Growing your own food is a healthy way to save money and enjoy fresh produce at home. When done correctly, even the smallest backyard plot can produce copious amounts of fruits and vegetables and possibly even a significant savingto the grocery budget.
However, it takes time and patience, and a small outlay of money to buy seeds, and tools, if you need them.
Key Takeaways
- Growing herbs (mint, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme) is one way to save money, as fresh herbs can be expensive.
- If you live in an apartment or have a small backyard, consider square foot gardening.
- The National Garden Association is a good resource for new and seasoned gardeners.
- Heirloom and organic vegetables are often more expensive than other types of plants.
- Growing a food garden takes time, commitment, and patience, but the potential outcome in produce may lower your grocery bill.
What Are the Expenses to Garden?
The total bill for a do-it-yourself veggie plot will vary by type of plant grown, the number of plants purchased, and the length of a growing season in your home region.
To calculate the true cost to start a garden and maintain it throughout the year, add together the following factors:
- Cost of plants or seeds
- Cost to provide nutrient-rich soil (dirt, fertilizer, and worms)
- Cost to protect and structure plants (cages, coverings, and fences)
- Cost to water plants
- Cost of tools and accessories (tiller, gloves, and spade)
The Real Return on Investment
The National Gardening Association reported that the average gardening household experiences a positive return on investment. Food gardening does have some risks. An infestation of bugs, a streak of unseasonable weather, or other nature-related problems may wreak havoc on your investment. But for most gardeners, the return on investment pays off. How much can you save? It depends on what vegetables you grow and how many crops your garden yields.
For example, one pound of organic tomatoes from Whole Foods costs as of July 2021 $2.99, but a package of organic, heirloom tomato seeds can yield multiple tomato plants over time, costs $3.99. To put it into perspective: one tomato plant may equal 10lbs to 30lbs of tomatoes.
Another bonus of home gardening? Growing your favorite vegetables and fruits may insulate you from the impact of drought and diseases that slow down production in the fields and orchards of large-scale growers across the country that ship and sell produce.
As much potential as a garden can bring to the bottom line of the average foodie, it helps research where to obtain affordable plants and seeds for your garden. Seeds can often be purchased in bulk packets, too.
Ways to Save
There are ways to stretch your dollars and it is possible to start a food garden on a shoestring budget. Below are three suggestions to get you started.
Start Early With Seeds
At $3.00 a package (or less), gardeners can give their plants a home-grown start and spread the risk over several tiny plants. Picking the strongest from the bunch for transplanting outdoors will give you a comparable alternative to that expensive plant from the nursery.
Give Square Foot Gardening a Try
This popular gardening technique isn't just highly effective at producing the healthiest plants with the smallest effort, and it's affordable, too. If you live in an apartment or have a small backyard, square foot gardening is also a space-saving garden. The costs associated with a square foot garden vary wildly, depending on materials (garden box versus ground) and what you are planting, but a small square foot garden is 4 feet by 4 feet.
Grow Only What You Need and Like to Eat
While it's nice to have an abundance of produce to share with family and friends, the upkeep of a larger-than-life garden could be too expensive and too much effort to maintain. Also, don't plant vegetables and fruits that your family doesn't eat. It may be cheap to plant rows of zucchini plants, but if no one likes zucchini, that's a lot of wasted produce.
Consider just one or two of each of the plants you like most, and avoid planting rows and rows of veggies simply because you have the room. Food waste is a common problem for overzealous gardeners.
The Bottom Line
In the end, the decision to create a food garden is a personal one. Don't feel that it's necessary to go 100% into a gardening scenario. Many gardeners grow things that are the easiest to produce like cherry tomatoes, carrots, and herbs, like mint, rosemary, thyme, and lemon verbena. Consider starting small your first season, and purchase trickier varieties of fruits and vegetables at your local farmer's market.
FAQs
The average household with a food garden will spend $70 a year for seeds and garden supplies; but will reap $600 worth of food. That's a $530 return on your investment.
How effective is gardening? ›
You may burn as many calories as a workout in the gym. If you aren't used to these types of activities, it is likely that you will feel a bit sore after a busy day gardening. Gardening also can improve your balance, strength and flexibility. Gardening activities can be modified if movement is a challenge.
Is gardening good for the economy? ›
Consumer horticulture not only benefits the economy, it also enhances human health and well-being and the environment.
What are the economic costs and benefits of home vegetable gardens? ›
On average, home vegetable gardens produce $677 worth of fruits and vegetables, beyond the cost of $238 worth of materials and supplies. Local environmental conditions, gardening practices, and crop choices will influence the actual net value realized by individual gardeners.
Is gardening really worth it? ›
When done correctly, even the smallest backyard plot can produce copious amounts of fruits and vegetables and possibly even a significant saving to the grocery budget. However, it takes time and patience, and a small outlay of money to buy seeds, and tools, if you need them.
Is gardening an expensive hobby? ›
Gardening can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn't have to be. These money-saving tips from industry insiders will dramatically cut the costs – from getting plants for free, to a touch of DIY. It's easy to overspend on gardening – buying costly plants, treatments, and equipment.
Does growing a garden save energy? ›
Reducing Energy Use at Home
Some hobbies use energy and other hobbies reduce energy use. Gardening falls into the latter category. The sun provides light and a cool breeze in the shade is free climate control. The only power that's needed comes from the gardener who's putting in the physical labor.
Is gardening considered working out? ›
Yes, indeed. Gardening is similar to other moderate to strenuous forms of exercise like walking and bicycling. Gardening works all the major muscle groups: legs, buttocks, arms, shoulders, neck, back and abdomen. Tasks that use these muscles build strength and burn calories.
Why is gardening so therapeutic? ›
Why does gardening seem to be so beneficial to health? It combines physical activity with social interaction and exposure to nature and sunlight. Sunlight lowers blood pressure as well as increasing vitamin D levels in the summer,42 and the fruit and vegetables that are produced have a positive impact on the diet.
Is gardening profitable? ›
Gardening can, in fact, be very profitable but requires a lot of time and energy. On the other hand, garden money-making can consist of simply earning a little pocket change to spend on new gardening tools or something else you enjoy. Are you intrigued? Let's explore some ideas for making money from gardening.
You can, of course, start simply for a couple hundred dollars, or you can invest more significantly with a few thousand. If you're DIY'ing your garden installation, expect to spend anywhere from $25 to $50 per square foot of garden space for wood raised beds. Stone, brick, and steel will be more expensive.
Why is gardening more sustainable? ›
Sustainable gardening is kind to the environment. Traditional agriculture often involves harmful pesticides and extensive transportation of produce. In contrast, Garden Towers minimize the need for pesticides and herbicides while reducing carbon emissions associated with food transportation.
What is economic gardening? ›
Economic gardening is an economic development model that embraces the. fundamental idea that entrepreneurs drive economies. The model seeks to create. jobs by supporting existing companies in a community.
What is economic garden? ›
It's an economic development strategy
In short, it's targeted support for companies that are already in your community to help them grow. According to the Edward Lowe Foundation, economic gardening is often referred to as a "grow from within" strategy.
Does having a garden increase home value? ›
Professional Landscape Planting Design and Installation
Landscape design and installation can raise your property value anywhere from 12% -15%, and the ROI can reach 25% – 400%. Of course, this depends on the value of your home and purchase price.
Is it cheaper to grow or buy? ›
While starting vegetables from seed may save the most money, buying plants may also save some money depending on the amount yielded. “Growing a garden has the potential to reduce the amount of money spent on groceries.
How much does the average person spend on gardening? ›
Gardening Facts and Statistics
The average household spends about $616 on lawn and gardening activities a year, based on the 2023 National Gardening Survey. This number shows that about 80% of American households participated in gardening in 2022.
