A recent visit to my Uncle’s house shed light on a disturbing email I received from him which said that a recession garden (even the Obamas have one) does not actually save money. GASP?!? Was I fooling myself to believe planting one could save $500?
My Uncle has been gardening for 30+ years so I took what he said as the truth:
- It takes a LOT of time to pick, freeze, juice, wash, and prepare the food grown in your backyard. My Aunt swears she has to wash the lettuce four times!
- You have so much of one thing at one time that you can’t eat it all or preserve it all by freezing or juicing. So you end up giving most of it away, which is not financially beneficial (though popular with friends and family).
- The quality is inconsistent. Sometimes the tomatoes look great, other times they are inedible.
What it comes down to is that a recession garden is time consuming and inconvenient. It’s not like going to the grocery store and pick out the tiny quantity of whatever vegetables you need, my Aunt said as she washed three pounds of snow peas.
I like the idea of growing some of my own food. But as a bargain hunter I’m curious. Has a recession garden saved you money?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
A garden does not need to save you money. When I plant tomatoes, they are $2-$4 a pound at the market and taste like cardboard and I think of how much money I will be saving. By the time I harvest them, the prices are down to $1-$2 a pound but still taste like cardboard while mine taste great. The difference really is the priceless value of exercise and the satisfaction of growing my own food.
My husband would like me to think that it saves us money, but your Uncle, I believe, is correct for us folks who do this as a hobby. Where I do see a return on our investment is in the fresh herbs department. I merely plant them in flower boxes and keep them well pruned throughout the summer. Herbs are super easy to dry and freeze, so the time investment is pretty minimal. I can definitely see where the giveaways can really add up…but hopefully you’ll reap the rewards of good karma!
Your uncle may be right. The traditional “Victory” gardens worked because everybody had one, and everybody shared with eachother, guaranteeing variety, freshness, and no waste. Any excess could be sold at the local farmers’ market (which still applies), which would place a few extra coins in your pocket. But, that said, with the cost of the seeds/plants, soil, food, beds/pots, water, labor, etc., necessary to “grow your own,” it may be cheaper to store-buy…However, there’s nothing better than the taste of home grown tomatoes, berries, and herbs!
When I was married we had a garden and I canned, dried and froze the results and was an important part of the food budget. Now, in the city I’m planning on mini-gardens. One large pot will provide tomatoes (research the varieties and locations they’re good for before you buy the plants!), lettuce (looseleaf, NOT iceberg!) which I will combine a couple varities in one pot (10-12″ diameter). You can harvest a couple leaves of each regularly rather than the entire plant (same thing with spinach). With lettuce, if it gets hot, it will bolt (start to set seeds) so you have to be prepared for that (and cut the stem off). ONE zucchini plant is enough, and pick them when they’re small. Corn, winter squash, carrots, beets, potatoes: All either take too much space or take too much out of the soil (corn) to be worth the effort.
If a recession garden teaches us anything, it is that we should enjoy the fruits and vegetables when they are in season LOCALLY. Why buy out of season (i.e., imported or hot house) tomatoes which have little color and even less flavor if you’re only using them for color in a salad? Use a grated carrot instead and enjoy that flavor instead. It is so disappointing to know what a fresh picked tomato tastes like and know I’ll pay a premium price off season for something less.
If you have a tomato plant or two, enjoy it in season and cut back on buying them out of season.
A comment on washing lettuce: If you use warm water (this applies to spinach, leeks and other gritty veggies), it will relax the leaves so the grit comes out easily, then plunge the leaves in very cold water and they will crisp up again.
On the snow peas–how great they sound! When I grew them I would blanch, then put them on a (chilled) cookie sheet, and into the freezer. Once INDIVIDUALLY frozen, into a freezer bag they’d go for enjoyment the rest of the year (plus some for immediate eating).
As far as giving away produce to friends, perhaps you could get them to plant a few things and you could exchange them.
I think a search for ‘container gardening’ would bring up lots of info and advice.
A small food garden isn’t just about food either, it’s about the entire process. It can be very theraputic if you think of it as ‘play’ rather than ‘work’.
hmm, i think the garden is not just about my money saved. it’s also about reducing the distance between soil and consumer, and maybe even about reducing medical bills down the road from consuming not-so-healthy “additives.” i also think an abundant garden promotes sharing among the community…maybe shared meals…reciprocity…money saved on the whole. i also think washing 3 pounds of snow peas only happens if you plant that many. maybe start small…only plant what you plan to eat? just a few thoughts.
Stephanie, great tips. You are right, planting a smaller garden is a good idea for two people. I like the idea of reducing the distance between soil and consumer, too, because then you know exactly where your food is coming from. Plus, I like the satisfaction of doing things myself.
Stephanie! my thoughts exactly.
For instant gratification types I dont think it will ever save them money. They want it now, see a savings right now! It does not work that way. Start up costs for any project should be expected.
I calculated my new raised beds totalling 210 sq.ft this year to be 1.74 per square foot to construct, fill and seed. The last I checked organic produce is well over $2 a pound. I can easily grow more than 1 pound of produce per square foot. I have done 2,000 plus on nearly 700 sq. ft. Next year they will be 17 cents per square foot. I do have the advantage of a well and the water I use is not on a meter. I still conserve water, yet water bills are indeed a big deterrent for some.
I will never pay 6 bucks for butternut squash….when it takes me less than 6 bucks to grow 20 of them.
Remember when we give away to those in need, our hands are open to receive as well….it may not come in the form of dollars and cents, but in some other form albeit a helping hand when a tire goes flat or fix a leaky roof.
I dont call mine a recession garden, its always been just “my garden”
I’ve always had herbs–you only snip what you need for that night and they keep growing. I chose to plant a few years ago a tangerine, apple, and peach tree–and a mini lemon tree. Besides cooling the backyard with shade, we get lots of organic fruit to eat at 3 different times of the year.
I think fruit trees would be one of the first things I would plant IF I had a yard and IF I lived in the right climate. Tangerines are my favorite.
Dear Julia,
Better and more practical than a garden are the magic green bags that keep your produce edible 4-5 times longer than plastic bags, or loose in crisper drawer. You can rinse and reuse many times. The bags absorb & remove the ethylene gas that cause fruits & vegetables to continue to ripen, then get yucky.
Garden produce, dry, goes right in a bag, to be washed before use. Right now I have about 2 quarts of snow peas that I picked today, ready to go in the bag.
Debbie Meyer GreenBags-20 bags per pkg, about $10 pkg. I have given these to all my friends.
Be sure produce is dry when you put into bag. Sometimes I let green onions dry out on my counter, seperated, take off the rubber bands, otherwise they don’t last as long. Strawberries do better out of the basket, they will still be edible 5-6 days later. Cilantro does better left to almost dry, take off the bands, put paper towel in bottom, take out the next day (don’t leave it in bag any longer), cilantro also lasts longer when stored with mint, I have no idea why, but it works.
Lettuce lasts about a week or more longer in the bags, especially when fresh, unwashed, from the garden.
You will save more in a year using these bags, then with a garden!
Wash in cool or lukewarm water, after each use. Air dry, inside out, use a microfiber cloth for drying.
Thanks for the detailed tip, Joy!
If you do have extras, I read off of my community center’s garden website, that the local food banks would love any good left overs because they hardly get fresh fruit or vegetables. Just a thought if you have extra left over.
Great idea, Ashley! Food banks are really hurting these days. You can find one near you at http://foodpantries.org/
We’ve scaled back on the variety of things planted and simply gone with what works. Cucumbers, tomatoes and a few strawberry plants. Basically just salad veggies.
I also want to plant a few fruit trees.
For the first time I keeping a spreadsheet of my yield. I don’t know if I will actually save money in the produce but I do in the long run. Growing fresh produce has caused me to adjust the way I cook. I am using more basic whole ingredients so I do not purchase more expensive packaged items. A bag of flour costs less than a cake mix or a packaged dessert. I am fortunate that i am retired and have the time to cook and bake. Not everyone has that luxury. Also, I value my self-sufficiency. Growing my own food makes me feel like I can take care of myself and my family. Some returns of my garden are not monetary.
It’s best to start small — and plant small. That’s why the “Square-Foot” method (as illustrated in the book with those words in the title) works best for many.
I’m not even that organized.
Think of it as a hobby with potential foodish benefits.
The whole canning thing is one way to deal with a garden windfall. … it’s very 1940s. Those old cookbooks have big sections on canning … and there are a few good canning books out today. Not that I’ve done any of that because I haven’t. Canning, root cellars … it’s just a tad medieval. Not that I’m not headed in that direction. The Daily News cans my $%^ and I’ll be doing lots of “creative” things as I descend into madness.
(on a related note)
The way WordPress handles comments … with this “click to edit” button is pretty cool. I have 4 minutes, 3 seconds to type as much as I can. WordPress, you had me at “hello.”
I really enjoyed reading all the comments to this post, and learned quite a bit. We’ve had a garden for the last 3 years or so and I love it so much I’ve asked my husband to add another garden to the backyard. I’ve always thought the garden saved us a bit of money, although I agree with the comments that it’s not only about saving money. There’s nothing like going out and picking some nice tomatoes and cucumbers for your dinner salad! I started planting herbs last year and that has been a money saver. I’d always buy herbs and they’d go to waste. So hopefully I’ll get my bigger garden this year. And I have my husband do all the work anyway!
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking you feeds also, Thanks.
The biggest benefit of a home garden is thef resh veggies you get for most of the growing season. That will save you a ton of money over buying all of it at the grocery store. One thing I’ve come to love during my 40 years of gardening is the taste of a fresh Jersey tomato. Yesterday I had to buy a couple of those hard-as-a-rock, never ripen commercial varieties that pass for ‘tomatoes’ this time of year to make a salad. Canning and preserving does not have to take a lot of time and expense. Talk to someone that has done it and will give you a hand your first time. Very satisfying, fun, and you will save money in subsequent seasons once you get the hang of it.
BargainBabe;
My soil is so sandy, almost like beach sand. To grow anything takes a tremendous amount of water-$600-$800 p/year. But as the song says, “there’s only 2 things money can’t buy, true love, and HOME GROWN TOMATOES!” I’ll plant a FEW tomatoes, and some herbs. A local farm market is a mile away, for $2 I can fill a grocery bag w/ whatever is really in season, and for the a few dollars more, anything else I want, on a daily basis. I’ve been gardening since I was a kid. I Give UP! Too many weeds, too many bugs! To little time!
Another thing you did not mention is that many vegetables require seven or eight hours of sunlight a day. If you’re shaded by trees, neighboring buildings or privacy fences, this can be a problem. My husband actually puts his chili pepper pots in a little red wagon and trundles them around the yard so they get enough sunlight.
His garden is successful enough that I got tired of washing and freezing swiss chard and string beans. To get out of the September harvest this year, I even tried for a baby arrive then. No luck, but here are some other ideas to get out of preserving: http://www.ehow.com/how_4491914_avoid-preserving-fall-harvest.html
Lynda, thanks for the hint about washing in warm water.
If:
-you garden by the square foot
-you plant only what you can wisely consume
-you eat mainly seasonal produce
-you pickle, can and freeze
You can most certainly save a lot of money.
I have a nice garden and am looking forward to a nice season of fresh butter beans, corn,lettuce and spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and luffa!
The vibe of going outside to pick your lunch or dinner is nearly spiritual. I highly advocate a garden of some sort. It is a learning experience and a highly rewarding one!
I agree! I love going out to check my rosemary, mint and sage each morning. It’s such a pleasure to see them getting bigger, though I did discover some white powder that was a bit sticky on the rosemary yesterday. Wiped it off in hopes it will disappear!