I started to keep better track of my cost for the garden last year. It wasn't perfect since I started in March and there were times I forgot to weigh or record things I bought. Still, because of increasing food insecurity and the poor quality of produce in the markets, I stepped up on the volume of my garden.
I now grow most of the fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs that I eat or share. I did end up spending more than what I got out of it, but I did add 2 tiered towers. Fertilizer,seed, soil and shipping costs have soared over the last couple of years if they were even available.
I still buy some staples like carrots, onions, garlic, an occasional pepper or cabbage, and some ethnic foods I don't or can't grow well.
In the end of my less than perfect accounting I still managed to record 174 lbs of produce at a market value of $504 which I was able to grow and share with my family and friends. I was also able to trade some vegetables and fruits with others which is not included in the record.
I still have to tweak the volumes and timing (perennial problem), to reduce the amount of food that I don't get to in time. The losses from pests and disease can't always be helped.
Have you gardened differently to increase food security?
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applestar
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I don’t keep close track of costs vs. harvest values, but in terms of changing practices in response to costs, I guess I did make some changes:
— I try to be more self sufficient and use nutrients and amendments that I’ve made myself. I do buy some of the ingredients but the end results are almost always cultured or fermented to increase bio-availability and biological activity so that the completed end results are applied as dilutions — sometimes x100’s.
— Same for the home made brews to repel or kill pest bugs and fungal disease preventatives.
— I’m also limiting myself to trying to grow things everyone in the family will eat, and not try to grow as much novelties.
— During the active growing season, I feel pretty good about being able to continuously harvest plenty of fruits, and at least some vegetables every other day, usually more than we can keep up with.
— I need to improve my organization and preserving techniques and skills to avoid waste.
— I think last years extra expenses went to supplies to try out different methods for extending the growing season, and physical barriers to exclude pests, which I think will ultimately increase harvest.
— I’ve reduced winter indoor gardening activities, reducing electricity costs, etc. (although that has been balanced with continuing hoophouse growing trials — not electricity-related). I need to determine how much of these winter activities end up being “not worth” the time, expense,? and effort….
— I haven’t been sharing harvest outside of immediate family lately, but I think my BIL has awakened to the gardening hobby now, and I grow extra tomato and other seedlings and share.
— I try to be more self sufficient and use nutrients and amendments that I’ve made myself. I do buy some of the ingredients but the end results are almost always cultured or fermented to increase bio-availability and biological activity so that the completed end results are applied as dilutions — sometimes x100’s.
— Same for the home made brews to repel or kill pest bugs and fungal disease preventatives.
— I’m also limiting myself to trying to grow things everyone in the family will eat, and not try to grow as much novelties.
— During the active growing season, I feel pretty good about being able to continuously harvest plenty of fruits, and at least some vegetables every other day, usually more than we can keep up with.
— I need to improve my organization and preserving techniques and skills to avoid waste.
— I think last years extra expenses went to supplies to try out different methods for extending the growing season, and physical barriers to exclude pests, which I think will ultimately increase harvest.
— I’ve reduced winter indoor gardening activities, reducing electricity costs, etc. (although that has been balanced with continuing hoophouse growing trials — not electricity-related). I need to determine how much of these winter activities end up being “not worth” the time, expense,? and effort….
— I haven’t been sharing harvest outside of immediate family lately, but I think my BIL has awakened to the gardening hobby now, and I grow extra tomato and other seedlings and share.
Selling at a farmers' market at one time paid for the "gardening hobby" for us. This was true even though our home is on an urban size lot so the primary outdoor production had to be at a distant garden. I deducted the cost of gasoline for the pickup but depreciation and such was too complex. Gas prices were a major expense, however. The high cost in 2008 probably meant that we were really below water that year and if we were still marketing in 2021-2, it might have been the same story.
I have never weighed the vegetables that the gardens produce. To determine household cost, we would probably have to compare diet preference and a year's purchasing with no garden production.
DW is very much a fresh produce consumer. She eats almost no canned foods and fairly limited frozen. Green veggies! Perhaps we should do better in the direction of year-round growing but it couldn't amount to much in this location without a good deal of supplemental heating and lighting. Expensive!
I used to say that we sold some of what we grew so that we could afford to buy broccoli in the Wintertime
. It was only partly a joke but no, mostly what we were doing was a limited market gardening to better afford our diet and activity preferences. And, we still eat well but the COVID pandemic limiting restaurant dining and limited meat consumption has a lot to do with our reasonable food budget.
Steve
I have never weighed the vegetables that the gardens produce. To determine household cost, we would probably have to compare diet preference and a year's purchasing with no garden production.
DW is very much a fresh produce consumer. She eats almost no canned foods and fairly limited frozen. Green veggies! Perhaps we should do better in the direction of year-round growing but it couldn't amount to much in this location without a good deal of supplemental heating and lighting. Expensive!
I used to say that we sold some of what we grew so that we could afford to buy broccoli in the Wintertime
. It was only partly a joke but no, mostly what we were doing was a limited market gardening to better afford our diet and activity preferences. And, we still eat well but the COVID pandemic limiting restaurant dining and limited meat consumption has a lot to do with our reasonable food budget.Steve
We grow a limited number of food producers in our gardens and the amount harvested from the few things we grow is substantial. I mainly grow tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and asparagus. The tomatoes we eat fresh and freeze some. The remainder we share with friends.
Zucchini we eat fresh and give the rest away. Asparagus we eat all we grow in its short season.
In raised bed gardens my wife grows green beans and cucumbers, a couple varieties of each. What we don't eat fresh we share with others. Last year we could have supplied the whole area with cucumbers.
One year, several years ago I tried to keep track of inputs and outputs just because I enjoy records keeping, but soon gave up realizing it didn't mean anything. I included my labor costs as well as seeds, fertilizer, chemical, water and other supplies and it soon became evident I wasn't in it for either food sustenance or profit or loss. We garden for the pleasure it gives us and as a bonus we get fresh good tasting food. It would drive me crazy to try and grow all my own food in a garden since there are limited vegetables in our diet and limited space for gardening.
Zucchini we eat fresh and give the rest away. Asparagus we eat all we grow in its short season.
In raised bed gardens my wife grows green beans and cucumbers, a couple varieties of each. What we don't eat fresh we share with others. Last year we could have supplied the whole area with cucumbers.
One year, several years ago I tried to keep track of inputs and outputs just because I enjoy records keeping, but soon gave up realizing it didn't mean anything. I included my labor costs as well as seeds, fertilizer, chemical, water and other supplies and it soon became evident I wasn't in it for either food sustenance or profit or loss. We garden for the pleasure it gives us and as a bonus we get fresh good tasting food. It would drive me crazy to try and grow all my own food in a garden since there are limited vegetables in our diet and limited space for gardening.