My DH and I are putting in a garden. Is it a frugal move? Not really. Honestly I think it will cost us more to put in a garden than what we will get out of it. But it’s the right non-financial move for us. We’re enjoying doing the outdoor work after being cooped up all winter and spring. We’re enjoying the idea of a garden and growing our own vegetables.
So why isn’t it frugal? Well we had to pay $50 to rent a rototiller and till our backyard. Do you know how many vegetables we’ll need to grow and eat to make that back? Not to mention buying a rake, soil, seeds/plants, and possibly putting in a sprinkler system? Those are just the easily measurable costs.
What’s not measurable is the hours of backbreaking labor we’ve spent weeding the yard, composting, raking, gardening, etc. Yes we’re not hourly workers so at least we’re not losing income. But for a fraction of the cost we could just buy our herbs and veggies from the store, even the organic versions.
Yet it’s great exercise and we’re having fun. I guess that’s the biggest reasons we’re doing it. That and by putting in grass we’re able to enjoy the backyard finally. Our dogs will have a little area to run around and play and we can sit outside finally and relax. I guess I see it as paying for some cheap, healthy hobby. I love the warmth of the sun.
Do you have a garden? Is it really a frugal investment? Or is it just a fun hobby?
3 responses so far ↓
1 Meg from FruWiki // Jul 3, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Gardens REALLY don’t have to cost a lot.
Perhaps a bit too late now, but you don’t need to till. That kills the worms you want in your garden and breaks apart the soil ecosystem. The best method, or so I’ve heard, is to just keep adding soil on top. Of course, that can get expensive if you’re buying soil, but you can make your own through composting for free. It just takes time and patience. You have to start small.
Sprinkler system? We have a hose and a sprinkler, but no “system”. A timer on the hose helps if you forget about it like I do.
Rakes are helpful when gathering brown material (i.e. leaves) for the compost, but you don’t need a lot of fancy tools. Only things I use a lot is my small shovel and a good pair of small clippers. You can get both at discount stores like Big Lots — along with lots of other gardening supplies.
Check into companion planting and other organic methods before you spend a lot on pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, etc. You’d be surprised what can you do with stuff you already have and good compost.
For plants, get to know other gardeners in the area. They’re usually happy to give away plants when they have too many seedlings and need to thin things out. Check Freecycle for plants and seeds. Even see if you have wild plants in the neighborhood that you can try out. I have herbs like purslane, dandelions, plantain, sorrel, oxalis, spiderwort, etc. etc. etc. that I’ve transplanted from the neighborhood — and they do well because they’re used to being neglected.
Do at least listen in on a local gardening group online. You will learn so much — and won’t waste money on stuff that’s not suitable to the area (or plant stuff at the wrong time).
Good luck!
2 Abigail // Jul 4, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Even with the money you’ve already put in, you should eventually see a decent return. But no it won’t be frugal for awhile.
Unfortunately, Meg is right. You really don’t need to go to all that trouble. But at least you don’t have to worry about too many weeds lingering around.
In the meantime, look at it as not just a frugal endeavor, but a cheap hobby. It’s nice to see the fruits of your labor (no pun intended… okay, a little intended). You have visible results. And fresh veggies are WONDERFUL
3 LAL // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:52 pm
We couldn’t unfortunately get the dirt even lifted without tilling. And we had to pull out all the rocks and we had to buy soil.
Sprinklers would be nice, but we don’t even have a pipe in the backyard! We need to get one put in. Only a pipe in the front.
We got a few plants from friends. Our biggest problem is the soil and the wanting sod down.
I think it’s a fun hobby Abagail. You have to see the backyard to understand the tilling.
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