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93 Comments
- yg87, on 06/28/2009, -2/+22Its really awesome to grow your own vegetables... but dont try to make it sound like it makes economic sense. Its tons of work that really doesn't pay off on a small scale (even farmers have trouble), you have to do it because you enjoy it imo
- thatoneguydunno, on 06/27/2009, -6/+25Tomatoes: $630
Potatoes: $211
Salad Greens: $198
Weed: Priceless - radu79, on 06/28/2009, -0/+13Well, duh, of course it will save you money, but not as much as that article claims (unless if you have a really big garden).
My garden is about 80 square meters (but not all used to grow vegetables, some is used for compost, paths, etc.) and I don't think I will save more than 300 bucks on the vegetables. But on the other hand, it's all organic and it tastes much better. - publiclurker, on 06/28/2009, -0/+10Ladybugs. A single packet of those guys can probably handle a garden that size and as long as there is food, they will stay around and help you out.
- siszam, on 06/26/2009, -0/+9A great gardening book to increase your gardens yield and reduce weeding work is Square Foot Gardening.
- Acqua206, on 06/28/2009, -1/+9What are you talking about? You act like growing some carrots is so very difficult. My mom uses up almost every bit of yard that is available to her in the backyard for growing stuff. Cucumbers, tomatoes, a variety of lettuces, cherry trees, garlic, green onions, and some other edible plants I'm not too sure of. I would say we have around 800 sq ft of growing space. Its not that hard to grow stuff. You just spray the seeds, maybe make a little makeshift greenhouse for a particularly sensitive plant with ceranwrap, throw some fertilizer there and water it every day.
The thing about growing your own stuff is that you end up with a bunch of fresh crap all at once. One can only eat so much lettuce and tomatoes before you want to hurl. Neighbors and friends will only take so much off your hands as well. - bdbr, on 06/28/2009, -0/+6The real benefit of your own garden is getting to eat ripe vegetables, rather than the stuff in the groceries that is often picked green. You'd have to have a very long growing season (or a lot of mouths to feed) to actually save much money.
- AlanLivingston, on 06/28/2009, -0/+6The garden in the article was 1600 square feet (40' x 40'). In urban (and many suburban) homes dedicating this much space to a garden is impractical. A good compromise for obtaining fresh organic produce is to locate a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) organic farm.
You can look up a local CSA organic farm at http://www.localharvest.org/. - Zomgondo, on 06/28/2009, -0/+6Heh, my attempts at organic gardening gave me a real appreciation for Miracle Gro and malathion 50. But I'd happily dispense with the malathion 50 if I could. What do you use for aphid control?
- Zomgondo, on 06/28/2009, -0/+5I tried the soap and water... the aphids laughed. I tried the insecticidal soap with all-natural pyrethrins... the aphids laughed and threw a party and made more aphids. I tried malathion... they stopped laughing and promptly fell off the leaves.
The ladybug thing I haven't tried, but my girlfriend's garden has plenty of ladybugs and zero aphids, so I'll give that one a shot. I didn't want to try them initially because the infestation was so bad I was afraid the ladybugs wouldn't be able to eat them in time to save the plants. - inactive, on 06/28/2009, -0/+5Growing your own vegetables is really great, but the financial benefit stated is highly dubious. The article seems to overstate the cost benefit to get people interested. That's not really a great way to encourage people who can count. For example, they're assuming 1.49 a pound for potatoes, what a rip-off. You can get them for about 39 to 69 cents a pound where I live during the harvest season.
A first-time gardener is also more likely to have crop failures and spend his or her time less efficiently and would have to invest in gardening tools. The money-saving part is unrealistic. Nevertheless, I was gonna start a little veggie garden of my own. It's just nice to tend to the plants and then get your own veggies.
I guess it's kind of late in the season to start. Anyone know what I could plant now that would still ripen before the fall? - teamgwho, on 06/28/2009, -0/+5very eye opening. one does need to keep in mind the amount of labor involved. it isn't just as simple as throwing down some seeds and setting the sprinkler. you have to deal with weeds, bugs or animals that may start poking their nose in, fertilizing, pruning if it gets too big, tieing up the plants, etc etc. Depending on your garden size and what you're growing it may be a fair amount, or it might be very little.
it's worth it though.
also, if you have more then you need, (and you will unless you plant very little, have a huge family or have a dead thumb) donate your excess to the local food pantries. they rarely get fresh produce and will appreciate it a lot more then the neighbors. one other way to deal with excess is to set up a trading group within your neighborhood. Odds are you're not growing the same thing they are so you can give them zuchinni and get celery back. it's also a good way to meet more people and get gardening tips. I for one would love to know wtf I am doing wrong with my brochohohohli. - OUChevelleSS, on 06/28/2009, -1/+6Those costs are in the article.
- osko2052, on 06/28/2009, -1/+6Weed has no nutritional value. You cannot live on weed.
- inactive, on 06/28/2009, -0/+5Ladybugs and/or lacewings both work OK, but you should carefully inspect the plants at least once a day; It's easy to get rid of aphids if you catch them early.
- MothBoy, on 06/28/2009, -0/+5You might want to throw a couple of hens in the mix as well. They will eat your bugs, a lot of your table scraps plus some chicken feed, and a pair of hens will give you 10-12 eggs a week.
- ghatid, on 06/28/2009, -0/+5Yea, my dad is a farmer and I was completely spoiled by the freshness of the produce I ate. When I go to grocery stores or farmers markets, I'm kind of disturbed by the limpness:P but that's because I'm used to eating things the day they are harvested. Now that I'm living on my own, it sucks...
- cfuse, on 06/28/2009, -0/+5"What do you use for aphid control?"
Soap and water. Aphids have a wash off coating - wash it off and they die. Aphids are so easy to kill that they should never be a problem in a home garden. - AlanLivingston, on 06/28/2009, -0/+5They could. But if you read the article, it stressed organic vegetables and compared the costs of growing your own organic vegetables vs. buying organic vegetables from Whole Foods. In fact, there was a link in the article's sub-title that said, "plant your own organic garden."
There's nothing about a CSA that requires an organic farm. The original idea behind a CSA was that a community would buy a farm, hire a farmer and divide up the output. Some CSAs still work like this, while others have become a different marketing or distribution model for a farmer.
You know, if you had read the original article and read some of the information on localharvest.org, the answer to your somewhat snarky question would have been self-evident. - ghatid, on 06/28/2009, -1/+5Mainly, how much time did he spend working on his garden.
Having that many different types of plants is a lot of work...each one has different needs that he has to keep records of. The whole project must have taken thousands of hours over the year.
Also, I'm hesitant to believe his pricing since whole foods isn't much higher than usual grocery stores...what grocery store sells shallots for $9.55 a lb? Are they golden?
Oh yea, btw, Whole Foods sells chives for $40/lb?! - crossmr, on 06/28/2009, -1/+5wow.. you're right. I can't imagine what anyone on digg would do if they accidentally grew a powerful hallucinogen.
- TheMadPoet, on 06/27/2009, -1/+4Not just weed, think about growing tobacco, if that's your thing. Dude up the road has a number of good-sized plants - in upstate NY, no less. He's going to smoke it but even if you don't smoke, sell it, kill your friends and neighbors while making some green.
- raleel, on 06/28/2009, -0/+3Probably a little late to actually get read at this point but...
Labor: yes, there is labor involved. My own garden is 6'x20' and has a variety of things in it. Probably about 5 hours of labor total so far this year, and I planted in April/May. This includes the weeding. Right now there are a lot of weeds in it because I was gone for a couple weeks and didn't keep on it. A safe bet is 15-30 minutes every couple of days if you have automatic watering mechanisms. I don't think of it as labor however, it's more relaxation time and exercise time (you do get a little physical activity out there) - smemily, on 06/28/2009, -1/+4It pays off on a small scale if your evenings / weekends weren't going to be spent earning money anyhow. If your leisure time is worthless already, spending it growing veggies can set you ahead financially.
- mewho, on 06/28/2009, -0/+3If you have friends with gardens get cuttings. Tomatoes, for one, are very easy to start from cuttings. Just put it immediately in a cup of water, leave it for a few days until it roots then put it in the ground or a pot, making sure to water it frequently until for the first few weeks. Many herbs grow well in pots and can be taken inside to extend the harvest. Radishes and lettuces grow quickly from seed.
- skidork, on 06/28/2009, -0/+3Fall tomatoes you should have no problem with, right now.
- acwoo, on 06/28/2009, -0/+3Given the time and the cost of land, home organic gardens should not be sold as cost-effective. Rather, fresh produce tastes much better. There is no comparison between a freshly picked vine ripened tomato with anything purchased in a market. Ditto for berries, peaches, etc. The second benefit is the effort itself to grow fruits and vegetables. It's exercise and therapy. But cost-effective it's not.
- ghatid, on 06/28/2009, -2/+5This article reminds me of a couple who lived nearby my folks. My dad and I were working on the yard and they stopped to talk to us. They commented on how nice our yard was, etc (my parents put a lot of effort on their yard). Somehow it was mentioned that my dad was a farmer. This couple then said, "Oh, we were thinking of growing our own carrots. We really like to eat carrots...we normally juice them. We go through a ten pound bag in a couple of days. Maybe you can give us a suggestion on growing our own carrots." My dad and I were speechless...people don't really understand the work involved in growing things...and this couple didn't understand that growing their own carrots not a viable solution for their addiction of carrots....
Because we live in the San Francisco Bay Area, people don't really understand how the world works and they idealize farming a lot. When we talk to people like this (they often give us their theories/ideas) we just smile a nod. There's no point in explaining to them the faults of their ideas because there is no foundation of common sense to start with. - cjwl, on 06/28/2009, -0/+3it's not illegal and you don't need a license to grow it for yourself. north american varieties contain low amounts of nicotine and are not considered hallucinogens. how wrong can you be.
- GodIsntReal, on 06/28/2009, -0/+3I was surprised by the Potatoes price i buy 50pound bags often for about $8.
- radu79, on 06/28/2009, -0/+2For me, Organic means NO ARTIFICIAL *****.
No fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides.
What I do is have a compost pile where I put everything that will biodegrade (old food, parts of the vegetables that are not edible, egg shells, leaves, grass clippings..).
The soil I have here is very good, but it is full of rocks, so I built a sifter. I tried to use some Home Depot organic soil, but that's total crap, I planted some tomatoes from the seeds 2+ months ago and they are just a few inches tall. However, those that I planed in the native soil are pretty nice now. - sychodelix, on 06/28/2009, -2/+4If you either like paying 100's to 1000's too much for a computer, and on the lower end, having much lower quality parts that probably won't last a year or two, that's perfect. On the other hand, if you like a computer that runs great with high quality, long lasting parts and it's STILL way cheaper than store bought, you'd better either build it yourself.
Any serious computer power user knows custom built is best. As for produce, as long as it is edible and fresh, it probably is easier, but cost wise, it will still be cheaper in the long run to grow your own. - radu79, on 06/28/2009, -0/+2Tobacco is not worth it, unless if you do it in an industrial way. If you want it to be good to smoke, you need to age it properly, and that is not economical in small quantities. Especially when a pound of pipe tobacco is 15 buks from the store.
- WilliamDavis, on 06/28/2009, -0/+2True. The ROI was figured at 687%, but did not include anything for labor. If Dan Shapley values his labor at zero, he can come take care of my garden.
- TheMachine1, on 06/28/2009, -1/+3Grow some catnip for the cats.
- inactive, on 06/28/2009, -1/+3It's crazy illegal to grow your own tobacco, unless you are a Native American on reservation land with special exemptions. The old tobacco farmers have made it almost impossible for anyone else to get a license to grow it. Also, it's potentially dangerous; Unless you cure the tobacco just right it's a powerful hallucinogen.
- publiclurker, on 06/28/2009, -0/+2You can still do lettuce and some other veggies. Things like tomatoes are probably not possible.
- ghatid, on 06/28/2009, -1/+3Try growing 20-30lbs of carrots a week...
- smemily, on 06/28/2009, -0/+2Yes, in many cooler mountain climates you don't put tomatoes in the ground until June anyway, so you'd barely be behind.
- Theycallmetak, on 06/28/2009, -0/+2Depends on what zone you're in. I think Gardenweb has a zone chart to figure out what zone you are and what you can/should grow. Good luck!
- asdf2000, on 06/29/2009, -0/+2for a lot of people, working in their gardens is an enjoyable hobby
- rentalsestate, on 09/11/2009, -0/+1There are several ways in which you can contact me. Feel free to call the office, email me, or complete the information request form located at the bottom of each Rental Description. Thank you for your time and interest.
Larry R. Taylor - Wishing you Happiness, Health, Success & Wealth - carlosos, on 06/28/2009, -0/+1Plant different trees that have fruits at different times. Trees that have fruits are probably the easiest way to get some health food without much work.
- beautifulbeast, on 06/28/2009, -0/+1@Zomgondo: It's weird that soap and water isn't working for you. I use shampoo and water and it kills all zaphoids in one or two applications. Could be that you aren't applying it thoroughly enough. Things you can add to the mix are alcohol and tobacco ash.
- cguwilliams, on 06/29/2009, -0/+1I'm really looking forward to trying lettuces actually. Gonna plant at the end of the Summer!
- Zomgondo, on 06/28/2009, -0/+1Thanks for the answers to the aphid question... here's another. Do people who favor organic gardening have a problem with artificial fertilizers like Miracle Gro, or is it mostly just the pesticide that people worry about? I know there's an argument that the issue with artificial fertilizers is that they end up in the runoff and cause algal blooms etc. in the watershed, but it seems to me that using natural fertilizers would do the same thing and that the real issue would be applying too MUCH fertilizer.
- kristov, on 06/28/2009, -0/+1That has tomatoes priced at $4 a pound - is that the price where you live? For me they are 1.50 a pound usually - and I just bought a few yesterday.
- Bananaboy8000, on 06/28/2009, -0/+1Hipsters will love it.
- publiclurker, on 06/28/2009, -0/+1The one problem with the soap is that a lot of the aphids seem to like hiding in spots under the leaves where it's a lot harder to get the soap to them. The lady bugs scour the plants from top to bottom and don't miss much. We had a ground cover rose that had literally millions of aphids on it. I sprinkled most of the pack of aphids on it and they walked up and down every branch searching for aphids. After a day or two, the aphids were gone and the lady bugs spread out to the other plants.
One problem with Predatory insects, however, is that it's sometimes hard to get them to work after using sprays like malathion. You need to make sure that the pesticide is out of the system or it will kill the beneficial insects also.
Still, I like doing things the natural way. Since I'm not going for large volumes in a commercial market, I'm more than willing to let nature do all the hard work. It may be a little slower, but it gets the job done and I can have the kids watch bugs eating each other rather than worrying about them getting into the poisons. - cyrix, on 06/28/2009, -0/+1Chives for 40 a lb? That's ***** ridiculous. At a kitchen I worked at during college a few years ago we got a pound of chives for about 15 bucks from a local distributor who also supplied the local Martins and Giant Eagle markets.
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