how much does it cost to grow food? 💸
what i've spent this year, my budgets, and prepping tips for the upcoming frost
hi friends -
i am sitting in my living room with petunia, with cold hands in a quiet house. i spent the last 3 hours researching seed cleaning screens and mesh sizing, which is not
the amount of time i had, especially while noting that everything is sold out.
our false spring came and went, and it’s back to the grey 40’s. this weekend it will drop to 19° at night — a true hard freeze. ❄️ unfortunately i only have AG-19 which protects down to 28° so i will be doubling or tripling up in the evenings to cover what’s been moved out into the garden so far. not much, mostly just cold hardy greens. the lettuce is the most delicate and i am also going to cover the figs and blueberries, just in case. 🫐
with the cost of nearly everything rising and the constant studying of food prices as we try to eat healthy and local, i’ve gotten more curious about doing the true math of growing your own food.
i follow a lot of gardeners and farmers online and like all industries, it’s hard to see the finances behind the colorful harvest baskets and the satisfying before and after videos.
i track most of what i spend and i am a notorious ‘look for the sale, find the coupon, wait to bundle for free shipping, set up all my alerts on facebook marketplace’ person. i cut a lot of corners and recycle most containers that come through our home. i also think long term about money. this is a silly example, but i can justify spending $60 on worms for my vermicompost bin because i am confident they will give me well over $120+ worth of fertilizer over the next year or two.
gardening can be done on any budget. resourcefulness and patience can save thousands of dollars à la growing seeds in empty egg cartons, or you can pay homage to the history of european gardens: how kings and royalty spent their wealth. a show of status, a masculine display of power and worldiness. 👑
i waffle between long-term urban homesteader (investing in high quality, small-scale production meant to maximize limited spaces) and casual gardener on a budget (recycling or finding a makeshift replacement, building from raw materials instead of buying). i am trying to grow 75% of our food this year and to continue this in the future - and so i consider my garden budget justified. your goals and budget may be radically different. no two gardeners are alike, but i do believe it’s helpful to share and be transparent about money. 💵
prior to this year, there are three significant initial costs that i’ve incurred: (1) installing several garden beds + pathways and dramatically improving the soil, (2) building out a small seed starting station in our basement [$450] and (3) supplies that extend my seasons so i can grow in spring and fall. you could just focus on #1, or if you’re lucky with your location, you could just focus on #2 or #3. you can also take it one year at a time.
then, there are much smaller annual reoccurring costs: (1) high quality compost + fertilizer, (2) seeds/vegetable starts, and (3) new seed starting mix.
i should mention i am anticipating an additional category of costs this year: supplies for canning, harvesting and preserving both crops and seeds.
full transparency, here is what i have spent so far this year. the majority of my spending for the 2022 season is done.
and here are my expenses from last year that were investments. i am still using these products and most of them should last me 5+ years (with the exception of soil conditioner).
i hope this is valuable information to share! 👯♂️
at the least, you can spend $5 on a delicious head of buttercrunch lettuce with more confidence at the farmers market this weekend, knowing how much goes into food production. 🥬
i also cannot stress enough that you often can find these items on facebook marketplace, local facebook groups, garage/estate sales, craigslist or ebay for less — and you also can often borrow materials from your local co-op extension center too. this is one of the best kept secrets, especially for one-time use items like tillers, fence post drivers, heavyweight shovels, etc.
❄️ preparing for a late hard freeze ❄️
all cool weather plants can survive a freeze, which is considered the 28-32° range. a hard freeze can do more damage, and it’s worth covering as much as you can, especially if they were recently transplanted. warm weather plants cannot survive them at all [tomatoes, peppers, beans, etc].
if you have already planted things out, or have blueberries or other ornamental shrubs that are starting to bloom, there are many things you can cover them with in the evenings:
blankets - a few pillowcases - cardboard boxes - plastic sheeting - a lightweight tarp - clothing - an upside-down gallon jug - a sterilite/rubbermaid plastic bin - bathroom towels - dropcloths - a shower curtain - bedsheets - a 5 gallon bucket - old large flower pots -
so long as you are not physically crushing the plant, you can also double-up on these items to provide the most protection for extreme temps. for example, you could put an upside-down gallon jug over each small transplant, and then drape a bedsheet over that area.
be sure to remove these coverings as soon as the temps reach 32°+ in the morning, as you do not want to overheat or cause airflow/humidity issues.
🌱 updates on seedlings 🌱
as i leave you to brave the cold weekend ahead, here are images from seedlings in the basement. some are from march 1st and some are from today, so it’s cute to see 10 days of growth.
✏️ upcoming virtual intro to gardening class ✏️
if you are desperate to start gardening but don’t know where to start, i have two gardening 101 classes on the docket!
forward this email to a friend who is aspiring to grow for the first time this year. :)
Saturday, March 12 @ 3pm EST, in partnership with Backyard Bookclub, is in Winston. RVSP here.
Saturday, March 19 @ 4pm EST is a virtual version of this class! RSVP here. the cost is $15 to help me pay for zoom, eventbrite, admin things, etc.