Pages

Saturday, April 14, 2012

How Much Does a Vegetable Garden Cost/Save?

Pin It!

NOTE:  UPDATED IN JANUARY 2013 TO REFLECT THE CORRECT GARDEN SIZE (AND ADJUSTED CALCULATIONS) OF ROGER DOIRON'S GARDEN.

Finally!  A day without work to play in the vegetable garden.  My peas are coming up!  The potatoes have poked through the soil.  My seed starts have all sprouted!

Raised Bed Cloche
Raised bed cloches, such as this one in a Master Gardener demonstration garden in Lincoln City, OR, are a great way to get a jump start on the growing season. 

The time I get to spend in the garden is truly a gift.  Even better, my garden is a gift that keeps on giving.  We haven't bought garlic or shallots since we started gardening (I always overbuy and overplant).  My kids don't like to eat peas, unless they're straight from the garden.  Herbs are always clipped from the perennial rosemary and thyme shrubs, out front.  We celebrate with fresh salsa and pesto, when we harvest our cilantro and basil.  And, like many gardeners, we have been known to leave bags of tomatoes and squash on the doorsteps of our unsuspecting neighbors.

Although I am totally sold on vegetable gardening as a way to have more direct control over what my family eats, as well as way to supplement our family food budget - I thought it might be useful to spell out the approximate monetary value of home vegetable gardening.

Thus, I tracked down as many references as I could, that detailed how much it cost to start a vegetable garden, as well as how much their garden yielded.  I came up with 6 studies, that reported 8 observations.  The sources include:
  • James Stephens and colleagues 1980 paper, which was published in the Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society (Volume 93, pages 70-72).  They report on two separate gardens in this paper: one in Tallahassee and a second in Jacksonville.  Time spent in the garden was tracked, and charged at $3.10 per hour.
  • J.D. Roth's Get Rich Slowly blog, where in 2008, he and his wife tracked how much a vegetable garden cost and saved for one year.  They spent a total of 54 hours in their Oregon garden, between their January start date and October harvest.  I did not add in the cost of their labor in their reported costs of $318.43.
  • Stall's 1979 paper published in the  Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society (Volume 92, pages 213-214).  Labor, water and travel costs not included in the reported costs.
  • Roger Doiron's Kitchen Gardeners blog, where he and his wife tracked how much food they could grow over six months in their large, home garden in Scarborough Maine.
  • Cleveland and colleague's 1985 paper, published in HortScience (volume 20, pages 694-696), where they looked at the costs and yields of vegetable gardens in Tucson, Arizona, over 2.5-3.0 years.  Labor costs were included in total cost of establishing and maintaining the gardens.  As you might expect for desert gardens, the greatest cost incurred was the cost of irrigation water.
  • Utzinger and Connolly Harrison's 1978 paper, published in HortScience (volume 13, pages 148-149).  I admit that I didn't read this paper (no electronic access to this paper), but secondarily cite information, as reported in Cleveland et al. 1985. 
For each garden, I looked at the difference between yield and cost (difference = yield - cost).  I adjusted the value of the difference to its 2012 value, using an online Consumer Price Index inflation calculator.  I then divided this adjusted difference by the size of the garden, to arrive at the value per square foot of garden area.
Source Location Size (Square Feet) Cost Yield Difference Difference, Adjusted to 2012 Value Value/Square Foot
Stephens et al. 1980 #1 Tallahassee, Florida 1,400 $70 $384 $314 $874.14 $0.62
Stephens et al. 1980 #2 Jacksonville, Florida 638 $83.00 $416.00 $333.00 $927.03 $1.45
Stall 1979 Homestead, Florida 600 $333.65 $495.70 $162.05 $512.02 $0.85
Doiron 2009 Scarborough, Maine 1,500 $282.00 $2431.00 $2149.00 $2297.80 $1.53
Roth 2008 Oregon 878 $318.43 $606.97 $288.54 $307.42 $0.35
Cleveland et al. 1985 #1 Tucson, Arizona 833 $45.00 $154.00 $109.00 $232.38 $0.28
Cleveland et al. 1985 #2 Tucson, Arizona 627.5 $56.00 $178.00 $122.00 $260.09 $0.41
Utzinger and Connolly Harrison 1978 Columbus, OH 150.7 $46.00 $90.00 $44.00 $154.80 $0.41

Altogether, the gardens had an AVERAGE VALUE OF $0.74 / square foot of garden area, and a MEDIAN VALUE OF  $0.62 / square foot of garden area. 


For a modest-sized garden, 200 square feet in size, that's a return of $148 in the first year.  For larger gardens, 500-700 square feet in size, that's a return of $370-$518 in year one, alone!

In at least 5 out of the 8 observations (all but Cleveland et al. 1985, and maybe Utzinger and Connolly Harrison 1978), the costs incurred included what was needed to establish a garden, and not simply to maintain a garden.  These costs are sure to decrease in subsequent years, as the cost of maintaining a garden is substantially less than start up costs.

Thus, even in the first year after establishment, the net economic benefits of vegetable gardening are positive - and these economic benefits are sure to increase in years two, three and beyond.

The consistent 'winners' in these papers included:
  • salad greens
  • tomatoes
  • beets
  • broccoli
  • potatoes
  • strawberries
These were the fruits and vegetables that yielded the most, in terms of dollars saved by not having to purchase these items.  However, to truly get the best value from your vegetable garden, it is important to plant what your family likes to eat.  No one really liked the green tomatoes (or the pear tomatoes) that I planted a few years ago.  Lesson learned.  I scratched those from my list.

On the other hand, my kids couldn't get enough green peas or kale.  Thus, I am more than accommodating with space for these favored fresh veggies.

To cut our garden start up costs, my husband and I did the following:
  • We compost everything we can for the free soil amendments that composting yields.  Our first year garden was planted in subpar (cheap) soils that we purchased (but we still had a great harvest!).  Years two and three were amazingly productive.  I give credit to the compost.
  • We built raised garden beds out of recycled/reclaimed fencing material.  The fencing material had not pressure treated.  CCA, or copper chromated arsenic treated wood should be avoided -  primarily because of the hazards with handling the wood, rather than the wood contaminating the garden produce.  Other wood types are likely okay.
  • We started gardening with what I like to call the 'starter set of seven' - vegetables that do well with little work, in most home gardens.  My starter set was:  peas, leaf lettuce, summer squash, tomatoes, spinach, potatoes, garlic.
  • We were proactive in our pest management.  I like walking the garden every day, and this helps me catch problems before they grow out of hand.  Cabbage worms in kale?  I hand picked them off, nearly every day.  Slugs clipping my seedlings (which is happening right now)?  Time to pull out the Sluggo.  My husky is eating the peas again?  Ugggh.  Time to fence her out.
  • Kids in the household = free help with weeding.  My kids have come to understand that it takes time and effort to grow our own food.  They normally leave the garden to me - but will help spread wood chips (as a weed-suppressing mulch) or will help hand weed beds - when asked.  I also invite them to plant with me.  At 17 and 15 years old - they take real delight when they see something that they planted and harvested on our dinner plates.  
  • We hand water everything.  A turf professor once told me that he thought watering should be as burdensome as possible, so that folks realized how much water they were using to maintain their lawns and their garden.  I've taken that to heart - and hand water (every day, in the heat of the summer) our vegetable garden, as well as a few ornamentals.  This cuts down on our water use, which cuts down on irrigation costs.
  • We're learning to preserve what we grow, so that there is no waste.  We're still not perfect in this regard (some tomatoes have been known to be worked into the soil at the end of the season, rather than put up in cans).  But, we're getting better, and we accept mistakes.  Gardening should be relaxing, and not one more thing that stresses you out. 




64 comments:

  1. Great article. I shared it on my blog and my Facebook. Nicole Ward, Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Kentucky.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved your post so much I became a fan of you, promise that you will continue to share such good and knowledgeable posts even further, we will be waiting for your post thank you. I really like your article. This is a very knowledgeable article, which is of great use these days, I hope you will post similar articles in the future and let us know that your distant well-wishers.

      Golf Course Road Call Girls in Gurgaon
      Neemrana call girls Services
      SushantLok escort Services in Gurugram
      Aerocity VIP Female Escort Services
      High Class Call girls services in Gurugram
      Gurgaon Female escort services

      Delete
  2. Thanks, Nicole. I really appreciate your passing this on. What's the URL to your blog? I'd love to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved your post so much I became a fan of you, promise that you will continue to share such good and knowledgeable posts even further, we will be waiting for your post thank you. I really like your article. This is a very knowledgeable article, which is of great use these days, I hope you will post similar articles in the future and let us know that your distant well-wishers.

      Golf Course Road Call Girls in Gurgaon
      Neemrana call girls Services
      SushantLok escort Services in Gurugram
      Aerocity VIP Female Escort Services
      High Class Call girls services in Gurugram
      Gurgaon Female escort services

      Delete
  3. Hi Gail,

    Very informative! Thanks for putting this together!

    Jeff Gillman

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Jeff. A compliment coming from you means a ton! Love your blog and love your books.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Gail. It's Roger of Maine checking in. You refer to my data above, but there's an error in your figures. You've listed my garden as being 10,890 square feet when in fact at the time it was 1500 square feet. I'm not sure where you got the larger number. Making this change send our value/square foot calculation up to $1.43. Thanks for making the change and for bringing this data together. Roger (KGI.org)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Gail,

    This fascinating piece of work you did on the net value of veggies/sq. foot is invaluable! I have given the talk on growing vegetables and herbs to our Interns Class in the Northern Shenandoah Master gardeners Association (of Virginia) for 3 years now and would be delighted to include the economic value of growing vegetables alson with all the other benefits. I read the blog, and note that the writer from Maine pointed out an error in the size of his garden. Are you going to recalculate the average and mean net revenues with his corrected data? I do not mind doing it just for myself, but if you are anyway, then all your readers would have the corrected values.

    Thanks again for a very helpful article. Paula PB of NSVMGA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Corrected! Sorr that it took me so long, Paula.

      Delete
  7. Thanks so much for the comment and the correction, Roger. Getting a comment from you is like getting a comment from a gardening rock star!!! Even if it was to correct my mistake.

    I've updated the numbers, accordingly. My apologies that there was a mistake, to begin with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No worries, Gail! I was so glad to see that you'd brought this together.

      Delete
  8. Thanks guys, for sharing such informative data.
    greenhouses blog

    ReplyDelete
  9. GREAT article, Gail - I'm sharing it with all 160 or so of our Guilford County EMGs and recommending that our Community Garden Outreach coordinators share it with the 45 or so community gardens in our County. Thanks for sharing it with the "world."

    ReplyDelete
  10. How many of the garden examples used were using square foot spacing vs row spacing?

    Also, another great way to save on time spent throughout the season is to use deep mulch gardening methods...

    There's a free documentary on the process here:

    http://backtoedenfilm.com/#movie

    ReplyDelete
  11. I may have missed it but do these costs include soil, tools, and structures? It does say"start up" costs, I just want to be sure. I was gifted an 8x40 frame from a neighbor who gave up on veggies. It seems it will cost about $100 to fill with soil, if I start seeds inside I need to rig a shop light $30, seeds are inexpensive and I saved some from last year. I do have 2 tomato cages but will need two more. I do have a compost pile so I hope that will help this year. I feel like I spend $200+ every year. I live in the mountains in Georgia so my ground is clay and granite :/ Any extra tips? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great Content.I have appreciate with getting lot of good and reliable information with your post.......
    Thanks for sharing such kind of nice and wonderful collection......again, beautiful :) I love reading your posts. They make me happy . . I know something information, to know you can click here
    Lawn services Brisbane
    Lawn mowing services

    ReplyDelete
  13. GREAT article, Gail Thanks for sharing it here!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Please continue to write more because it’s unusual that someone has something interesting to say about this.
    Will be waiting for more! To get new information visit here
    conveyancing nsw
    conveyancing newcastle

    ReplyDelete
  15. Excellent article. Very interesting to read. I really love to read such a nice article. Thanks! keep rocking.
    Thomas Mueller

    ReplyDelete
  16. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

  17. Hello! I read carefully and with great interest the article. Personally, I grow vegetables in galvanized buckets. I believe that this way of growing vegetables is very convenient and practical. I harvest several times a year. Here it is possible to read about metal galvanized bucket http://apromera.com/ Especially good grow cucumbers, tomatoes,

    ReplyDelete
  18. While the state frequently warned children about the dangers of playing on icy ponds, near electrical substations and in open-air, biological weapons laboratories, it failed to take into consideration the decade's plethora of science fiction films and TV programmes, which inspired space-themed games up and down the country. split rail fence cost

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for spending time to track different gardening investments and expenses. This helps a lot in my gardening decisions.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you for taking the time to publish this information very useful! havehegn opsat

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi there! great post. Thanks for sharing a very interesting and informative content, it is a big help to me and to others as well, keep it up! yard maintenance

    ReplyDelete
  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Many people buy artificial grass because their dogs have completely ruined the lawn by either digging holes or killing the grass Scot Turf Artificial Grass

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your articles are very useful.I'm so grateful for all that you've done.Thank you so much. I usually wait for your pieces of writing. currency-converter-app currency-converter-app

    ReplyDelete
  25. I as of late discovered numerous helpful data in your site particularly this online journal page.when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the superb job.
    currency-converter-online currency-converter-box-online

    ReplyDelete
  26. This type of message always inspiring and I prefer to read quality content. so happy to find good place to many here in the post. the writing is just great. thanks for the post.autoketing
    sales pop master
    sales pop master online

    ReplyDelete
  27. I went to this website, and I believe that you have a plenty of excellent information, I have saved your site to my bookmarks.
    https://autoketing.com
    Discount master by autoketing
    Discount master app

    ReplyDelete
  28. Amazingly written blog that has transfixed its audience.
    Greenline boxwood panel

    ReplyDelete
  29. this newsletter turned into written by means of a precise thinking writer. I put up the various thinking about the stable points made through the author. unwell be proclamation
    Gái gọi Kim Mã, Gái gọi Trần Duy Hưng, Gái gọi cao cấp sài gòn, Gái gọi sài gòn, Gái gọi biên hòa, xem anh sex

    ReplyDelete
  30. Great informations! I am planning to do a vegetable garden.
    Breville Juice Fountain Review

    ReplyDelete
  31. Man is aware of nature's powers of creation, balance as well as destruction, but is not aware of the vastness and her sway over the entire universe. Unable to comprehend nature in her entirety, man holds her in veneration while making making simple garden ornaments.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Positive site, where did u come up with the information on this posting?I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style. Thanks a million and please keep up the effective work. consegna verdura a domicilio alessandria

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks for providing recent updates regarding the concern, I look forward to read more. http://www.accurate-landscaping.com/

    ReplyDelete


  34. food games 2019
    basketball games free
    soccer games
    Thanks for providing recent updates regarding the concern, I look forward to read more

    ReplyDelete
  35. Incredible data! I as of late ran over your online journal and have been perusing along. I thought I would leave my first remark. I don't comprehend what to say with the exception of that I have free online juegos games
    io jogos
    2 player games for girl

    ReplyDelete
  36. Have anybody tries new Greenworks 40V Lawn Mower from amazon I suggest every Gardner this outstanding machine to buy.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Great Content.I have appreciate with getting lot of good and reliable information with your post.......
    Thanks for sharing such kind of nice and wonderful collection......again, beautiful :) I love reading your posts. They make me happy . . I know something information,

    ReplyDelete
  38. This is really a nice and informative, containing all information and also has a great impact on the new technology. Check it out here:
    southend fencing

    ReplyDelete
  39. I'm basically interested in growing some of my own food indoors or outdoors. I don't know too much about hydroponics but would be willing to learn.
    House & Garden

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anything that can not be absorbed by the plants. A drip irrigation system located at each plant will eliminate the waste.
    House & Garden

    ReplyDelete
  41. This blog is so important. A present for the blog readers.
    HobbyPlants

    ReplyDelete
  42. I am happy to read this post as much pleasure as you would have done by writing this post, you are a person writing a great post, I wish in life that you keep on writing such posts even further.
    Dating in gurugram
    Escorts in gurugram
    Faridabad Call Girls
    Greater Noida Escorts

    ReplyDelete
  43. Not all people are able to use beautiful words in life, there are some people who can translate the words of their mind into words, you are the only one of them, you have written this post in a beautiful way.
    call girls in gurugram
    call girls in gurugram
    Gurugram Rural call girls
    escort service gurugram

    ReplyDelete
  44. As much as your thinking is praised, it is very important to have a beautiful thinking to write a beautiful post and indeed such a beautiful post is rarely seen as much as the beautiful post you have written, it is a very beautiful of my life The post is what I saw today.
    Gurugram escorts service
    call girls in gurugram
    call girls MG Road
    call girls in Noida

    ReplyDelete
  45. Most landscape contractors have the capability of building masonry structures such as patios, walks and walls, wood structures such as arbors and decks and can either do or have other tasks done, such as installing irrigation or lighting systems. Best landscaping Wylie tx

    ReplyDelete
  46. There are many things to see and do here, too many to include in just one place. budapest rentals

    ReplyDelete
  47. You have clearly explained through a calculation chart. Thanks for a lovely post!
    mail order nursery
    buy blueberry bush

    ReplyDelete
  48. When you have your wood shakes introduced, make certain to keep them clean. Trim any trees encompassing your home to forestall pine needles, leaves or twigs from accumulating on your rooftop.Vietnam sourcing

    ReplyDelete
  49. Im no expert, but I believe you just made an excellent point. You certainly fully understand what youre speaking about, and I can truly get behind that. tv stands

    ReplyDelete
  50. I am very impressed to your content. Everyone should have to make vegetable garden at their home, If possible then. To plant it and grow it you need a best and high quality vegetable seeds

    ReplyDelete
  51. Really nice and interesting post. I was looking for this kind of information and enjoyed reading this one. Keep posting. Thanks for sharing. Visa-Médica-India

    ReplyDelete
  52. Usually I never comment on blogs but your article is so convincing that I never stop myself to say something about it. You’re doing a great job Man, Keep it up.Can Dog Eat Tomatoes

    ReplyDelete
  53. The game called bowls is the most popular form of bowling in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and some other Commonwealth lands. In the United States and Canada, where it is also widely played, it is called lawn bowling, or bowling on the green, to avoid confusion with the tenpin game. INDOOR BOWLS MATS FOR SALE

    ReplyDelete
  54. are made from polyethylene, PVC and polypropylene materials. PVC tarps are mostly used as truck covers while the tarps made from polyethylene and polypropylene are used for grain bunker covers and large shelters. These Tarps are available in different sizes and weights which makes them flexible to use in different conditions.
    이천출장샵
    일산출장샵
    파주출장샵
    평택출장샵
    화성출장샵
    의정부출장샵

    ReplyDelete
  55. Well your blog is really good and interesting.. I also think kids should be indulged in such kind of activities. It helps in the physical and mental growth. Keep Sharing유성노블홈타이
    대덕노블홈타이
    진해노블홈타이
    마산회원노블홈타이
    마산합포노블홈타이
    성산노블홈타이
    의창노블홈타이

    ReplyDelete
  56. "It continues to be crucial to highlight the truly exceptional nature of this post. My heart is brimming with gratitude for the remarkably outstanding content you've shared, which greatly enriches our collective knowledge. IPIO card holders � OCI in Lieu of PIO .

    ReplyDelete

Comments or questions about this post?