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Let's talk about gardening and if it really saves money....


SparklyUnicorn
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I quit growing vegetables after establishing relationships with several local farmers, one of whom has strawberry/blueberry U-picks. I find the latter to be a great cost effective deal.

 

The raised bed in the back now contains herbs. Our front yard has rosemary bushes (subtropical climate) and blueberry bushes, the latter being a replacement for some azaleas that bit the dust after a tropical storm. We have decided that ornamentals are overrated and are trying to grow more edibles in the landscape. We also have wild grapes on the edges of our woods.

I really love the concept of edible lanscaping. I envision a future in which everything we have growing serves multiple purposes. My grape plants all died. :( But raspberries and blackberries grow like gangbusters here, although we also have a ton that are wild-growing. I also have a couple local parks scoped out because there are abundant wild raspberries. I foraged a ton of them last year.

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ps Broccoli needs to be fenced as groundhogs and bunnies also find the plants quite tasty.

Ground hogs are evil beasts that will loot and pillage your garden, in particular your broccoli, in the same manner that the Visigoths sacked Rome and the only real defense is to make your neighbors nervous by stalking your broccoli bed night and day with your air gun waiting to p their evil bodies with lead while laughing maniacally when you finally nail the wicked varmint.

 

Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee as Faith slinks off into the outer darkness after admitting her deep, abiding, relentless, disturbed hatred of garden frolicking ground hogs.

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But where I live the only thing like that are apples. And I don't eat apples much (too much sugar).

 

Probably the one veg I eat the most is broccoli. Every year our broccoli is either eaten by animals, or stolen. I have yet to try our garden broccoli.

That is not true. An enormous amount if calorie providing food grows well in your area.

 

But regardless, your not going to get enough of them out of your little offsite garden to save a lot of money, as youve already pointed out.

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That is not true. An enormous amount if calorie providing food grows well in your area.

 

But regardless, your not going to get enough of them out of your little offsite garden to save a lot of money, as youve already pointed out.

 

No it actually doesn't. 

 

There are a lot of dairy farms and apple orchards.

 

Farmer's markets around here are more like craft fairs.  Sure there is a spattering of things one can grow in the very short season, but I'm talking VERY SHORT.  Like 2 months you can reasonably rely on to be decent for growing. 

 

But yeah.  I guess I'm mostly annoyed my husband insists on doing this every year for no reason I can comprehend.

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Ground hogs are evil beasts that will loot and pillage your garden, in particular your broccoli, in the same manner that the Visigoths sacked Rome and the only real defense is to make your neighbors nervous by stalking your broccoli bed night and day with your air gun waiting to p their evil bodies with lead while laughing maniacally when you finally nail the wicked varmint.

 

Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee as Faith slinks off into the outer darkness after admitting her deep, abiding, relentless, disturbed hatred of garden frolicking ground hogs.

 

You are being too kind.  Ground hogs are @$$holes. 

 

We've tried fencing, the pee of various wild animals they are supposedly opposed to, and surrounding the items with plants they supposedly don't like. 

 

It's the one time I wished I could shoot something. 

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I did not try to plant anything this year. Our typical year's harvest has been literally a handful of food, less than I spent on seeds. We have only one small part of the yard that's not shaded--thirty or so trees on 0.3 acres!--and we have a lot of squirrels and birds.

 

I don't like most herbs--only oregano, which has never survived very long in my care.

Edited by whitehawk
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Theres a 2ish month WARM weather growing season, yes. But obviously the prolific plants in your area arent european and african warm weather imports that we are all completely accustomed to eating all the time now.

 

Along with meat, people have existed just well off the land you live on, as anywhere else.

 

That said, as far as warm weather crops go, there are tiny little fist-sized melons that grow well where you are. They are super cute.

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Theres a 2ish month WARM weather growing season, yes. But obviously the prolific plants in your area arent european and african warm weather imports that we are all completely accustomed to eating all the time now.

 

Along with meat, people have existed just well off the land you live on, as anywhere else.

 

That said, as far as warm weather crops go, there are tiny little fist-sized melons that grow well where you are. They are super cute.

 

The plants and seeds they sell here are optimal for growing here.  So I don't think we are buying the wrong seeds or plants.

 

I have no idea what in heck people in this area lived on many years ago.  Probably some of the natives went elsewhere during winter.  Squash is a big one and yes it does grow here fairly well.  They certainly didn't have the options we have.  In fact I kinda think the Europeans were a little out of their mind for wanting to stay here.  LOL

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I could save money, in the long run, but I'm not willing to become a full-fledged farm lady to do so.  Our dirt is crap.  It needs a ton of yearly amending and work.  We have the space for a mini farm, but bleh...I don't have the desire.  We do grow blackberries.  (well, we let them keep growing...they'll pop up anywhere here)  I have an herb garden mixed in with a cottage style flower garden.  Our soil does well with okra and green beans, so we have huge crops of those some years, but give most of it away.  We barely have a garden this year though.  I planted two kinds of squash and some tomatoes in pots.  

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But yeah.  I guess I'm mostly annoyed my husband insists on doing this every year for no reason I can comprehend.

 

Gardening is therapeutic for many. Does an activity have to generate a profit to be worthwhile?  If he likes gardening, let him enjoy it.

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My dad is the first generation of his family not to farm since the Revutionary War. (Actually, now that my grandparents have passed away, he does own and run the family farm. He doesn't live there, though.) We had a massive garden in our backyard when I was growing up. My sisters and I all grow small amounts of food. It is in our blood. It is what we are supposed to do. It doesn't save us money. I do want my kids to realize that we can grow food. And, in the end, we do have the family farm that is still producing and making money and is their heritage. (I realize most people don't have a productive farm in the heartland.)

Edited by Caroline
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You are being too kind.  Ground hogs are @$$holes. 

 

We've tried fencing, the pee of various wild animals they are supposedly opposed to, and surrounding the items with plants they supposedly don't like. 

 

It's the one time I wished I could shoot something. 

 

We shoot them - unapologetically.   Youngest knows that's one of his tasks this summer while he's home as the population has gotten ahead of us recently.  They've even dug holes under/in the sections of the barn we use.

 

Our garden fence is buried into the dirt to keep them out of our garden.

 

My dad is the first generation of his family not to farm since the Revutionary War. (Actually, now that my grandparents have passed away, he does own and run the family farm. He doesn't live there, though.) We had a massive garden in our backyard when I was growing up. My sisters and I all grow small amounts of food. It is in our blood. It is what we are supposed to do. It doesn't save us money. I do want my kids to realize that we can grow food. And, in the end, we do have the family farm that is still producing and making money and is their heritage. (I realize most people don't have a productive farm in the heartland.)

 

My dad instilled in us the idea that having ground to be able to grow our own food is both rewarding and a good safety net in case of economic doom (personal or wider).  When I was young, I was annoyed since it was easier to buy food in the store!  Now that I'm older I cherish it - both doing it and the knowledge about it.  The better taste is a bonus.

 

My youngest has inherited the overall "feel" and does more than we do.  Time will tell to see if oldest and/or middle end up similarly.

 

I grew up on the Canadian border of upstate NY.  Our growing season was short, but we still grew a bit of our own food.  It was tougher for us to grow things when we lived in the city in FL (not much ground and totally different seasons than I grew up with), but we still did some.

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We shoot them - unapologetically.   Youngest knows that's one of his tasks this summer while he's home as the population has gotten ahead of us recently.  They've even dug holes under/in the sections of the barn we use.

 

 

Yeah I don't think the residents of the ghetto the garden is located in would appreciate it.  Or we might be mistaken for a gang.  I hate to make a joke about that, but seriously this is in an rough urban residential area so no shooting stuff.

 

And then there are the community garden folks who insist on being humane.  Which ok we have tried that.  It's getting old now. 

Edited by SparklyUnicorn
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My dad instilled in us the idea that having ground to be able to grow our own food is both rewarding and a good safety net in case of economic doom (personal or wider).  When I was young, I was annoyed since it was easier to buy food in the store!  Now that I'm older I cherish it - both doing it and the knowledge about it.  The better taste is a bonus.

 

My youngest has inherited the overall "feel" and does more than we do.  Time will tell to see if oldest and/or middle end up similarly.

 

I too grew up with a garden and the chores that accompanied it. One of my proudest moments occurred when I was a grad student--although this has nothing to do with grad school other than we were poor (living off of our stipends).  In the back of the old apartment complex in which we lived, I made a tiny garden, enhanced by hanging baskets of tomatoes.  One day while washing dishes, I glanced out the window and overheard two women admiring it. They were from Italy and said that this reminded them of the small urban gardens of their childhood.  I was quick to call my dad to tell him of their compliments.

 

As I said earlier, now I choose to buy produce from farmers, but I do some canning/dehydrating/freezing to extend the harvest.  I have made a commitment to eating local and seasonal food which has really broadened my palette and presented a number of new food options.

 

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We shoot them - unapologetically.   Youngest knows that's one of his tasks this summer while he's home as the population has gotten ahead of us recently.  They've even dug holes under/in the sections of the barn we use.

 

Our garden fence is buried into the dirt to keep them out of our garden.

 

 

My dad instilled in us the idea that having ground to be able to grow our own food is both rewarding and a good safety net in case of economic doom (personal or wider).  When I was young, I was annoyed since it was easier to buy food in the store!  Now that I'm older I cherish it - both doing it and the knowledge about it.  The better taste is a bonus.

 

My youngest has inherited the overall "feel" and does more than we do.  Time will tell to see if oldest and/or middle end up similarly.

 

I grew up on the Canadian border of upstate NY.  Our growing season was short, but we still grew a bit of our own food.  It was tougher for us to grow things when we lived in the city in FL (not much ground and totally different seasons than I grew up with), but we still did some.

 

What upsets me the most is that the taste is often not better.  The skin on the zucchini is often too hard to eat.  The cucumbers are too bitter to eat.  Tomatoes often taste like tasteless sponges if we get any at all.  We once got one yellow squash that was hard as a rock. 

 

The carrots are really good.  Cabbage is the same except for the green caterpillar friends we take home with us.  Kohlrabi is usually hard as a rock and not edible.

 

I know, I'm really talking it up here.  I think this year I'm seriously going to take note of what worked and what didn't.  I am starting to wonder if DH just does not realize this stuff.  He isn't the one cleaning it, cooking it, storing it, etc.  Except he has the nerve to complain about it if it doesn't taste right.  Not my fault though. 

 

I guess he just likes it for something to do.  Which is fine except when he complains about it.

 

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Yes, berries! Berries are usually worth it.

I was just thinking, berries would be worth it but we can pick a whole freezer's worth for free in our parks and trails.

 

I think if you have organic soil for free--not treated--and you only need to add minimal organic soil on top, and you are growing high value crops like Brussels sprouts, asparagus, snap peas, tomatoes (in the north), peppers... And you are only doing organic, yes you can save money IF you do not count your own work as a cost. Which, if you enjoy it, is fair.

 

Once I calculated the cost of indoor green housing organic tomatoes. Over a year I saved like $50.

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SparklyUnicorn, have you tried mole vibrators? That worked for my mom.

 

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

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No it actually doesn't. 

 

There are a lot of dairy farms and apple orchards.

 

Farmer's markets around here are more like craft fairs.  Sure there is a spattering of things one can grow in the very short season, but I'm talking VERY SHORT.  Like 2 months you can reasonably rely on to be decent for growing. 

 

But yeah.  I guess I'm mostly annoyed my husband insists on doing this every year for no reason I can comprehend.

 

My climate is the same, also dairy and apple oriented, short season with a very cold winter, and plenty of things grow here, and the farmer's markets are really good.

 

I suspect you have a farm culture issue rather than a can't grow anything issue.

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Probably your husband does this for the same reason I like to sew.

 

I tell DH (and myself) that it saves money, because after all if I were buying designer clothes on Etsy it would be 10x as expensive as just the sewing patterns and fabric are when I sew.  

 

The truth, though, is that I like to feel industrious and connected with my labor (in a way that I'm not as much with my actual job-work), and I like the physical process of sewing.  Maybe it saves money, but probably not - I was never buying designer clothes on Etsy anyway.  I was buying stuff at Goodwill :)  And it takes an enormous amount of time and tbh I'm not that good at it.

 

But I do like it, and I *feel* like I'm saving money somehow.

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But skills like sewing and gardening do pay off over time. If ONE of your children does theater and you sew costumes you save a HUGE amount of money by sewing. And gardening in a good location with good skills will save a lot of money once you have good infrastructure. The issue is that basic skills take time to develop. You are not just born with a green thumb, you have to work at it, and no one just sews up designer clothes, it takes practice. Those skills have real value in the right place and time. My grandparents gardens probably saved them a huge portion of their rather small incomes and made their travel possible.

 

ETA: I just remembered a woman I did Bible study with who sewed all the bridesmaid dresses and hipster suits for her dd's wedding. It took her a week and a half, but she saved thousands of dollars. She sewed for a hobby for probably 20 years before she realized that savings, though. She had the skills when the right occasion presented itself.

 

Edited by Anne in CA
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But skills like sewing and gardening do pay off over time. If ONE of your children does theater and you sew costumes you save a HUGE amount of money by sewing. And gardening in a good location with good skills will save a lot of money once you have good infrastructure. The issue is that basic skills take time to develop. You are not just born with a green thumb, you have to work at it, and no one just sews up designer clothes, it takes practice. Those skills have real value in the right place and time. My grandparents gardens probably saved them a huge portion of their rather small incomes and made their travel possible.

 

ETA: I just remembered a woman I did Bible study with who sewed all the bridesmaid dresses and hipster suits for her dd's wedding. It took her a week and a half, but she saved thousands of dollars. She sewed for a hobby for probably 20 years before she realized that savings, though. She had the skills when the right occasion presented itself.

 

But I make more per hour at my job-job than I could ever save at sewing (people sewing designer clothes, or wedding dresses, make less per hour than I do, generally speaking).  I would make a lot more money if I just stopped doing all hobbies and instead worked 16 hours a day :)  

 

Who does that, though?

 

This is probably true of Sparkly's husband too.  He presents it as a money-saving endeavor but actually he enjoys it (though he may complain - I yelled constantly at my sewing machine for years!)

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It is for us.  1) we are good at it and really get things to grow, so there is no waste 2) We have 2 1000 gallon rain barrels for watering so we don't pay for tap water.    I easily spend $50-70 a week on produce for our family of 6 when our garden isn't producing.  Having piles of tomatoes and cukes can really cut down on that bill.  We also grow squash, lemons/limes/oranges, green beans, pinto beans.  If you all want to continue, I would suggest you DH get advice from a local Master Gardner and see if he can get some advice to be more successful.

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Oh god no!  Not even a little bit for me.  I also don't want to the work required to get a money saving garden or devote the necessary space.   It's basically a fun thing for my kids.  They enjoy digging, planting, weeding, playing in the dirt, and they love to eat the results.  They usually eat whatever they can find before I have a chance to bring it in and wash it.  :huh:   I stick to things like tomatoes and peas, which grow fine here.  The kids love them and it's basically a snack for them.  I don't think I'd spend the time or money if they didn't enjoy it, but they do so I do. 

 

I'm trying to convince the kids that pumpkins or gourds might be fun next year.   

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It is worth it if you grow particular veggies that are not available in the stores or cost a fortune- in the south we can not get cucuzzi or Italian squash or cherry peppers so we grow lots of that. Basil is very expensive even in the summer, so one large packet of basil is about the same cost as 2 plants and we have tons of it all  summer (a must have for a lot of pesto).  Cost cutting also comes from growing garden from seeds rather than buying live plants ($3 packet can give you 20 tomato plants- or you pay $3-6 per tomato plant)

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Gardening absolutely saves us money, and we live in a short-season climate.

 

However, we also have a 50-acre farm.  Right now we have three, 60' x 40' garden plots and a high tunnel in which to start our plants. We also have a 15 cubit ft. freezer dedicated to freezing our produce. it's usually full going into winter.

 

The only veggies I purchase through the winter is lettuce and broccoli (just because I haven't found a good way to prevent the loop/cabbage worms from getting to it).  Sometimes I may have to get peas if the crop isn't sufficient.

 

Typically, these are the items we grow and store:

  • corn (freeze)
  • peas (freeze)
  • carrots (root cellar)
  • beets (root cellar)
  • potatoes (we glean these from our fields we lease out & store in our root cellar)
  • winter squash (freeze)
  • cantaloupe (freeze)
  • green beans (freeze)
  • Kale (I can freeze it like spinach, but I mostly dehydrate & crush it to add to soups, stews, scrambled eggs...just about everything)
  • onions (we freeze some of these & others stay in our root cellar)
  • rhubarb (freeze)
  • strawberries (freeze)
  • apples in the form of applesauce & jelly (cultivated and wild)
  • grapes in the form of jelly
  • cherries (freeze - my trees are still immature, but a friend of my brings me several courts and I offer her some of our grapes in exchange)
  • cayenne peppers (I dehydrate these)
  • regular peppers (freeze)
  • tomatoes (I cook these down into homemade sauce and sometimes dehydrate a few)
  • asparagus (usually just eaten fresh)
  • arctic kiwis (usually just eaten fresh)
  • blueberries (fresh & freeze)

This year we're also trying:

  • leeks
  • brussel sprouts
  • snow peas
  • broccoli (again - spraying w/neem oil solution)
  • cauliflower (again - spraying w/neem oil solution)
  • cabbage (again - spraying w/neem oil solution)
  • garlic
  • We plan to collect wild pin cherries on our land, dry some, and make cherry jelly as well
  • elderberries (we've planted 2 bushes)

We also grow a variety of summer squash, but don't store it unless I decide to dehydrate some.  Maple sap is something else we collect in the spring and boil down into syrup each year.  As former Vermonters, we wouldn't think of eating fake syrup...lol...

 

Last summer we started an herb garden in which we grow:

  • chamomile
  • thyme (2 kinds)
  • sage
  • rosemary
  • parsley
  • anise
  • lemon balm
  • oregano
  • lavender (in the house)
  • borage
  • basil
  • peppermint

Edited to add:

 

Water is not a concern for us.  Living in northern, ME, we have LOTS of water on our property.  Burying the horses as they died was no fun because as soon as you got 3' down, the hole started to fill with water.  We have an 80' well and during a drought one year, it was only 10' down from the top.  We use a lot of connected hoses to water the three main gardens and our high tunnel.

 

Then there's the meat.  We usually raise a pig every other year; slaughter and butcher it ourselves.  This is an off year.  We raise chickens for eggs and have one resident "pet" duck.  Every two years we switch out chickens and harvest the old ones.  Right now we have 14 new chicks.  We allow a local farmer to hay our fields in exchange for 1/4 to 1/2 of beef from one of his cows.  DH is allergic to beef, so we only eat it occasionally. To supplement the rest of our meat, DH avidly hunts rabbits and geese.  We usually have quite a few of each in our freezer which lasts us a whole year.  Therefore, we only really have to buy chicken and fish for meat. Thankfully, we can purchase those from a local meat truck.  It's extremely fresh, but a little more expensive. Worth it to us.

 

Needless to say, spring and fall are very busy times for us!

 

 

 

 

Edited by Saddlemomma2
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Having piles of tomatoes and cukes can really cut down on that bill.

Besides basil, this is mostly what I grow -- tomatoes and cukes. I am happy eating tomato and cucumber salads all summer long. Although we've already had so much rain this year, which will kill the cukes and cut back on tomato production if it doesn't stop.

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I too grew up with a garden and the chores that accompanied it. One of my proudest moments occurred when I was a grad student--although this has nothing to do with grad school other than we were poor (living off of our stipends).  In the back of the old apartment complex in which we lived, I made a tiny garden, enhanced by hanging baskets of tomatoes.  One day while washing dishes, I glanced out the window and overheard two women admiring it. They were from Italy and said that this reminded them of the small urban gardens of their childhood.  I was quick to call my dad to tell him of their compliments.

 

Youngest has been doing similar things at his college - creating small gardens in various places.  Since it's a pretty "green" school, powers that be are ok with this - and even encourage it.  The Aspect group I've talked about on other threads has funded some of it for him, as well as providing some advice and general support.

 

What upsets me the most is that the taste is often not better.  The skin on the zucchini is often too hard to eat.  The cucumbers are too bitter to eat.  Tomatoes often taste like tasteless sponges if we get any at all.  We once got one yellow squash that was hard as a rock. 

 

All of these tend to mean too little water.  Cucumbers are well known to get bitter if the water level is too low.  Squash rush to maturity too (thick, hard skin).  Tomatoes I'm not as sure about, but those other things can often be "fixed" if addressed early in the plant's life.

 

Of course, any of these plants will reach the end and not give as good produce at that point too, but if you're missing the good stuff (first), it tends to be a water (or too much heat) problem.

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So, in what way did it work for your mom?

 

:lol:

 

LOL!

 

I forgot how funny that sounded.

 

The moles hate that sonic vibration and they just didn't dig within a certain radius of the vibrator.

 

Believe me if you saw them you would not be thinking "her pleasure". :D

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My climate is the same, also dairy and apple oriented, short season with a very cold winter, and plenty of things grow here, and the farmer's markets are really good.

 

I suspect you have a farm culture issue rather than a can't grow anything issue.

 

The best farms where I live are only selling what are basically novelties, at the farmer's markets. Or the very tiny farms. The big farms, which sell organics and local, tend to sell at grocery stores. So it could be more of a "farmer's market" culture issue. We have some great ones in this area (Seattle + environs) and some that are just absurdly expensive.

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LOL!

 

I forgot how funny that sounded.

 

The moles hate that sonic vibration and they just didn't dig within a certain radius of the vibrator.

 

Believe me if you saw them you would not be thinking "her pleasure". :D

😂😂😂

 

We do save money gardening. I don't use wood for raised beds but instead use salvaged cinder block. I grow herbs in the little squares in the blocks and the grow veggies in the main bed. I grow what we like to eat a lot of or what is expensive: peppers...so many peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, berries.

 

I also have turned my front and back flower borders into potager style gardens - mixing edibles in with ornamentals. Works great with herbs, peas, Cukes, some peppers, lettuces and kale.

 

I have not made money on my fruit trees though- five Apple trees, one peach, one nectarine and a double pear all planted five years ago. Total yield to me- 2 pears. Sigh.

 

We don't buy new dirt to put in and my compost pile never seems to yield compost. It is just a plant burial ground. Instead we use rabbit poop. A friend raises rabbits and was happy to let me hail away as much as I wanted. great for the garden and cheap.

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Youngest has been doing similar things at his college - creating small gardens in various places.  Since it's a pretty "green" school, powers that be are ok with this - and even encourage it.  The Aspect group I've talked about on other threads has funded some of it for him, as well as providing some advice and general support.

 

 

All of these tend to mean too little water.  Cucumbers are well known to get bitter if the water level is too low.  Squash rush to maturity too (thick, hard skin).  Tomatoes I'm not as sure about, but those other things can often be "fixed" if addressed early in the plant's life.

 

Of course, any of these plants will reach the end and not give as good produce at that point too, but if you're missing the good stuff (first), it tends to be a water (or too much heat) problem.

 

No actually this happens when there is too much water.  And that's something we can't control at all. 

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But skills like sewing and gardening do pay off over time. If ONE of your children does theater and you sew costumes you save a HUGE amount of money by sewing. And gardening in a good location with good skills will save a lot of money once you have good infrastructure. The issue is that basic skills take time to develop. You are not just born with a green thumb, you have to work at it, and no one just sews up designer clothes, it takes practice. Those skills have real value in the right place and time. My grandparents gardens probably saved them a huge portion of their rather small incomes and made their travel possible.

 

ETA: I just remembered a woman I did Bible study with who sewed all the bridesmaid dresses and hipster suits for her dd's wedding. It took her a week and a half, but she saved thousands of dollars. She sewed for a hobby for probably 20 years before she realized that savings, though. She had the skills when the right occasion presented itself.

 

I can't fathom saving money on sewing.  In the situation you are talking about, theater, absolutely, but regular everyday stuff?  No way.  I suppose you could say I save by doing my own alterations and the occasional costume, but I rarely do either of those things. 

 

We don't have much space for gardening so it will never be great. I'm just aiming for it to not be completely wasteful of time and money.

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My climate is the same, also dairy and apple oriented, short season with a very cold winter, and plenty of things grow here, and the farmer's markets are really good.

 

I suspect you have a farm culture issue rather than a can't grow anything issue.

 

Farmers markets aren't good here, but some farms sell at the regular grocery store (for far less than the farmer's markets).  Here it's probably a money thing.  I went to one of those markets once and they waned $10 for a bulb of garlic.  I'm not willing to pay that much.

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There are probably ways to improve drainage.

You probably don't wanna though. :p

 

When you have almost no gardening space, not really.  I don't think there is anything wrong with drainage either way.  Some summers we just get too much rain. 

 

Plus, it's not our land.  The plot is located on a hill though and I have never noticed water pooling up or anything like that.  So I don't think there are major drainage issues.

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I can't fathom saving money on sewing.  In the situation you are talking about, theater, absolutely, but regular everyday stuff?  No way.  I suppose you could say I save by doing my own alterations and the occasional costume, but I rarely do either of those things. 

 

We don't have much space for gardening so it will never be great. I'm just aiming for it to not be completely wasteful of time and money.

 

Re:  sewing.  Yes and no.

 

Say you want a skirt.  You can go to the outlet or sale rack and probably buy one for less than you can stitch it.  Or maybe not. Maybe you bought fabric from the sale rack or the thrift store, drafted a pattern or used one that you have had on hand for a while.

 

The advantage of sewing though, in my opinion, is the control you have over the resulting garment.  I love voile.  I live in a place that can be really hot in the summer.  There is nothing like voile or linen for keeping cool. It is rare for me to find shirts in the marketplace that are made of a good quality voile.  Here is a case where I can sew one for less than off the rack.  (As I write, I am wearing a voile shirt that I made.)

 

Many off the rack garments are cheap because they are poorly made. The grain is wrong so the fabric does not hang well.  The finishes are less than nice.  The fabrics are--well--icky. 

 

There is more than economics in my decision to choose handmade over the store.  Nothing like handknitted socks, for example.  I suspect that you might view handknitted socks as a waste of time and money too.

 

So if your husband is not in the garden, what would he be doing?  What would you have him do?  I suspect that he enjoys this activity and you do not.  Perhaps you need to suggest that he do this one and you find something else that brings you pleasure.

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I forgot to mention, back when the thread was discussing what's worthwhile: sugar snap peas. They are easy to grow and super expensive at the grocery store and farmer's market (minimum $5/lb). I suspect it's because they have such a short season and do not preserve well. But boy can we put those things away!

 

Unicorn, does your DH do well with those? I suspect you have a pretty good climate for them, unless too moist and mildewy.

 

Maybe your dh just needs to hone his focus on things that he can be sucessful with and forget the rest. Large quantites of things he can do well with might make for some good trading with other gardeners. 

 

ETA: I've had a rock hard summer squash once or twice too! So weird - I couldn't even get my heavy duty chef knife through it and it has no problem going through hard winter squash. 

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Re:  sewing.  Yes and no.

 

Say you want a skirt.  You can go to the outlet or sale rack and probably buy one for less than you can stitch it.  Or maybe not. Maybe you bought fabric from the sale rack or the thrift store, drafted a pattern or used one that you have had on hand for a while.

 

The advantage of sewing though, in my opinion, is the control you have over the resulting garment.  I love voile.  I live in a place that can be really hot in the summer.  There is nothing like voile or linen for keeping cool. It is rare for me to find shirts in the marketplace that are made of a good quality voile.  Here is a case where I can sew one for less than off the rack.  (As I write, I am wearing a voile shirt that I made.)

 

Many off the rack garments are cheap because they are poorly made. The grain is wrong so the fabric does not hang well.  The finishes are less than nice.  The fabrics are--well--icky. 

 

There is more than economics in my decision to choose handmade over the store.  Nothing like handknitted socks, for example.  I suspect that you might view handknitted socks as a waste of time and money too.

 

So if your husband is not in the garden, what would he be doing?  What would you have him do?  I suspect that he enjoys this activity and you do not.  Perhaps you need to suggest that he do this one and you find something else that brings you pleasure.

 

Well my go to "uniform" is jeans and a t-shirt.  I don't wear dresses, skirts, or anything high end and fancy.  Same with my 2 boys.  DH wears the IT uniform of khakis and polo shirts. 

 

I took four years of sewing in high school and made all sorts of things (wool jacket, dress, etc.).  That was, however, also back in the day when I could walk into a store and buy fabric. 

 

Oh I gave up on gardening.  I no longer do it.  I really can't in the beginning anyways because I have severe seasonal allergies.  I may water for him during the summer, but that's it. 

 

I do think he just does it for something to do, but he also complains about it. 

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Well my go to "uniform" is jeans and a t-shirt.  I don't wear dresses, skirts, or anything high end and fancy.  Same with my 2 boys.  DH wears the IT uniform of khakis and polo shirts. 

 

I took four years of sewing in high school and made all sorts of things (wool jacket, dress, etc.).  That was, however, also back in the day when I could walk into a store and buy fabric. 

 

 

So while sewing has no value for you, that does not diminish its over all value.

 

I hope that you have shared your skill with your boys.  While they may not want to make garments (or maybe they will!), they may need sewing skills for repairs--as my son uses his. There are some camping or boating items that they might find useful to sew.

 

Knowing how to sew, garden, cook are valuable skills in my book!

 

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We usually have two griwing seasons each year that we take advantage of: spring-summer and fall-winter. Unfortunately, this year we weren't able to plant tge spring-summer garden due to life getting in the way of our plans. We've already started seeds for the fall garden, though.

 

For my family having a garden does generally save money. We took the time to talk with the Master Gardeners and county extension office for tips and tricks. We actually don't have great soil naturally because of our location. It's generally too alkaline for many crops. Lots of amending and green compost have helped. We also compost all our fruit & veg peelings/scraps and chicken waste.

 

Sparkly, has your dh asked questions of the master gardners and extension agents for your area? These are the people to talk to for the inside scooby.

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I forgot to mention, back when the thread was discussing what's worthwhile: sugar snap peas. They are easy to grow and super expensive at the grocery store and farmer's market (minimum $5/lb). I suspect it's because they have such a short season and do not preserve well. But boy can we put those things away!

 

Unicorn, does your DH do well with those? I suspect you have a pretty good climate for them, unless too moist and mildewy.

 

Maybe your dh just needs to hone his focus on things that he can be sucessful with and forget the rest. Large quantites of things he can do well with might make for some good trading with other gardeners. 

 

ETA: I've had a rock hard summer squash once or twice too! So weird - I couldn't even get my heavy duty chef knife through it and it has no problem going through hard winter squash. 

 

He did them once and they worked well, but it takes a lot of room to do them.  You don't get much for the space.  KWIM?

I loves spinach, but yeah half the garden of spinach for enough spinach for like 2 meals.  Just not worth it.

 

I don't know what to make of the rock hard squash either. 

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So while sewing has no value for you, that does not diminish its over all value.

 

I hope that you have shared your skill with your boys.  While they may not want to make garments (or maybe they will!), they may need sewing skills for repairs--as my son uses his. There are some camping or boating items that they might find useful to sew.

 

Knowing how to sew, garden, cook are valuable skills in my book!

 

 

Oh no of course.  And I think it's fine if someone just wants to do it just because.  I mean sure I could potentially never really cook because there are tons of options that don't require much cooking, but I like cooking.

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