You mean outside of the ridiculous amount of enjoyment I get in starting the garden off with deciding what to plant, and sowing seedlings and buying transplants, the daily
Now I am the first person to admit that the initial outlay of large pots, wood for planter boxes, compost, peat moss, bamboo stakes etc, might put a lot of people off, but I am convinced that over a period of two years or less you're way ahead. More importantly the kids learn a hands on skill that, to my knowledge, isn't taught in schools, and which they can incorporate into their own lives having gotten a little confidence from early on.
My hubby gives me the deer-in-the-headlights look when I (very) casually mention a visit to the big-box DIY store. So I thought I'd take a minute to get my head around the weekly cost of buying veggies from someone else vs. growing them myself.
Free Things First: get your own compost bin going. It's free plant food. My compost bin is a cracked recycle bin, it took a year to get completely underway because my boys would just throw the eggshells/left over snacks (apples, celery stalks, carrot sticks etc) in the trash.
Let's imagine that, like us, you are a family of four, who enjoys stir fries, eggplant parmesan, salads, salsa, veggie soups etc. The below example shows an initial 1st year's outlay of installing a vegetable garden. The 2nd chart shows the costs coming down significantly. Finally I round off my self-debate with our weekly veg grocery cost as a comparison. To view our families weekly harvest during South Florida's veggie season, please take a peek at my previous blog.
My Summer Veggie Garden Rests
1st year outlay example
Assumes you use some of your own garden soil.
Assumes you use some of your own garden soil.
Description
|
#
|
Unit Price
|
Cost
|
15 gallon Pots/Totes
|
4
|
$ 10.00
|
$ 40.00
|
Compost/Peat Moss/Soil Mix
|
7
|
$ 8.00
|
$ 56.00
|
Selection of stake bundles
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Alaskan Fish Emulsion 1 gallon
|
1
|
$ 13.00
|
$ 13.00
|
Wood for one 8’ x 4’ planter box
|
3
|
$ 7.00
|
$ 21.00
|
Bonemeal 4.5 lbs
|
1
|
$ 9.00
|
$ 9.00
|
Netting for beans
|
1
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 4.00
|
Tomato/Pepper/Eggplant Cages
|
6
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 24.00
|
Tomato Plants
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Pepper Plants
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Eggplants
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Broccoli / Cauli transplants packs
|
4
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 16.00
|
Assorted Seed Packages
|
4
|
$ 2.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Sundry items/other veggies
|
1
|
$ 25.00
|
$ 25.00
|
Miracle Grow/Dynamite examples
|
2
|
$ 8.00
|
$ 16.00
|
Subtotal
|
$ 264.00
|
2nd year outlay example
At this point you've got your own compost pile to add to your garden.
Description
|
#
|
Unit Price
|
Cost
|
Compost/Peat Moss/Soil Mix
|
4
|
$ 8.00
|
$ 32.00
|
Selection of stake bundles
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Alaskan Fish Emulsion 1 gallon
|
1
|
$ 13.00
|
$ 13.00
|
Tomato Plants
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Pepper Plants
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Eggplants
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Broccoli / Cauli transplants packs
|
4
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 16.00
|
Assorted Seed Packages
|
4
|
$ 2.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Sundry items/other veggies
|
1
|
$ 25.00
|
$ 25.00
|
Miracle Grow/Dynamite examples
|
2
|
$ 8.00
|
$ 16.00
|
Subtotal
|
$ 142.00
|
Notice the reduced 2nd year Subtotal vs. 1st year's cost?
Let’s say I would spend $42 over 48 weeks (assume chopped and / or frozen left overs carry us over the remainding weeks.) Over the course of a year that’s approximately $2,000!
My initial outlay of approximately $300 has yielded a minimum of 7 months of continuous fresh produce. They are not all readily available at the same time, due to differing maturity periods, and cool vs. warm weather veg. But none-the-less, the grocery bill savings are enormous.
My weekly vegetable bill alone would be this - if we didn't grow our own!
Description
|
#
|
Unit Price
|
Cost
|
Broccoli
|
2
|
$ 1.99
|
$ 3.98
|
Green Peppers 99c/lb
|
2
|
$ 0.62
|
$ 1.24
|
Red/Yellow/Peppers $1.99/lb
|
2
|
$ 0.96
|
$ 1.92
|
Cauliflower
|
1
|
$ 2.49
|
$ 2.49
|
Tomatoes on Vine $1.29/lb
|
6
|
$ 0.60
|
$ 3.60
|
Broccoli Rabe $1.99/lb
|
1
|
$ 2.49
|
$ 2.49
|
Bag of Carrots
|
1
|
$ 1.99
|
$ 1.99
|
Onions White
|
2
|
$ 1.00
|
$ 2.00
|
Strawberries
|
1
|
$ 2.50
|
$ 2.50
|
Basil Sprigs/Parsley/Lettuce
|
3
|
$ 1.99
|
$ 5.97
|
Eggplants $1.99/lb
|
1
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 4.00
|
Bag of Potatoes
|
2
|
$ 4.00
|
$ 8.00
|
Celery Bunch
|
1
|
$ 1.99
|
$ 1.99
|
Subtotal
|
$ 42.17
|
Note: I have been very forgiving with the unit costs. For example Green Peppers are sometimes $2.49/lb and Strawberries $5.00 for 16 oz. Baby Eggplants run at $3.49/lb.
Let’s say I would spend $42 over 48 weeks (assume chopped and / or frozen left overs carry us over the remainding weeks.) Over the course of a year that’s approximately $2,000!
My initial outlay of approximately $300 has yielded a minimum of 7 months of continuous fresh produce. They are not all readily available at the same time, due to differing maturity periods, and cool vs. warm weather veg. But none-the-less, the grocery bill savings are enormous.
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me! Now what was the question again.....
