A friend recently mentioned to me that having a garden is not a logical thing to do.
He asked if I really saved any money by growing my own vegetables. My first response was that he didn’t understand, but when I thought it through, it seems he did have a point.
I don’t have a very large garden. My vegetables are grown in two raised-bed planters. I had to do that because my soil is too rocky to till. So there is the cost of the materials for the raised beds.
Then there is the cost for the soil mixture I use in the beds. Since the soils deplete over time, I replace about half of the soil every year. That’s another cost.
Then there are the plants themselves. Money can be saved by by starting from seed, indoors, in a container with bought soil made for starting the plants. However, some of plants I use are seedlings I buy.
Then there are the fertilizers. I add some granular fertilizer to the soil when I plant and then, once blooming starts, I use a water-soluble plant food about every two weeks to get better fruit. I try to manage my garden to keep pest problems away, but occasionally I will need to use a little insecticide. This year was a bad year for powdery mildew on the cucumbers, so I had to treat often with a fungicide. The pesticides also add to the expense.
In addition to the material costs, there is the time spent in the garden. It took several days to build the raised beds. Then I had to add the soil. Then the soil needed to be turned and loosened up to allow for better root growth prior to planting. The plants had to be put into the beds so they could grow, and that took the better part of a day.
Then two, three or four times a week I had to go out and spend time pulling up weeds and watering the garden (raised beds dry out faster than traditional in-the-ground gardens). And the vegetables need to be picked when they are ripe, and that takes a little time. Finally, at the end of the season the garden needs to be cleaned out and put to bed for the winter so it will be ready next spring.
There are a lot of tools involved in even a basic garden. Hoses for watering. Shovels and trowels for digging. Sprayers for the pesticides and the water-soluble plant food. Gloves, sunscreen and a good hat are also needed.
I once calculated all of these costs and came up with about $7 per tomato from my garden. My friend knew I had done this and he mentioned it to me with a little smirk on his face.
Then I remembered that he played golf. I suggested that, in the long run, my hobby was cheaper than his. In golf there is the cost of the set of clubs and that can be more expensive than a good tiller. There are greens fees (he likes to play at Myrtle Beach a lot) and there are membership costs in the local country club where he plays. Owning a golf cart can cost as much as a used car, and renting a cart isn’t cheap either. Then there always seems to be extra costs such as balls, tees and other small items that avid duffers seem to require. And oh by the way, he needs a golf glove, sunscreen and a good hat.
The really big difference is that at the end of the day all he has is a piece of paper showing his score. I have that $7 tomato I can slice up along with cucumbers, peppers and other things from the garden I can put on a salad for supper. And I can do it with a side of fried squash and zucchini and maybe some fresh snaps as well.
Both of our hobbies are healthy. We get fresh air and sunshine. We get physical exercise to keep our muscles active and our minds alert. We both may have sore backs after enjoying our hobbies for a long time during a pleasant afternoon. Rain affects us both in pretty much the same way while it is falling, but after the sun comes out I will have one thing less to do for a couple days. I often wonder if golfers realize that the beautiful and “play-able” grass golf courses are due to the efforts of a very specialized type of gardener called a greenkeeper?
In the final analysis, gardening makes about as much logical sense as chasing a little ball with sticks over a course that covers about 3 miles or so that has 18 holes. But it is the enjoyment that makes it worthwhile. We both enjoy our hobbies and wish each other luck as we go about our endeavors.
As long as I am able to raise a garden, I will continue to do that because I enjoy getting some good, healthy soil under my fingernails. Besides, that $7 tomato tastes a whole lot better than a one bought from the supermarket.
Enjoy your garden.
For questions or to suggest a topic for this column, email inyard2019@gmail.com.
For questions or to suggest a topic for this column, email inyard2019@gmail.com.
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October 21, 2020 at 06:00AM
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IN THE YARD: Why garden? When calculating costs, even a $7 tomato tastes better than one bought from supermarket - GoDanRiver.com
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