jal_ut wrote:
Yeah, corn costs much more to grow than it does to buy at the store.
Sorry stella, I can't agree with this.
You know something, I think you're right, Jal-Ut. One packet of seeds costs $2.89. I'm guessing (hoping) there are enough for at least 48 plants per packet, maybe more. So, that brings us to $.96 per plot.
We don't get much rain up here, and because the air is so dry and the wind runs high with depressing frequency, I water every three days. I'm guessing I use at least 10 gallons of water each time. (Raised beds dry out more quickly, so I like to water until I see it coming out the bottom.) Say, 60 days to maturity, that is 10 gallons x 20 days, for a total of 200 gallons. At $3.17 per thousand, that's $.63, which brings us to $1.53 per plot.
I will add blood meal in addition to my compost to make certain I have enough nitrogren in the soil. I think a 3.5 pound bag costs around $4.50, but I can't imagine using more than a third of a bag, which brings us to $3.03 per plot.
Compost tea is a staple. I use this roughly once every other week. I add Sea Magic (or kelp meal) and fish emulsion to mine, as well as molasses. I would be very surprised, given the cost of molasses, if I weren't spending as much as $.47 in compost tea on a plot this size, not counting the electricity necessary to brew it. This brings us to $3.50 a plot.
To keep the racoons out of the plot, a 4' chicken wire fence is recommended. I don't have one of these on my beds, so let's say $2 for 16' of this and staples to hold it in place, none of which are likely to be reusable. I won't have to buy stakes for the corners, so I won't count that cost. We're now at $5.50 per plot.
Depreciation and maintenance of necessary garden supplies (hose, sprinkler, three-pronged fork, compost tea equipment, and other assorted utensils) will run at, say, $.25 per plot, leaving us with $5.75 per plot.
At two ears per plant and 16 plants per 4 x 4 section, you could conceivably get 32 ears in one plot. Assuming no cut worms get the seedlings, all ears pollinate, no bugs get the ears, no critters eat them, no hail or high winds topple them, and no disease ravages them, you will wind up paying $.18 an ear, a bargain compared to the $.25 an ear for store-bought corn
I take it back. Corn is definitely cheaper to grow
