Initial costs for self watering containers are considerable, even the home made version of Earth Boxes. We had good success growing broccoli, pak choi, tomatoes, peppers, swiss chard, and eggplant last spring and summer . Kale, broccoli raab, lettuce, spinach and mustard greens in the fall. I tried basil in one of the containers and it absolutely LOVED growing there. I freeze pesto and basil for use in winter so I grow lots of basil.

In our area, we have been in severe drought for the past three years, which is the main reason we went over to home made earth boxes last year. It made a big difference in water usage for us.

I garden mostly because it gives me so much joy and having delicious fresh vegetables is an added bonus. All things considered, we probably break even on costs.

I think in some instances it's a savings, and in others - not. E.g., when I grow tomatoes or lettuce ...., I know I'm really saving a bundle over what the crop would cost at the grocers, but I can't envision cabbage, melons, broccoli, cauliflower ..... you get the picture, as being cost effective.

I too, garden mostly because I find the effort:reward ratio favorable, and the rewards are most often not considered from a material perspective. My rewards are mostly measured in personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment, but that the growing experience helps satisfies a need to nurture (especially the bonsai) is especially fulfilling for me. I suppose the reason I spend so much time here is that it also fulfills that need to nurture and is just a natural extension of the growing experience as a whole. ;o)

Al

I will be in ground this year as well as in containers. I just built my raised bed garden this past weekend and have about 120 plants under lights inside that will find homes outside eventually.

Not sure how it would compare cost wise, I hadn't thought about it. I grow stuff to share and because it's fun. It's fun to exchange ideas and stories. It's exciting to see that little sprout poke out of your starter mix. It's fun to see what plants have come in at the garden center that you don't need.. but you do. :) It's definitely a nurturing experience (as Al said) vice a meal ticket for me.

I don't really sell what I grow. I have sold like.. salsas and jellies and stuff but more because people felt guilty taking them all the time.

I would agree with tomatoes being a savings (from store bought), and this year I am doing raspberries in ground in the yard and strawberries in containers on top of my maters and peppers. We ALL know how much berries cost at the store!! Eee gad!

Still, I won't really know what I'm saving because I consume, share and rarely sell.

Was that confusing enough?? I just had Subway so I'm going into hibernation mode. :)

Erin

I think you're right that baby greens are pretty cost effective. It's nice that you can harvest exactly what you need, which is not an option when you buy at the store. Because they're so fresh, I think they taste better from the garden too.

I also think herbs are pretty cost effective, especially if you can overwinter them. Again, part of this is portion size. I hate shelling out $3.50 for a bunch of thyme when all I really need is a couple of teaspoons.

Growing herbs also gives you a ton of flexibility when cooking. You always have the stuff to make bouquet garni or to brighten up an omelette. It becomes second nature to add herbs to your food... And most of them dry or freeze well.

They grow great in containers or small spaces and they look pretty too!

Yes there is a start up cost especially with containers. But there is also start up cost for in ground too, if you never had a garden before. But once all the containers and related stuff ie cages stakes etc. then the following yr should be pennies compared to your first yr imho.

For instance take me. The ole lady wants to make spagetti sauce this yr. so the great roma tomato experiment is on. Plan on atleast ten plants here at my house and (Hopefully) a few at her sisters and such. But they are all going to be in containers ( due to size of yard and neighbors trees etc.. I can not find ten frickon buckets aarrggghhhh! So I have resolved that I will have to buy them, sad to say $2.75 at depot and lowes.. Now the cost bothers me a little but not as much as having to put holes in a perfectly good NEW bucket! Just rubs me the wrong way! LoL I am making one tainer, jus' to see how it goes before going full out. Then cages??? That's $75 US just for tomato set up ... but if it works out ok won't have to invest next yr Unless I want to expand and can't find any buckets again!

Have several 4, 5 gal square kitty litter containers that I am thinking peppers and cukes should do pretty good in( hoping anyways )And more than enough of the new plastic coffee cans that I believe herbs should have no problems in.

Unless you don't mind shelling out for containers... don't wait till the last moment ( such as myself ) to go look for containers. and that is the key to low cost, find what you can for free imo.

I guess it depends what you grow in containers. Green pepper at the store is $2.50-$4.99 depending on time of year.

Cost effective to grow green pepper?

14" Container: $8.00
Bag of container soil: $3.00-$5.00
Watered with sprinklers through drip (unsure of cost)
Miracle grow over life of plant: $4.00 or so
Call it $20.00 in expenses.

I will get (assuming no diseases) 15-30 green peppers off plant lets say.

At low end 15 green peppers x $2.99 (low market price) is about $30. I saved money. Next season will be cheaper, container paid for...

But like some have said, not all vege's add up. I think cauliflower is a bust in container, but not in ground.

Tomatoes, forget it, definitely money savings.

I think the more quantity the more savings.

I planted 3 eggplant in ground, watered via drip system with sprinkler and fertilized. Got about 15 (- the ones the bugs were owed :) ) Saved money.

I just read and article in local paper say takes about 2 years to recoup costs of a garden.

And hey, vege's from the garden taste great. My green peppers, tomatoes blow away the market - and they are for the most part organic (if you allow fertilizer). No pesticides, fungicides (industrial - use milk) on my plants. They grow great.

I have probably around 40 containers of varying sizes. I do quantity, so if I loose a plant the others are there for backup.

In container,
3 egg plants, 5 tomatoe, lettuce, green peppers, chilli pepper, cucumber, jalepenos, banana peppers, arugula and many more.

It is fun except it drives DW a little crazy at times she thinks I love the plants more! But hey nothing that a little kiss and a great tasting tomato won't solve! :) lol

I think so, as I get 5 gal. buckets free, and make my soil by composting a lot of plant life until it is just like dirt, then fert. it as needed, and have success with about anything I try to grow in them. First I make self watering buckets of them so I don't have to water all the time to keep them moist. I am very happy with the 35 buckets that I have and am already selecting the things I hope tu plant just as soon as the weather permits. You'll never know till you really get into it just how successful it can be. I find it very cost saving as I used what I already gad or got real cheap. GIVE IT A TRY AND SEE. DAN

Linchat, you pay $3.00 for a green pepper??? Where do you live? I get them two for a $1.00 down here in central FL.

Shooot...... :) $1? I wish! I am in S. Florida and paying about $3-$5 per green pepper at the grocery store (PUBX). Yellows and Reds are always more expensive.

I'd say well worth it. Plus whatever vegetables you produce you can preserve in forms of freezing or canning. The cost of pepper, tomatoes, eggplants is what is driving me to start my own vegetable garden.

I'm planning to grow as many vegetables as possible including potatoes.

This year I know so much more, and have figured out sources for cheap supplies. Free 5 gal buckets from work, and $4 plastic containers from Walmart, and seeds for $.20/packet at Rite Aid. Bamboo stakes from my officemate's yard. Pine fines instead of compost. I know some people make their own compost, but purchasing it can be a bit much.

I could probably help someone get a big container veggie garden started for about $20-40.

But still, I think for me it is a combination of nurturing and being really excited by seeing plants grow.

correction - the $4 containers are at home depot right now.

Is it worth it? Absolutely!

1. They taste better
2. You know whats been sprayed on them
3. You dont have to worry about someone not washing their hands before picking your future food...
4. You can grow stuff you never find in the market.

I garden in both containers and in the ground. I make several compost heaps a year to amend both.

As pointed out above, there are many ways to find containers to grow in you, just have to get creative.

You could consider this my first post on here and also an introduction.

From my limited experience and knowledge the brunt of your cost is your supplies at the beginning.

Instead of buying bags of soil from Lowes or Home Depot, see if a local nursery sells it by the truck load (Cubic yard).
I get a cubic yard of good quality soil for $39. Thats a $1.44 for a cubic foot. Thats less than half the price of a bag of MiracleGro.

Also, the same nursery has a take a pot/leave a pot set up. I can get all the free black pots I want. From 1/2 a gallon to 7 and 10, it just depends whats there at the time. I picked up about 20 3 gallons today when I got a half a yard of soil.

This is my first year doing any kind of garden. I live in FL and started back in the middle of December.

I thought pots/containers were gonna be a huge expense, but if youre resourceful enough, you can find them.

Also, I made 9 earthboxes from a setup I saw on another forum I use a lot. I got cardboard boxes for free, and took the containers out of the attic and put the stuff that was in the containers in the boxes and avoided the high costs of buying containers.

Anyways, Ive got close to 100 plants right now, and Ill still be adding about 20 more in the near future.

I think its worth it, and after this year, Ill have most all of the supplies and my only cost will be seeds and fertilizer.

On a last note. Tomato cages are at Wal Mart for $1.97 and $2.47 and they are pretty big.

Glad to be here.

Where are you at? My local Walmart's are small and aimed at an urban/suburban environment where land is expensive.

Are these the ones made out of thin wire or rebar? How tall are they?

I only had one plastic container I could unpack. I've got others but I think they've had chemicals and stuff in them over the past 10-12 years.

I am located in the east coast of Florida. About 5 miles from the ocean. By no means, do I live in a gardening type community. Land is very expensive here as well.

The cages are the thinner metal ones but they have 72" cages, and they are 2.47.

Beats the heck out of Lowes and Home Depot prices.

I just went into the attic and started transferring stuff from plastic storage containers to cardboard boxes. Heck, half the stuff up there will rot away before we ever go up there looking for it.

Started in August...keeping track of yields because the family is skeptical. Break even? Not yet! Stop buying from the produce dpt? Not yet!

3 light fixtures and 6 bulbs. That's $60 plus another 15$ in perlite, peat, potting mix, supplies = ~80. If I had boughten containers the cost would have been about 4X that. I'm not counting electricity for 18hr on the fluro's. To date, I've harvested:

4 lbs of lettuce,spinach, beet greens
0.5lb of cherry tomatoes
0.5lb onion greens
4 nice sized cucumbers -->about $20 worth of produce in 6mo.

I feel a sense of urgency to improve nutritious yields. Last month, NO food trucks were coming in because all interstates were closed for abut 10 days due to snow, flooding, and mudslides.

But I really need about 4 times the yield to keep the family stocked with lettuce and tomatoes. So I've doubled the lettuce and adding about 7 dwarf tomatoes - 0 dollars extra. Many thanks to the non-spammed suggestions that people post here. Hoping and praying that my setup can improve and that we'll be more self-sufficient.

What is it running in electricity costs? Based on this, you would never catch the costs? How much are lightbulbs and how often to replace? Sounds like you need larger quantity of plants or change plants your are growing. Never hit cost benerfit growing a few spinach. If you went all spinach maybe. Mixing and matching will not make cost benefit.

But then again, stuck without fresh food due to mother nature, and have fresh food growing, PRICELESS!

Nobody has mentioned some of the other healthy benefits of container gardening such as...
1. Free-work outs (no club fees)
2. Healthy thinking mind (no psychoanalysist fee)
3. Healthy food (lower doctor or hospital vists)
4. Sharing your bounty with friends and family (priceless)
(:Happy Growing to all David:)

I haven't figured it carefully but I think it probably doesn't pay in money but I really do enjoy and it means a lot to us to get the food so fresh. It seems to me that if you don't enjoy doing it it is not worth it.