We all like to save money and we like our investments to pay off. In gardening, it's pretty much a given...a little money results in great rewards.
Last year, we spent about $10 on seed. We also (as in the case of the chiles and tomatoes) harvest seed from something we really liked to eat and want to grow. Add in another $20 of water and fertilizer and $7 for our seed starting greenhouse tray. About $40. What did we get for that?
Below is a rounded off tally of our harvest. The first price is what it would cost us in the supermarket to buy it, the second number is the value of our harvest using those prices.
Tomatoes ($2.99/lb.) - 20 pounds ($60)
Zucchini and squash ($.99/pound) - 50 pounds ($50)
Carrots ($1.00/pound) - 5 pounds ($5)
Onions ($1.00/pound) - 2 pounds ($2)
Corn (3 for $1.00) - 9 ears ($3)
Chiles ($3.99/pound - 2 pounds ($6)
Bell Peppers (3 for $1.00) - 30 ($30)
Total - $156, or around $160
So, as you can see, we got a 400% return on our original investment.
How did your investments do last year?
Next time, we'll show you what we plan on growing this year and how to start your garden.
Darryl
Copyright 2013 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Well done on your investment!I truly admire anyone who has the commitment and certainly the patience to grow their own produce.
ReplyDeleteI've only ever tried to grow my own once - I reckon I was down by 500% - admittedly I didn't buy seeds, but by the time I bought the plants, containers, growing medium, feed, netting, time and effort - I would have been much more better off buy the strawberries, beans and peas!
I like vegetables because they're easy from seed, easy to grow, and don't take near as long as fruit. I do grow some fruit...citrus, grapes, and guavas...but that's a perennial thing. It pays off too, but over time, not so immediate as growing veggies from seeds.
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