Gardening

[Did]

Has anyone reduced their costs a heap growing food? I have just put down seeds for chillies, broccoli, spinich, basil, parsley and Swiss chard.

I would be particularly interested in hearing from people from the UK or Ireland or similar climates. I'm in Ireland.

[Did]

This post came up thrice. Admin could you please delete the other two. Thanks.

[Did]

Just discovered the garden log thread...

[George the original one]

>Has anyone reduced their costs a heap growing food?

"It depends" is probably the only correct answer. It depends on what you eat and the season you eat it in. It depends on whether you'd buy the item regularly if you didn't grow it. It depends on whether you can stay away from chips & soft drinks & coffee & pastries.

For instance, if you had to pay for the amount of blueberries we annually eat because we have 4 mature bushes producing a lot, then yes we save a lot. But most people wouldn't bother eating that many blueberries if trying to keep their food budget down because blueberries are a luxury food in the grocery store. Frozen blueberries work as well as fresh blueberries in baking and waffles and pancakes, so it is easy to preserve what is not eaten fresh.

So the trick with cutting food costs by growing your own is to replace high cost items with your home-grown. The other trick is to reduce the need for food preservation by increasing the year-round nature of your garden. You'll likely have to adjust your diet to save the most money.

Potatoes and sweet corn are not a good value in the garden because they take up space for the money (good value for quality, but not money). Fruits and berries are good money value in the home garden because you'd probably forego them if you were trying to save money.

In our northern maritime climates (UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, northern France, Japan, western Oregon/Washington/British Columbia), we have a long wet spring that favors green salad material like lettuce, kale, spinach, peas, & radishes. There's enough chill factor to grow pears, apples, and cherries, but it is so damp that peaches & nectarines are a challenge.

[George the original one]

Learning how to store the surplus and what makes sense to have a surplus of are also helpful. Root crops like potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, and turnips will store easily (certain onion varieties, like Walla Walla, do not store). Some carrot & beet varieties will overwinter. Spinach and lettuce can overwinter with protection. Tomato plants can be brought indoors for an extended harvest, often as late as Christmas. Some cabbage varieties store well or can be harvested very late; some even overwinter. Apples and some varieties of pears store well.

[enigmaT120]

Chili peppers in Ireland might be a challenge. At least Western Oregon tends to have a very sunny, warm summer. But even at my place (600 feet altitude) sometimes it seems like tomatoes and peppers will never mature. They usually do, but I think we're short on heat growing units where I live.

[vexed87]

I'm in West Yorkshire, not the greatest weather but perfectly able to grow most stuff I need. Even I can grow chilli plants indoors. Even easier if you have greenhouses. They don't have to have the huge glass structures either.

So far setting up with tools, compost for new beds on unprepared and unloved soil and seeds etc has cost me a fair wack (bagged compost being the worst offender). I have probably spent way more than I would have buying store bought veg, certainly in the first year, probably breaking even this year though (it is my 2nd year).

I imagine once the startup costs are done with and you have enough skill to prevent avoidable major crop failures, you can basically keep growing most veggies for next to nothing (at seed cost), particularly if you save seed.

I am prepared to absorb the cost, because learning to be self sufficient in food may one day be an essential skill for survival, they say it takes 10 years to learn the ropes so there's no time like the present to get started! Worth every penny if you ask me. I for one feel nervous whenever anyone suggests leaving your food security to outside agents is a sensible idea, and something tells me reverting to hunter/gather won't end well.

I'll even grow low cost foods, because I think it's important to understand the intricacies of each variety. DIfferent pest, diseases etc to learn.

[Did]

Thanks all. I have seen chillies in a greenhouse in Ireland. So far all I have is a tray of seeds in dirt, but I love the idea of munching away from the garden. I will report back on progress.

[jennypenny]

Gardening definitely lowers our food bill in the summer and fall. You have to like eating the same things all the time and/or like eating in season. I can eat a tomato sandwich every day for months, but many people can't do that. For the most part though, growing your own food leads to a better diet, not necessarily a less expensive one. The food you end up eating is generally healthier, better quality, and grown without pesticides and the normal giant carbon footprint.

I'm not sure how much luck you would have with summery vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. Maybe smaller cherry tomatoes or northern Italian-type roma tomatoes that have a shorter growing season would work. Salt air is tough on fruiting vegetables, so a bit of a wind break would help. You could definitely grow greens and plants like peas, and I think pole beans would work fine (in addition to George's suggestions). Most herbs would work as well.

Have you seen Bealtaine Cottage? She's in Ireland. Some of it is behind a paywall, but some of it isn't. She might be a good resource for you.

[George the original one]

Price Comparisons

Carrots
$2.50 for 2 lb cellophane bag, about 15 carrots
$4.20 for packet of 750 seeds

Potatoes
$3.00 for 10 lb bag generic russet ($0.30/lb)
$52.00 for 25 lb Yukon gold organic (at conservative 5x yield = $0.42/lb with possibility of reuse; main benefit is freshness compared to generic bag or price compared to organic Yukons instead of bulk russets)

Beets
$2.50 for 3 or 4 depending on size
$3.95 for packet of 350 seeds

Lettuce
$1.00 for rosette of butter crunch or boston lettuce
$4.20 for packet of 500 seeds

Spinach
$4.00 for bag/box of baby spinach leaves (300-500 leaves?)
$4.20 for packet of 1,000 seeds
$9.50 for 10,000 seeds

Cabbage
$1.00/lb (typical head weighs 2-3 lbs)
$3.95 for packet of 100 seeds

Onion
$1.50 for single Walla Walla sweet onion
$4.20 for packet of 250 seeds
$15.50 for 50-60 plants ($0.31 per onion)

Cherries
$4.00/lb typical though sometimes $3.00/lb at season peak
$25-35 per tree, typical yield is many pounds each season after 5 years (if you keep the birds away)

Strawberries
$25.00 per flat
$13.20 for 30 plants (enough to produce a flat of berries each season for about 3 years, can propagate by runners)