Does gardening really save money?

QUESTION: Does gardening really save money? I keep seeing all these memes and TikTok videos about “my $130 tomato” so it makes me wonder. – Eliza F

ANSWERING: Gardening can save you money. Does it always? Well, it depends upon how you grow your garden.

It’s no secret, if you choose to container garden or garden in raised beds, you’ll have an investment upfront.

Not only will you need to invest in growing containers or beds, but you’ll also need to invest in soil to fill the containers.

This can add up rather quickly. Also, if you purchase every plant that you grow (especially if you purchase the mature versions of each plant) you’ll spend quite a bit of money to get your garden started.

On the flipside, if you start your garden from seeds or immature seedlings, you’ll have a much smaller investment.

You can amend your garden soil cheaper if you create your own compost. Also, there are low-cost options for raised garden beds.

Some gardeners, I am one of them, even garden in five-gallon buckets when growing a container garden.

These are a few ways to make gardening less expensive. Overall, will gardening save you money, if you garden on a budget?

I think it will. If you care for your crops, you’ll harvest vegetables for pennies where you’d pay dollars at the store.

Also, if you grow enough, you can preserve some of your fruits and vegetables. You can do this through canning, freezing, dehydrating, or even freeze drying.

This will ensure that you save on your grocery bill throughout the year, not just when your garden is producing.

In closing, you can save money by growing a garden. The food typically tastes better, you know what went into growing it, and as long as you don’t spend an arm and leg starting the gardening process, you should grow plenty of food for yourself or family for much less than what you’d pay at the grocery store.

Learn More About Growing a Garden

https://extension.umn.edu/how/planting-and-growing-guides

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/home-vegetable-gardening-a-quick-reference-guide

https://extension.psu.edu/beginning-a-vegetable-garden