when are you sowing your garden this year?

[TFOGGER]

Much like reloading, quality is as much or more of an issue than price per. The difference between our tomatoes and citrus compared to the stuff in the grocery stores that was picked a month before it was ripe so that it would look good in the store is astounding. Store bought tomatoes taste like they are made of paper mache. Did you know that tree ripened limes are actually orange, and much sweeter than what you're used to, while remaining very "limey" tasting?

[CS1983]

There is nothing cathartic about maintaining groceries. Also, the upfront cost of the garden should be a first year thing. You're still most likely right though.

This is the cost for the raised beds (4x8) and top soil (14 cu ft per bed).



Since most grown vegetables are one time harvest, I cannot fathom that we would grow even $100 grocery store worth of vegetables.

Raised beds are a one-time cost. I dunno about the soil, if we could reuse or if we did compost and next year would be 0 cost for year (assuming we account all cost for year only, zeroing out at end of planting year).

Either way, I would likely have to have what, 2-3 years to even break even?

I'd have to ask my wife to project min/max yield to determine where our break even point is, but most vegetables are pretty dang cheap.

[hunterhawk]

Yup, no pestisides in mine, and the taste of product makes the food 100 times better...plus who likes going to the store? I hate when the time comes when the garden dies down...all these people with their mj grow houses, im just like i would have an actual indoor garden if i could!

[Irving]

Last year, I would come home every day after work and eat tomatoes and basil from the garden, for months. Basically a caprice salad without the cheese. Some things are a one time harvest, other things you habe more than you can ever eat. That's when you get into canning.

[CS1983]

Last year, I would come home every day after work and eat tomatoes and basil from the garden, for months. Basically a caprice salad without the cheese. Some things are a one time harvest, other things you habe more than you can ever eat. That's when you get into canning.

Have canner, will can. Doubt there'd be anything to can. To make gardening worth it, I feel like we would have to till the yard.

How big is your garden?

[William]

I think it depends if you like to garden. Playing in the dirt calms me, it is satisfying to see results of your work, and the taste is way better as mentioned before. Now when the deer eat all your Zuccini it is not fun, but other than that I get a lot of satisfaction out of it. Also not sure where you get your groceries, but since Rancho Liborio went out of business near me, it is hard to find cheap produce and we go through a ton each week.

[Irving]

Have canner, will can. Doubt there'd be anything to can. To make gardening worth it, I feel like we would have to till the yard.

How big is your garden?

Mine is about 150 sq/ft, but to say I'm an amateur would be a gross overstatement. We grew a LOT of cherry sized tomatoes and zucchini last year. Someone who Inge what they were doing would habe had a lot more useable produce. I don't even want to talk about how much money I have into that garden either. Good thing it makes me calm, haha.

[Jonsey]

I would estimate mine is about 180 square ft. It can grow a lot. The quality of the vegetables is very good if you have good soil and you can grow many variaties that you will never find at any store. Compost. I am finding that raising rabbits works really well because they make excellent compost and eat a crap load of weeds. Then you can eat the rabbits too. The key to making your garden pay off is to actually replace your grocery store diet with the food you grow which can mean more in meal prep time, and growing through all seasons. I can usually get something to grow here except Dec through February unless you have a hoop house but even then it just sort of maintains. You have to experiment with which things to grow and how much of it.

[Jonsey]

I saw a lot of people buying tomato plants today.

[Jonsey]

I planted four rhubarb today, just off the edge of our septic field. They will have full sun most all day. I have another that I planted about 6 years ago where it gets plenty of ground water but it doesn't get enough sun. I might transplant it tomorrow.

In prepping the holes for the rhubarb I fertilized with organic moose berries gathered from the yard. So I'll call it moose rhubarb, and later this summer I'll make moose rhubarb pie and moose rhubarb cordial.

Will you share your recipe for rhubarb cordial?