Can You Really Save Money by Growing Vegetables? Articles | Gardening

By: Jane T. Thomas

There are several good reasons to grow a garden.

And with today's economy, everyone is looking for ways to cut expenses.  Lately, we can read all over the Internet and hear all the time that growing vegetables in your garden can be cheaper, more interesting, and better than buying them at supermarkets.

The biggest concern to most people is the fact that it will save so much money. Growing your own vegetables in the garden or in containers, if done properly, can reduce the amount of money you spend on groceries. But, if will you succeed in doing so depends on the costs involved in growing the crops, amounts and types of vegetables you choose to grow, vegetable yields you could expect from your garden, and many other factors. So, to answer the question from the title: "yes" - if done correctly.

It's possible to spend a small fortune on a garden. If you go out and buy everything that you need (or you THINK you need) to start a vegetable garden, and then calculate all of the input costs (tools and equipment, fertilizers, pesticides, water, etc.) associated with gardening, you could end up with an astonishing figure. These costs can add up quickly, even for a small vegetable garden. The trick to saving money with a vegetable garden is limiting the costs, while purchasing the things you really need for your vegetable garden.

And one of the most important things that will determinate if you will save money by growing your own vegetables is choosing the types of vegetables to grow in your garden! This is done by factoring in the cost of seeds, fertilizer and water (the cost of growing vegetables) against the cost of purchasing those same vegetables in a grocery store. Some vegetables simply won't save you much money. For example, corn; because you don't get a high yield of corn from a small garden and because in season corn is inexpensive to buy, it doesn't pay off to grow corn in your garden in order to save money on groceries.

So, What Vegetables Will Give You the Most Bang for the Buck?

If you want to start a vegetable garden to save money, consider growing vegetables that give a big yield and have a significant return for an investment. Good way to do this is to select vegetables that are expensive to buy in the grocery store (like tomatoes and melons) or to grow large quantities of vegetables that you purchase regularly.

If you never had a vegetable garden before, take a tip from experienced gardener, and take a look at these six classic vegetables you can grow from seed and harvest throughout the summer, and save some money doing so:

These vegetable seeds are top sellers year after year, and for a good reason! Of course, the varieties change yearly, but standby vegetables like tomatoes, beans and carrots all always at the top of the lists.

* Bush Snap Beans  
* Lettuce                       
* Bell Peppers                
* Carrots
* Peas
* Tomatoes

Except these six vegetables already mentioned, in order to save money growing vegetables consider vegetables like broccoli, beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, summer squash, spinach, tomatoes and Swiss chard. All these vegetables will provide the biggest returns on your investment of space and time you spend in your vegetable garden.

Even a relatively small garden, say 20' x 20', will give you enough room for variety, without being overwhelmed. Of course how much you save by growing your own vegetables depends on the fluctuating cost of food.

Remember, growing vegetables will save you money in the long run - the first year might actually cost more if you need to buy tools, pots and all your seeds, but the second and following years will be much cheaper!

For more information on how to start a vegetable garden and how to avoid some of most common mistakes made by first-time vegetable growers, visit [http://www.laminatedgardenguides.com/guides.html]vegetable garden guide.

Jane Thomas is experienced and respected vegetable grower, hobbyist gardener with more than 15 years of experience in organic vegetables gardening. Among other projects, she is co-owner of Laminated Garden Guides, your one-stop resource to learn how to start a vegetable garden with subjects like: Home Vegetable Gardens, Container and Raised Beds Gardening, Growing Tomatoes, Herb Gardening and many more. Visit [http://www.laminatedgardenguides.com]Laminated Garden Guides to learn how to start a vegetable garden!

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