Is food cheaper to grow?

:gig

At our house I do all the gardening...but while I am out playing in the dirt, hubby mops and does dishes. He eats most of the garden stuff...I just like growing it. Neither one of us would change a thing :D
 
We try...but we have cats, and an autistic son who has the mess making abilities of a 3 year old x 10. We usually have to settle for "not a complete disaster". :D
 
I think you should read this article and probably look into what the benefits are as well as the cost savings. I believe done properly the time benefits would be great too! You know how good gardening is to your body? SO much better then grocery store shopping. ;)

What I like about this article is it shows you REAL numbers. Those numbers are only based on California costs (and a quick peek at 2009 costs during summer months in Iowa) but its real numbers!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Square-Foot-Gardening-Food.aspx
 
vfem,

That is exactly what I was looking for! I wanted to see monetary cost. verses productivity. I know the joys of gardening are priceless.:)

That was a really good article. The writer also has great ideas on edible landscaping which is something I am interested in.

Thanks
mary
 
boggybranch said:
True that, Hi.......very well "said".

Heck, you can buy dressed fish cheaper than you can catch them......same thing.
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That depends on whether you have a pond in your backyard or not. :lol: By that I mean, it may be cheaper for you to buy then grow, but it may not for sometone else.

I live in the heart of farmland, but we only have one farmers market within an hours driving time, and it is still 20 minutes away and pretty exspensive. (no competition) Since we have beautiful weather, good soil, and our grocery stores all sell shipped food (that isnt that much cheaper in season then out) It IS cheaper to grow our own.

We use our own dirt, (Dont haul it in) dont buy a bunch of soil additives and compost, buy cheap seeds and plants, and then save our own, and this year will will be using FILs tractor to disk our garden so we will not be out the rotatiller rental. (plus all that backbreaking work for not so great results. )

So, I would have to agree %100 with Wifezilla. It all depends. :lol:
And if you love doing it, and love knowing you can feed your family even without the grocery stores, it is worth it regardless.
 
vfem said:
I think you should read this article and probably look into what the benefits are as well as the cost savings. I believe done properly the time benefits would be great too! You know how good gardening is to your body? SO much better then grocery store shopping. ;)

What I like about this article is it shows you REAL numbers. Those numbers are only based on California costs (and a quick peek at 2009 costs during summer months in Iowa) but its real numbers!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Square-Foot-Gardening-Food.aspx
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vfem -- This article is really similar to one I read in Countryside magazine a while back...about a FL couple who planted their entire suburban yard to fruit trees and vegetables. No lawn at all. They not only fed themselves almost entirely from their own crops, but they also sold produce roadside and made their living from it. (There were some other things they were doing, like only paying cash for things not credit, and they were vegetarians.) Of course, FL has all the advantages to do something like that! I can't grow papayas here. :P

But it was a very inspiring article and made me think more carefully about how much I really can do on my one acre.

I think it all depends on how you go about it. The edible landscape idea is very cost effective and you wouldn't need a tiller really (double digging is great for smaller beds).

ETA: follow the links to her garden photos...what a beautiful sight!
http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/ros-trial-garden-2008-2009/
 
I am all for edible landscaping. I planted flowering kale last year. It is tasty and it looks awesome! GREAT FALL PLANT. Many people just think it is a flower and have no idea it is a tasty green.
 
wifezilla said:
I am all for edible landscaping. I planted flowering kale last year. It is tasty and it looks awesome! GREAT FALL PLANT. Many people just think it is a flower and have no idea it is a tasty green.
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I am adding edible items into my front garden to grow along side my prettier flowers and bulbs. So I will have cabbage, carrots, lettuce and some bok choy in my front yard growing next to black eyed susans and daisies come spring!

The idea of the look, which I REALLY want, and the taste and cost effectiveness we need!

We are trying to find more and more room to take away from the wasted space covered in lawn... to create edible good for either us, or things that will produce for the wildlife in turn.

Nothing that will take from us, or the earth without it earning its keep. (Yes, if its pretty and makes me happy, it can have a spot. :D )
 
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