for nothing else, for those fresh tomatoes.
Thank you.
Considering how hard our soil is, I don’t consider vermiculite pricey. Saves the back. I figure that I’ll add a few boxes each year, as I need them and the vermiculite never disappears.
I’ve started a compost bin, but I had to buy all my compost this year. That was pricey. Hopefully I’ll have enough next year to supply my needs.
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