Budget-Saving Garden

There are three reasons I grow a garden.  The top reason for me and my analytical brain: saving dollars makes sense!  The other two are health (knowing what my food is exposed to is very attractive) and industry (being productive and teaching the boys to work for what they have is enjoyable to us).  With three growing boys all three of these topics are near and dear to my heart.

I read that the average garden costs $70 to put in and has a return of about $1 per square foot.  Our garden consists of 40x45' main garden, 10x10' strawberry bed, 4x7' herb garden, 4x7" salad garden, 24sf of blueberries, 3x20 pumpkin patch (though it grows past that).  Grand total: 2040 square foot of food-producing garden.  That doesn't include our chickens, who will be making eggs this fall.


For me numbers make more sense than just saying -- "save money by doing this!"  So here's an example of a spring's garden spending.  My spending total so far:

Asst. Seeds (some 2-3 years worth)  $23.69

Growing pots, flats, seed starter    14.95

Bulk Onions (est)     2.00
Garlic Bulbs     3.20

Hot Pepper Plants (budgeted)     5.00

3.45# Seed Potatoes at $0.54/#      1.99

20 Broccoli Plants      6.94

8 Cabbage Plants      3.38

$61.15

I also get a $15 budget for annuals (flowers) every year and stretch that across wherever.  This year I spent $11.20 on 27 pansy plants (3 9-packs) and planted them in 4 planters and 3 hanging baskets.  I'm also allowed to add one perennial landscaping plant/grouping.  I watch for canning supplies on sale -- just bought a few flats of quarts for $7.99 a dozen -- long term investment.  I would advise setting your limits for each category and sticking to them -- that's the best way to budget!  Keep all your receipts in one place to make this easier.

Some tips for making your garden dollar stretch:

• Start your own plants, if you can.  A sunny south or west window works great.  Make them only one layer deep or they will be reaching across the shelf/table for the sunlight.  Some plants like to be misted rather than drenched -- keeps the leaves from drying out in the house once you take the dome off.  Start them in small pods/packs, then transplant the ones that do indeed grow into bigger pots so they grow better and deeper.

Saw this on Pinterest and had to give a go!

• Store your leftover seeds.  Some seed packages go a long way (like tomatoes and lettuce).  I can stretch then 2-3 years, some times up to 5 with herbs.  Store them in a cool, dark, dry place to prevent them from starting to germinate or decompose.  I have a shoebox that I store closed, in our basement, over the winter.   http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/seed-viability-zb0z1203zmat.aspx has some great info on this topic.

• Save containers.  You can reuse many containers/growing trays for years.  This year I had to do some replacing/restocking so my bill was a little higher than normal.  This goes for the containers your store-bought plants come in, too.

• Watch for things to be on sale -- Most garden stuff goes on sale early in the season to get people excited and buying.  After-season clearance is a great time to shop, too -- if you don't need it immediately.  You can often get shrubs and perennials for 1/2 price at that point!

• Look into saving your own seeds from year to year.  I've not done this yet -- but that would cut my bill in half!

Cut Hosta into 1.5 - 2 inch sections and plant, making sure
you have multiple leaves and a good section of root.

• Get perennials from gardening friends if you can.  Strawberries send off shoots every year.  Hosta grows exponentially, the same goes for bulbs and rhizomes.  Our hosta around the north and east of the house came from a single plant at my parents' house, the ones around our patio splits off my sister's plants, lilies came from my in-laws neighbors.  Odds are, they are just looking to get rid of the excess and it's a win-win!

• Trade plants with friends.  If she grows hot peppers and you grow sweet peppers, there's bound to be extras of each.  Help each other out!

Multitasking -- while sauce simmers, make jam!

• Plant for what you want to preserve -- you save even more money off your grocery bill by cutting out prepared items and making it yourself (My spaghetti sauce from the garden averages 1.41 a quart, compared to 1.98 at the store -- less if my onions and peppers do better this year; strawberry rhubarb jam is 1.77 a pint -- compared to 3.95 at the store.)

Do it yourself!  That's what a garden is all about -- grow it, dig it, plant it, tend it, harvest it -- reap the rewards!  Your family will benefit, not only financially, but also in health!

Being frugal is a big part of our lives.  Not just for the times and the economy, but also for the sake of being good stewards of the resources we have.  How awesome it is to see a $1900+ net return on our garden!  All on the platform of being willing to work for what we have and the faithfulness of our Lord to provide through it!