Hi, I am a new gardener still learning my ways to successful harvest. Herbs: A great cost effective crop. I agree with most here that herbs like basil, parsley, sage, rosemary are cost effective. Veggies: Category 1: It really comes down to what one eats. Like for me with an asian background, I like a lot of Asian vegetables that are very very expensive even if I am able to find them in the market and so most of the time, I don't even buy them. Growing them at home(for eg: ridge gourd, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, some asian greens) gives me the opportunity to savor them all to my hearts content. Category 2: What is most perishable: These varieties in the market tend to be more expensive as the cost of transporting and selling them in time leaves the seller and grower with lot of wasted harvest. I can think of berries, esp raspberries that come under this category. Okra, Thai eggplants, bottle gourd, greens(salad greens, spinach etc) are some vegetables that do not have a longer shelf life. So I find growing these very cost effective. So vegetables you would otherwise eat except for the cost at the supermarket are worth considering. Category 3: Long term storage: I find the best price for tomatoes in summer to be 59 cents a pound and bell peppers some $3 for 5 or 6. Come october, these are no longer valid prices. The prices go up. So, if I can make my harvest last thru Jan, I am saving on these staples. Well, again, for these veggies and others mentioned in the other points, one should base their judgement of what to grow on the space vs cost based on space constraints. I do not know how cost effective it is to grow onions, but am trying them this year for the companion planting benefits it gives. Green onions, They store very well in the fridge for me and are reasonably costeffective, so I would be growing these. I don't have a large yard, probably a few hundred sq ft. But with the vertical growth advantage some of the veggies present and the succession planting, I hope to last my growing season long to gain the most of what I put in. It appears to me that some investment is needed, like good compost( I cannot make compost due to my association rules, I am thankful that they did not object my veggie gardening yet), mulch, irrigation system. But like with any project or hobby, we build slowly, starting small and growing as our resources permit and our energies permit. More conveniences, the more our time is spent on growing more and tending to everything that we grow. Like for eg, if I have irrigation system, every evening I can find time to plant more companion plants and reduce the pest problem to grow organic. I can find time to prune my tomatoes. I can find time to harvest the produce right on time, thereby increasing my harvest. Also, my occasional vacation plans do not need to suffer my plants. My mulch should help reduce some weeds. Getting a wheelbarrow helps get the mulch task and several lugging around tasks much easier. Oh, I forgot to mention that I recently asked my community landscaper to give me the empty flats after he planted pansies. He was happy to deliver them which he would have thrown into garbage. So, this solved my problem of finding transplanting containers for my growing seedlings. I am sure craigslist and few other sources are available for the resourceful hobbyists which should help save on some of the investment. For bell peppers etc try roasting them on grill after smearing them with oil and take the skins off and you can store them either in glass jars or freeze them. When thawed they can be used in soups, sandwiches, spreads etc..

I have to agree that the bark in the pictures does not look right. First thing I notice is that there is literally NO fines in it. The mix depends on using pine bark fines, not just pine bark. I'm not going to defend any mix, because this is my first year using the 5-1-1, and although it is working good for me, it hasn't been without hard work and some complaints. I have had some watering issues with the hydrophobic pine bark. I can say though, that my pine bark is fines, and I CAN pour water in the pot, and it sits there for a bit. But, I can agree that the water seems to flow right through, and leave dry sections in the center of the pot. It takes a bit of screwing around, but all in all, the mix works. I won't be using it for veggies anymore, because next year I'll be firing up a regular veggie garden. So, final word from me: Due to what looks to be the wrong pine bark, and the wrong lime being used, this experiment is scrapped, and shouldn't be associated with the 5-1-1 mix. Joe

oregon, I couldn't care less about organics, as far as the food I eat. This is someone who use to kill potatoes beetles with DDT (though we saved a row for early use!). But, IMO, the reason most people choose organically grown food is not because of the impact on the environment, but rather they perceive the food to be safer for consumption, at least when it comes to veggies and probably fruit. Yeah, there are those who perceive lots of value to free-range creatures and are willing to pay premium prices for products. And while free range beef may be far better (or maybe not) than that fed in huge parking lots, reality is lots of Americans would suddenly find that eating hamburger would be a very special occasion they would have to save up for. Plus, I'm not sure where the line is drawn between organic and non-organic. Is a steer raised on one of those so-called parking lots that is fed only food raised organically, and not injected with any hormones, organic? Is a similar steer that is allowed to graze on grass but whose supplements contain non-organic supplements non-organic? By definition, the answer to both questions is YES. Then we have a combo of both. A Farmers Market here sells eggs from free range, organically fed chickens. In winter, the price can range from $13-17 per dozen! And if the weather is cold and the chicks don't put out, one may only get ten eggs instead of 12. Rich families can make the decision, those who have to stretch their budget will have a hard time going the organic route. YMMV, Mike

I'm glad you understood my post. I haven't applied synthetic fertilizers on my lawn in years. I use a weed hound for my weeds. Even when I used synthetics, I used a low maintenance approach, so I'd use some 21-0-0 once in the fall and once in the spring. I spot sprayed for weeds until I found the weed hound. A synthetic approach can be less expensive than an organic approach. I've seen the arguments that list the cost of the Scotts 12 step program compared with using cultural practices to control weeds and using organic fertilizers, but you can use the cultural practices with synthetics, as well, so I think the cost advantage is with organics in two cases: if you are replacing the Scotts 12 step program or if you are using waste material for fertilizer. Since I switched from the 21-0-0 applied 2x a year to using coffee grounds applied as often as I get them, my costs for fertilizer and weed killer went from $6 a year to $0 a year. I think there are other benefits to using organics. I've seen people say that ammonium sulfate lowers the pH of the soil. The pH lowering is cited as a reason to use organics. If ammonium sulfate lowered the pH to any significant degree, I'd go back to it in a heartbeat. It may have a slight adverse effect on soils that are already low pH, but I've had seen the pH of my soil improve much more with organics. Organics move the soil closer to neutral no matter which way the soil was off before. In a heavy clay soil like mine, organics improve the ability of the soil to absorb water. In sandy soil, organics improve water retention. I would have some problems with spreading grains on my lawn for a couple of reasons, but I don't have a problem with others using the grains. My family didn't have a lot when I was growing up, so spreading grains feels too much like throwing food on the lawn to me (even though it wouldn't be food for me, it would still be food). I don't have a problem with others doing it, but that's one reason I don't. Another reason I don't use grains is that it takes a lot more urea or ammonium sulfate to produce the corn that I'd apply than the amount of urea or ammonium sulfate that I'd use instead of corn. I think that is not true for soybean meal, since it's a legume. If I use corn on my lawn, I'm being environmentally friendly to my lawn, but not to the planet. If you're focused on your lawn, the corn is a much more environmentally friendly option. In some ways, I'm more of a fanatic than almost anybody here. I'm working on replacing my traditional lawn with native grasses. Most of my neighbors have been watering daily for a couple of weeks. I haven't even tested my sprinklers yet. Once I start watering, I'll water once a week until after the fireworks season. Then, I'll stop completely and let my non natives die. I'll overseed in late fall for spring germination. My goal is little or no water other than what nature provides (almost nothing in the summer months). If I have to water once a month to keep the natives green, I'm much more comfortable with that than twice a week.