Small organic garden = $6000 in produce

[Dances With Fire]

It has been a very good year for gardeners here in the upper mid-west, with good rainfall early in the growing season. (Yes, we could use more.)

This will be our 15th year of growing a small 200 sq. ft. backyard garden at our "new" location.
Like many mustachians, I keep notes and record my progress over the years. A conservative harvest estimate would be close to $400 per year, plus the fuel savings from driving to the local market. I am also saving many of the seeds from year to year with a few exceptions. (Special hybrids.)

I do have plans to increase the size of the garden in the future so I can share more of the harvest with family and friends.

[OddOne]

That is incredible production.. and it tastes so much better too! Happy for you!

[SingleMomDebt]

How rewarding. Congratulations on your accomplishments and 15 years of it!.

Do you can any of your harvest for you and your family? 

[Kriegsspiel]

Could you share your garden layout and techniques?

[Thegoblinchief]

First year gardening here. I wouldn't say it's been ideal in my area of the upper Midwest. Quite cool for the heat lovers, much cooler than last summer.

I was being diligent about weighing things but that stopped quite early. I've got ~150 square feet planted right now, about double that tilled and growing cover crops for next season soil development.

No idea what typical organic produce costs, so my hand wavy estimate would be at least $100 so far this season, and that's with zero ripe tomatoes yet, and a large space devoted to pumpkins because my kids really really wanted them.

I don't do it for the $ though. It's fun in its own right. And food miles of 0 are awesome.

[Dances With Fire]

Yes, the summer has been much cooler so the tomatoes and cucumbers are running late this year.

I have been blanching, vac-packing, and freezing the extra produce. Simple and quick system, not too much extra work. (Also made some pesto.)

Small compost bin, added a simple soaker hose system this year, worked out well.

[Thegoblinchief]

Soaker hoses are the best!

Still getting mildew on my pumpkins, but nothing on my zucchini, whereas a friend of mine lost her entire crop because of it this year.

[puglogic]

That's so awesome.  Organic produce is expensive where I live, and so it's a good investment of time.

I'm in a similar situation, and I expand a little bit every year, and plant weird things in weird places. The "flower garden" out in front of the house now has garlic, potatoes, horseradish, mint, chives tucked into it.  I grow hops on the fence, and stuck a few fruit trees in a couple of years ago.  I think our garden is up to about 400sq ft this year plus those weird things, all with soaker hoses on quick-release fittings so I can just walk around and switch the water, and heavily mulched to conserve moisture and keep weeds down (we're in the dryish foothills of Colorado)

I don't weigh things, but whenever I harvest something or make compost, my brain does the math, "$2.50 right there for that basil.  Big bunch of organic tuscan kale, $2.00.  That would be a $4.00 bag of steer manure right there...."

Goblin chief, we planted pumpkins this year too. There's something gratifying about a plant that grows a foot a day...

[Indio]

I've been gardening for more than 15 yrs in my backyard and expand it every year. Last year vine borers took out all of the squash to I planted it in straw bales. The humidity has high recently beenhigh on the east coast, which is ideal conditions for powder mildew. fI researched and found a solution that I've been trying. For two weeks now, I've been spraying my squash and cucumbers with a mixture of 1 part milk to 3 parts water and applying during sunny days. After drenching the leaves the milk dries on it and coats the leaves to prevent powdery mildew forming. Definitely recommend reading up on it to keep that pumpkin patch going.
I too have seen big savings from having a garden. My grocery bill has dropped to $100 per month, mostly for milk.
Yesterday we had grilled beans, tomatoes, zucchini and portabello mushrooms for dinner and blackberriesfor dessert. All picked the same day.
The peaches will be ripe soon and that is a big money saver since we only eat organic.

[horsepoor]

I don't weigh things, but whenever I harvest something or make compost, my brain does the math, "$2.50 right there for that basil.  Big bunch of organic tuscan kale, $2.00.  That would be a $4.00 bag of steer manure right there...."

Haha, I do the same thing.  Put up a bunch of pesto and announced to my husband that I just made like $40 worth of fancy-pants pesto; did fermented pickles and announced the value at around $28.  Looking at my spaghetti squash and acorn squash vines last night and did a mental accounting of how much the crop is worth, since the last non-organic spaghetti squash I bought was about $4.  Stuff like eggplant, cucumbers and zucchini are hard to quantify because I end up giving so much away at work.  Other stuff simply wouldn't be available to buy anywhere, like super fresh, quality okra or Chinese red noodle beans.

[horsepoor]

I've been gardening for more than 15 yrs in my backyard and expand it every year. Last year vine borers took out all of the squash to I planted it in straw bales. The humidity has high recently beenhigh on the east coast, which is ideal conditions for powder mildew. fI researched and found a solution that I've been trying. For two weeks now, I've been spraying my squash and cucumbers with a mixture of 1 part milk to 3 parts water and applying during sunny days. After drenching the leaves the milk dries on it and coats the leaves to prevent powdery mildew forming. Definitely recommend reading up on it to keep that pumpkin patch going.
I too have seen big savings from having a garden. My grocery bill has dropped to $100 per month, mostly for milk.
Yesterday we had grilled beans, tomatoes, zucchini and portabello mushrooms for dinner and blackberriesfor dessert. All picked the same day.
The peaches will be ripe soon and that is a big money saver since we only eat organic.

Please tell me about growing portabello mushrooms!

[Thegoblinchief]

Hmm, I'll have to keep an eye on the mildew and see how it goes.

I've seen mushroom kits before, but I've never seen portobella kits. Interesting.

[SingleMomDebt]

vac-packing... best thing ever. Of course - since I don't have my vacuum packing machine anymore - I deplete a re-seal-able bag of air by using a straw. Mustachian ;)

[Dances With Fire]

Lost a small crop of cucumbers a few years ago. Hot and very humid weather. Read about the milk spray later on but fortunately had not had to use it.

Puglogic, I like the idea of the quick-release fittings on the soak hoses and my have add those next spring.

I think you can find portobella kits in the seed catalogs as well as Fungi-Perfecti??? Have not tried those yet.

Also I would like to thank all those on the MMM forum. I am very new here but have been lurking for sometime. A great site for those of us who are into simple living, stoic philosophy, and the search for fire.

(It is not (just) about money and saving. It is about having the FREEDOM to do what you love to do! Cheers!

[puglogic]

Exactly, Dances with Fire.   

[financialforager]

Vegetable gardening is a great way of reducing your food costs. I grow many types of vegetables every year as well as foraging for food. Berries are great things to forage. Check out my blog that explains ways to reduce your grocery bill by foraging.

http://www.financialforager.com/?p=10

[shiverbaby007]

just picked 9 pounds of blackberries from my boss's in-laws. last week i got 4 pounds. making jelly and rocking out the freezer so i have them for winter. mmm.....

[G-dog]

I've been gardening for more than 15 yrs in my backyard and expand it every year. Last year vine borers took out all of the squash to I planted it in straw bales. The humidity has high recently beenhigh on the east coast, which is ideal conditions for powder mildew. fI researched and found a solution that I've been trying. For two weeks now, I've been spraying my squash and cucumbers with a mixture of 1 part milk to 3 parts water and applying during sunny days. After drenching the leaves the milk dries on it and coats the leaves to prevent powdery mildew forming. Definitely recommend reading up on it to keep that pumpkin patch going.
I too have seen big savings from having a garden. My grocery bill has dropped to $100 per month, mostly for milk.
Yesterday we had grilled beans, tomatoes, zucchini and portabello mushrooms for dinner and blackberriesfor dessert. All picked the same day.
The peaches will be ripe soon and that is a big money saver since we only eat organic.

You grew your own portobellos?  Please share more info!

[G-dog]

We started our tomatoes early, so got a few before most since the cooler weather has delayed them.
But we are getting a bumper crop of great tomatoes this year, we have a mix of lots of varieties, including some heirlooms.
We rarely get many zucchini, likely vine borers, so I would like to here more about using straw bales.
Decent amounts of potatoes, green/red peppers, hot peppers and cucumbers, but not a bounty.  The cucumber plants are looking very sad, small fruits that likely won't fill. We have a couple of eggplants (ick - hubby plants them, they taste bitter to me).
Overall a very good year.  We have raised beds since the ground is solid clay. We keep learning every year. We always have pretty good luck with tomatoes - other things vary.

[Bob W]

I opted out of the gardening this year.  My issue is that our soil is just clay.   I'm having a hard time getting over the initial investment in having top soil brought in and amending it with peat moss.   Probably cost me about a dollar a square foot to bring in the 6 inch deep soil I would want. 

Realistically with all the other stuff I would need, it might take me a year and a half to recoup.

But I love the idea.  If I did 1,500 square foot, I could probably provide 1.5 pounds of vegies per day for each of our 3 family members.   

You got me thinking where I might place this next year!

Thanks!

[horsepoor]

Y'know, Bob, you might check around with local farms or stables.  Where I keep my horses, the owner has a 12-yard trailer and will bring a full load of manure/shavings/hay for the cost of his gas.  Let it compost over winter, then spread it out and plant straight into it in the spring.

[Mwstas]

I opted out of the gardening this year.  My issue is that our soil is just clay.   I'm having a hard time getting over the initial investment in having top soil brought in and amending it with peat moss.   Probably cost me about a dollar a square foot to bring in the 6 inch deep soil I would want.

There's lots you can do to improve clayey without resorting to the importation of topsoil and peat moss. Horsepoor's suggestion is a good one but not the only option you could consider. The Royal Horticultural Society has a few suggestions here but I'd go with something called sheet mulching personally. There's lots of info on improving poor soil in the interwebs! Charles Dowding is pretty famous in the UK and has had great success growing commercially on clay soils using sheet mulching and other no-dig gardening methods.

[Dances With Fire]

I opted out of the gardening this year.  My issue is that our soil is just clay.   I'm having a hard time getting over the initial investment in having top soil brought in and amending it with peat moss.   Probably cost me about a dollar a square foot to bring in the 6 inch deep soil I would want.

There's lots you can do to improve clayey without resorting to the importation of topsoil and peat moss. Horsepoor's suggestion is a good one but not the only option you could consider. The Royal Horticultural Society has a few suggestions here but I'd go with something called sheet mulching personally. There's lots of info on improving poor soil in the interwebs! Charles Dowding is pretty famous in the UK and has had great success growing commercially on clay soils using sheet mulching and other no-dig gardening methods.

Another good book is Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza. "Sheet composting" and then planting right in the compost.