Edible Gardening
Grow Small For Big Savings
Many of us have heard about the health benefits of edible gardening, but have you ever done the math to see how much cost savings can be realized by growing your own fresh produce? It's no secret that the cost of buying food at the grocery store is continuing to go up—why not try to reduce your food budget by planting your own veggies and herbs? Read on for ideas to grow your own edible garden in a small space and see how much money you can save.
Gardening By The Foot
Square-foot gardening is the method of dividing your planting bed into one-foot square areas to maximize the space and your harvest. In our 3' x 6' garden bed example, the planting plan features 12 squares, with the number of plants per square based on the mature plant size:
- (2) Tomatoes
- (12) Carrots
- (6) Beets
- (2) Peppers
- (12) Radishes
- (2) Basil
- (4) Bush Beans
- (1) Cucumber
- (1) Eggplant
- (1) Zucchini
This is just one example of a warm-season veggie and herb garden. When planning your edible garden, the most important question to answer is—what does my family (or friends or neighbors) enjoy eating? Edible gardening is a fun social activity as well because each member can participate by growing what they like. Gardening also provides the opportunity to spend time together, and is a great tool to teach little ones where their food comes from. And once you’ve done the work to get one type of veggie in the ground, it doesn’t take much more to plant and maintain two, three, four, or a whole raised bed full of your favorites.
Square Foot Gardening
3' x 6' Raised Bed
3' x 6' Raised Bed
Savor The Savings & The Flavor
Setting up a small vegetable garden in our area typically costs between $200-$500 for supplies, excluding the plant starts, but much of the initial investment for the raised bed and any needed tools can be used over many gardening seasons.
For the square-foot gardening example, we estimated:
- Soil and Compost: $125
- Drip Irrigation Supplies: $150
- Plant Starts: $62
Based on our cost vs. yield chart, which shows the average yield per plant for each selection, we have spent $62 on plant starts, but the store value yield is $188. And this is just an average--your return could be far greater depending on how well your garden grows!
Additionally, the harvest is healthier because you are able to control the types of soil, fertilizer, and irrigation used during the growing season. And the harvest is tastier because the veggies are allowed to ripen on the plant until they are fully mature.
Additionally, the harvest is healthier because you are able to control the types of soil, fertilizer, and irrigation used during the growing season. And the harvest is tastier because the veggies are allowed to ripen on the plant until they are fully mature.
Cost vs. Yield
Learn More...
If you would like to learn more about square-foot gardening, listen to our podcast episode when our host Kevin talks with Dave Faoro from Veneto Gardens about square-foot gardening. Or, watch our video to find out how you can maximize any space and grow a significant contribution to your weekly produce with healthy homegrown organic crops.
If you would like to learn more about square-foot gardening, listen to our podcast episode when our host Kevin talks with Dave Faoro from Veneto Gardens about square-foot gardening. Or, watch our video to find out how you can maximize any space and grow a significant contribution to your weekly produce with healthy homegrown organic crops.
