How much does a garden really save?

14 years ago

This is a great series of blog posts over at Get Rich Slowly where the author and his wife tracked every expense and every harvest from their bountiful Oregon-based garden over the course of the year. I just finished reading the 2008 series and now starting on the 2009 series, the first post of which is here:

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/01/31/the-grs-garden-project-january-2009-update/

It's great reading regardless of the analysis, and makes me appreciate the incredible gifts gardening can provide in so many ways.

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Comments (16)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
14 years ago
It saves ALL of my sanity. I don't know how to put that into a dollar valuation, however...

;o)

Dan
borderbarb
14 years ago
Dan -- DOUBLE DITTO! Only partly kidding ... when I was still working the grind, I could feel my tension level just unwind when I walked through my "back 40" [small garden patch on terrace] Now that I'm retired, I get lots of pleasure from being in sync with nature.

AND the link to the folks who are tracking the true cost/benefit ratio of their garden was really great.
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gjcore
14 years ago
Not sure if I want to figure my costs out and find I'm growing $64 tomatoes,
gardenbutt
14 years ago
When we were gardening as a means of sustainability it saved us thousands , since it was all canned, frozen and dryed.At that time I gathered and traded seed.I sold enough of the produce in different forms to cover my expenses and more.The processed goodies also became a part of gift giving to family but also in the form of baskets to the needy,,,
I can not put a number on the rest of it.Like those above gardening has been my therapy.It has also brought me some of the greatest memories a mother could ever enjoy,, these become priceless when ones children are grown or in my case the loss of my tomato growing partner , who happened to be my son..This last year my gardens became a place of serenity as Alan's memorial garden fed 100 or so people,, friends , family and strangers.The grounding therapy that I had from reconnecting with the earth helped to heal part of the hole in my heart.Reminding me that life comes full circle renewing my respect for the seasons..
Mary
autodidact
14 years ago
If you make an effort to garden frugally; I think it pays off. Free mulch from the city, our own compost, built the beds for nothing or almost nothing...costs are basically seeds or plants, water and time, which we enjoy. We got a good harvest from our very first time. Wonderful quality. Save money on veggies going bad in the fridge, because we don't pick till we're ready to eat.

Heck, I bet the pesto alone pays for the garden!
grubbyknees
14 years ago
It probably saves my life!
I will work hard in a garden, but I hate going to the gym. The "work" (fun) keeps my weight down and keep the ol' ticker pumping, then I eat the fresh veggies! WAY cheaper than Dr bills and far more enjoyable!
david52 Zone 6
14 years ago
Last week, I popped for another chest freezer, because we butchered a steer and the other freezer is still half-full of garden produce from last season. Bags of swiss chard, peas, pesto, apples, peaches, green beans, etc. And we canned I dunno how much stuff - hundreds of jars.

I just put in my seed order, and it comes to around $ 60 - but I order bulk packages that last years, and have an embarrassing seed stash.
highalttransplant
14 years ago
As with any kind of recreational activity, there are start up costs, but I think each year, I spend less and less. I am just finishing up about half a dozen seed trades, sending folks seeds collected out of my garden, for varieties I don't have, so for the price of a couple of stamps, I'll have several new peppers and tomatoes to try this year.

David, last year my DH ran across an ad for an upright deep freeze. Someone up in Aspen just giving it away. It is full of bags of pesto, shredded zucchini, sliced carrots, peppers, apricots (free from a neighbor), etc. So the only expense is the electricity to run it.

I also canned about 150 jars of jams, jellies, applesauce, salsa, pasta sauce, and pickles. I gave away quite a bit for Christmas gifts, but there is still plenty left over for our family to use. Just last night, I made spaghetti using a jar of my homemade sauce, and then we had some applesauce for dessert. Way better than anything storebought. The jars will get reused, so the only cost this year will be new lids, and the electricity to run the canner.

Gardening is one of the only recreational activities that I know of that can pay for itself. DH spends who-knows-how-many-$$$ on motorcross bikes, gear, gas, replacement parts, etc., and has a great time with the kids, but it certainly won't make us any money ... not unless one of the kids turned pro or something, LOL.

Bonnie
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
14 years ago
We bought an upright freezer as well. We obviously didn't grow enuf basil as there is no pesto in there any more. I pulled out a pepper mix for chili Thursday - fortunately I had the foresight to freeze some peps according to anticipated use. Sometimes in Safeway we run across dairy they mark down drastically, and we have cheese and pie crusts replacing the space of veggies right now (we make crostatas out of pie crusts and I think this might get me some currants in the yard). We also marinade meat in the freezer and pull it out and it is ready to go - I miss the elk we used to get as gifts when I lived in CA...

I'm about ready to buy seed as I think all the negotiating is done, so I'm not sure I can state, monetarily, what we save. But, as above, I'm not grumpy and I get to go outside, and I get to tinker with and experiment.

Dan
david52 Zone 6
14 years ago
I got one of those "energy star" freezers, which cost, according to the label, about $35 a year in electricity. I go through that buying fresh organic veggies and a package of chicken for a stir fry.....
smdmt
14 years ago
You don't know how much I enjoy reading ya'll's posts! (And all over the rmgard forum!) I share the same sentiments regarding gardening that are expressed here. So far my garden hasn't produced quite as much produce that yours' has, but I'm getting there. I have to get a more reliable pressure canner. My fruit trees/shrubs are 2-3 years planted so hope to get more fruit this summer.
Thanks for your source of inspiration.
Suzanne
highalttransplant
14 years ago
Suzanne, all of the cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes came from my garden, but I am in the same boat as you with the fruit trees. I had to buy a bushel of apples at a local orchard, because my trees were only planted a couple years ago as well, but maybe this will be the year we will both get some fruit from them!

I got lucky last year, and an elderly woman about a 1/2 mile from me had a sign out for free apricots - pick your own, so I was able to make a lot of jam for practically no expense. Just this week, Walmart had its cranberries on sale for 2 cents a bag. I bought 8 of them, and put them in the deep freeze. I'll make some jam out of them when strawberries come in season. This is year two, and three, for my two rhubarb plants, so hoping to harvest enough for at least one batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam from them. Also planning to add a red currant bush this year, and replace the peach tree that didn't make it.

Eventually, I think my small garden will produce a decent percentage of our fresh produce, and frozen and canned goods, but it's still a work in progress.

Bonnie
PRO
Glacier View Landscape & Design, Inc.
14 years ago
Once one has soil amended over the years, a few seeds and a little water go a long way to saving money. However, more importantly it is about having the freshest veggies to eat, and the opportunity to show my 3 year old where food really comes from.
jnfr
14 years ago
My garden saves my sanity.
singcharlene
14 years ago
I agree that my garden saves my sanity. It fulfills a creative need, gets me and my kids (and other people's kids as well) outdoors everyday (vitamin D!), is beautiful to look at, feeds myself and my family far healthier things than I could ever buy. I give away a lot of produce that I just can't keep up with too. Like any hobby there are start up costs. But a garden is one of those hobbies that gives back "the fruit of our labors."
pinballer3
14 years ago
Gardening is INSANITY. I have tried to explain more than once why I love to dig holes, sit and watch the garden grow, hate giving cut flowers instead of live plants, won't buy a cut Christmas tree, and can't eat vegetables that were not grown in my backyard. I'm also known as the local tree hugger and can be seen staring up into them in the dead of winter. Without these insane acts to keep me going after I was laid off last year, I would have gone CRAZY.

How much does a garden really save?

Comments (16)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

borderbarb

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