How much is a heritage, organically grown tomato worth?

Or, how do I save money in the garden?

Gaby Hinsliff got me thinking about the costs and benefits of growing your own in this post on her blog Used To be Somebody. She been trying to grow some fruit and veg - lettuce, blueberries and the like - to save money and to show her son "that vegetables don't all come shrinkwrapped in plastic". She concludes that "apart from the salads and herbs, everything would have been cheaper at Waitrose".

She's got a point.

It really gets my goat when people - be they celeb gardeners, gardening hacks or whoever - make glib statements about GYO being a great way to grow cheap veg. The fact is, as Gaby points out, you're likely to be spending more than you save, particularly in the first few years as you invest in tools etc.

Having just spent a considerable (to me, anyway) amount of money on transforming the rear end of my garden, this has also made me realise that I'm not going to recoup my outlay in what I save on tomatoes and lettuces. I've invested in a new shed, two raised beds from Harrod Horticultural and a picket fence dividing the area off from the rest of the garden. I designed it and did all the measuring and purchasing of materials myself, which helped - I scoured the voucher code websites to find a 20% off code for Harrod Horticultural, which was a big money-saver, and searched around for cheap bulk sources of chipped bark. My biggest saving was the path, made from bricks recycled from the old concrete and brick path that ran around the garden. Eagle-eyed readers may spot that some of the bricks near the shed are a different colour, but it still looks great, and it saved the bricks going to landfill as well as saving me approximately £250 in paving materials.

The plus side to this outlay is that I've made an area of my garden that can be used effectively for growing fruit and veg, composting and in the future housing some quail too (I'll expand in another post why I'd like quail rather than chickens, but the idea is quail eggs are a better bartering chip, and quail don't need to be let in and out morning and evening). There are ways you can save some money, though. Here are a few of my top tips: please add your own in the comments.

1. Compost

As Gaby points out in her post, buying bags of compost for growing gets pricey. Most of us don't have room for a huge composting setup, and even if you do, the amount you'll produce in a year won't go very far. Look for special "4 for 3" deals in garden centres, and buy in bulk if you can as it works out a lot cheaper. At season's end you can also recycle compost you've used in containers as a mulch or soil improver.

2. Fertiliser

Whatever you do, don't spend money on fertiliser, organic or otherwise. Make comfrey tea to use as a fertiliser - if you don't have the room or inclination to grow it, comfrey is easy enough to harvest from grass verges and waste ground. Urine's another great fertiliser, or you can put it on your compost heap as an activator.

3. Tools

Equipment can be expensive - and as someone with a bit of a habit for pricey bronze tools, I know this all too well. Don't buy poorly-made, flimsy tools - they'll break or rust quickly and cost you more over time. At least my tools from Implementations come with a lifetime guarantee - if they break, you send them back and the people at Implementations send you a new one. If you haven't got the money for such a big outlay, look out for special offers on quality tools - for instance you can buy two Spear & Jackson hand tools for £30 at Tesco right now. It's also worth searching for tools in junk shops - my local always has a good selection and I got a vintage galvanised watering can for £5 in there recently.

4. Seeds

Seeds are probably the least of your worries in terms of outlay, but if you are really strapped for cash, try Lidl and Wilkinson - both do cheap seeds that seem reasonably good quality. I'd also recommend Seeds of Italy who fill their seed packets very generously, so you can use them year after year or swap with friends, and likewise The Real Seed Catalogue. Once you're up and running, it's also cost effective to save your own seed, eg tomatoes and beans (see the Real Seed Catalogue link for a good set of instructions on seed saving).

Finally, I must mention my sister, who has also been figuring out how to save money, albeit on another big ticket item - clothes. Her blog, Sewn By Hand, charts her efforts at making her own clothes by hand in the spare moments at the park or waiting at the school gate. Aside from being a supremely talented crafter, she's also very inspiring - she helped me get started on my first scrap quilt and has made some lovely things for my children, including this magnificent patchwork ball.

Comments

[French Cream]

Blur's bassist turned gentleman farmer Alex James reckons it would be cheaper to have organic veg helicoptered in from Fortnum & Mason than to grow them himself.

[Basswulf]

A lot of stuff will save money if you count the cost of the equipment investment over time rather expecting cultivation to pay for itself in the first year. For example, rhubarb will probably pay for itself the first time you pick three or four sticks and is pure profit thereafter (as long as you aren't buying manure specifically to feed it); you might just have to wait a year or so from purchase to first harvest.

[Gwenfarslottie.blogspot.com]

I agree that if you count costs such as labour/your time, tools etc, that GYO is not immediately cheap. I also get annoyed when I hear people say, oh you only need 30 minutes a week to grow your own veggies.

However, there are a lot of hidden costs in buying your fruit and veg from the supermarket which most people forgot. These include:
*high carbon footprint of each item, ie. they have been flown in and/or grown in heated greenhouses
*workers rights: the picker probably is badly paid and/or has bad working conditions
*the farmer is under pressure to sell low to the supermarkets or have them change their mind and pull out of a contract (Tesco reportedly does this a lot)
*health issues: is the fruit/veg you are buying really that healthy? What chemicals have been used and how do they effect our long-term health and environment (pollution)?

Based on all this, if you paid for say a courgette, based on including the cost of all those negative things above, you may find it's not quite as expensive to GYO as you think.

If you are buying Fruit and Veg from a local farmers market, then some of these problems are reduced.

So whilst GYO isn't necessarily cheap on the surface, there are lots hidden costs in growing that GYO removes. And it adds benefits, ie. health (working in the garden, no chemicals (if you are organic), picking food at peak of their quality), environment (lower carbon footprint), community (particularly if you are on an allotment) and let's not forget the taste factor. That alone makes quite a bit of the cost worth it for me.

[Woody Wilbury]

Beware of thinking like an accountant!! On a purely "cost" basis, particularly in the early years, it simply isn't cost-effective. It becomes more cost-effective over time as you defray the initial investment in tools tec (Oops; lapsing into accountant-speak there, methinks)

But the other side of the equation is the "value" to you of doing it. That is impossible to cost but I suspect makes it all worthwhile and far outweighs the actual cost. Keep on keeping on; shed & path look great.

[Matron]

No, growing your own is definitely not cheaper than buying veggies, but that's not why I do it. The sheer quality of freshly picked, in season fruit and veggies is worth any amount of effort.
Now... shall I come clean on the urine question? yes, it works wonders, I can vouch for that but must be sure it comes from a person who is not taking any prescription drugs especially hormones!
While we're on the subject, My Mother did her nurse training at Great Ormond Street hospital in the 1940s. They used to feed their tomatoes on the blood from the tonsil operations!

[OldGreyBeard]

The key thing about the economics of an allotment is that it allows you to turn labour into food directly without the middleman of money.

Most of the tools I use I have had for years, most of the rest were inherited from my father-in-law.

Seeds are fairly cheap and people are always giving you seedlings.

I have bought a shed now that I've had the plot for four years and I have more time. It'll last a long time so it would be reasonable to amortise the cost over ten years - accountant speak again!

[Ofer El-Hashahar]

Agree it is much more than money,
just to look at that photo make you feel good, sounds like you enjoyed it.

We have few raised beds in the front garden, not just that they looks great, I really enjoy harvesting with my daughters. education.

Taste of freshness,One of the things that Is really hard to find is the taste of veg when bought at the supermarket- perhaps few days with no sun, industrial growing, long transport or all the plastic bags in the end you get a good looking veg with no taste at all. I truly prefer homegrown.But still probably grow only 10% or less due to time consume.

[The Moog Keeper]

A gardening neighbour gave me the number of a local farmer who brought two tonnes of compost to my allotment on his tractor, much cheaper than the garden centre. Even cheaper, I also collect free manure from a local paddock, most horse owners are only too pleased to get rid of the stuff.

If we had to count the cost of growing our own in pounds and pence, then how much is a gym membership these days? I have no idea, as I don't need one, working my allotment keeps me fit enough. I have given away a couple of home-grown veg boxes as well, which I suppose saved me money on presents.

I think the key factor is that I grow plants as a pleasurable hobby first and foremost, and the relaxation and enjoyment I get from gardening is totally priceless.

[Lucy @ Smallest Smallholding]

I can get well rotted manure from my local horse stables - they are more than happy for me to cart it away by the sackload!

If you opt for reclaimed/recycled tools and materials (try Freecycle or put up a notice at your local newsagent, allotment board etc.) and you're not too fussed about making things look absolutely picture perfect (photoshoots from the likes of Country Living are, after all, staged and planned), then you can do most things on a relatively small budget.

Also, there's a lot to be saved in the first year. For instance, I eat a LOT of onions and garlic, so I grew a LOT of onions and garlic. For £2.50 I can plant around 50 sets in relatively poor soil and they do pretty well - whereas in my local Waitrose (or Tesco, ewww), 3 large onions cost me around 99p, and are inevitably flown in from New Zealand or Spain. There's more cost there in terms of environment and sustainability too.

I suppose I'm echoing what other people have said, and some points that you've touched on in your blog post - recycling and exchanging. I tend to think of any purchases as an investment, rather than a 'cost'. Ultimately I think I get a good deal and do save money, as I tend to reuse containers and equipment year on year, and often do plant exchanges with families and friends. I know it saves me money because in my most productive months, my food bills always reduce, and I get to enjoy fresh, tasty fruit and vegetables. That's seriously good payback!

[Matron]

Of course it's not cheaper to grow your own! When you think of all the time invested in sowing, pricking out, sideshooting, weeding. Not to mention all the purchases above, but that's not why we grow our own, is it?

[Soilman]

The idea that an allotmenteer or smallholder can grow food more cheaply than a farmer is of course risible.

Er, that's why commercial agriculture 'caught on'... way back in the bronze age.

So I scoff and titter when I hear people talking about saving money on an allotment. You'll do nothing of the kind. It will cost you a small fortune.

BUT, that's not the point (although morons keep insisting it is). The point is to get some healthy exercise, to grow your food the way YOU want to (ie without chemicals and fertilisers, if you're so inclined), to grow varieties of veg you simply can't buy and to be able to harvest things like asparagus and sweetcorn perfectly fresh – and taste flavour difference thereby.

Should be good enough for anyone, but those tedious Scrooges keep bringing price into it.

[Rachel W]

I would agree that if you could 'cost' all the benefits of GYO you would find that you save money overall in all sorts of ways.

More info on the quail please, I'm intrigued. Have been thinking about chickens for years but still haven't convinced Him Indoors that it's a good idea in a 5x5m garden, perhaps quails (quail?) are the answer!

[Backlinker]

Matron is right. It's not just about the cost of the vegetables I grow but the fact that I know exactly what's in it. Just like baking your own bread. Also, since you have improved your garden, the cost of your house will also increase should you sell it now. Cheers!

[Organic City Garden]

Agricultural auctions are also a brilliant place to find some real bargains. Especially useful for old tools and planting container ideas - galvanised old buckets, tin baths, clay pots, wooden storage trays etc. This is local to me http://www.perkinsgeorgemawer.co.uk/index.php?option=com_auction&Itemid=51 and is literally a goldmine for vintage and heritage stuff that can be used in the garden. I would Google local agricultural sales/auctions for similar opportunities near you.

Voucher code websites are a must but keep an eye on your Inbox for special offers from your existing suppliers also. I've been impressed with Garden Supplies (http://www.gardensupplies.co.uk) for a while now and they are having a huge sale currently. According to their very helpful customer service department, they are refining their stocklines and therefore selling many obsolete items off at cost - savings of up to 50%!

Please add or remove the links - I'm not sure of your protocols here.

We don't GYO to save money in the main. We do it for the fresh air, the sense of achievement, the exercise, the educational benefits it provides our children and to control our food inputs better.

Economising is part of the whole process, not its raison d'être.

Best regards.

[Tom]

"Tedious scrooges" eh?. £25 for the allotment, a few quid for some seeds, my own urine and council collected leaves for the soil and a £5 spade. I didn't need to buy any vegetables all summer and autumn. It's just before christmas and I have one marrow left and I've saved seeds for next year.

When a garlic bulb costs £1, marrows over £1, 6xtomatoes £1, growing your own will save money.....

...If you can get the skills (your first year will be a nightmare of one disaster after another), you work hard (and you don't count your own labour as a cost), you choose vegetables that are expensive to buy to grow instead (get ur potatoes from Asda and grow celeriac, garlic, tomatoes, leeks, string beans, marrows, pumpkins, leaf beet, lettuce)

Many of my crops keep coming and coming giving great value, I'm thinking leaf beat, string beans, kale (I leave these in and then eat the shoots in the spring)

My cherry and pear tree keep providing fruit for nothing year in year out.

I reckon I'm £250 up on last year - for many people a weeks wages and therefore a 2% pay rise on the year before.

Oh yeah, it is a satisfying and happy way to spend your spare time.