Topic: cost of produce lottie versus S/M

[tomatoada]

The point I was trying to make was that people who do not grow their own might read this and believe it and be put off trying.   I am sometimes asked "Is it really worth it?".    We know starting up costs ar not cheap.  Wheelbarrow, tools etc.. but spread over years pay for themselves.   

[caroline7758]

And what about the money we save the NHS by keeping physically and mentally fit? ;)

[cornykev]

I replied to the article and agree with Chrispy's comments.      ;D ;D ;D

[valmarg]

In the beginning we do it for 'fun'.  Just to get things growing.  Then we do it to have a good harvest and 'eat' what we've grown.

It is just so satisfying to go out and pick the fruit and veg.

There's not much out there at the moment.  Some leeks, parsnips and White/Purple sprouting.

valmarg

[pigeonseed]

I think you can do it with hardly any outlay, if you want. You can get tools free sometimes, seeds can be fairly cheap, bits and bobs can come from skips and rubbish tips on-site. (Okay as you can tell, I don't have the most picturesque allotment!  ;D)

I agree, if gardening makes people happy and healthy, then whether they save money is not important.

I do think though that part of the happiness, for me, is knowing it doesn't cost money, and is productive - not just more shopping and consuming. In other words I expect I feel virtuous  ::)   ;D

[Digeroo]

The interesting thing about the article is that it concentrates on certain things but ignores the best money saving lines.  For me it is beans, carrots, brassicas, salad crops etc etc which save me the most and taste the best when compared to the SM offerings.   

[saddad]

There's not much out there at the moment.  Some leeks, parsnips and White/Purple sprouting.

There's loads Valmarg... we had a prawn salad with lettuce, red mustard, sorrel, tomatoes, winter radish, chicory... and spuds, leeks, and sprouts from the lottie today...  :)

[lottie lou]

Other things haven't been factored in - company, friendships and optimism - the "oh well, it'll be better next year"

[picman]

This misguided article did not mention all the tons of food the supermarkets throw away... who pays for that....

[small]

I'm not so sure about saving the NHS money - hernias, bad backs, forks through feet, septic thorns, I've ended up in A&E more than once.  :'(
Seriously, though I love my veg plot I couldn't do it if I had to be out of pocket, I reckon I save a fortune - all my tools were virtually free, wheelbarrows from farm sales, I've been using the same netting for years, seeds are saved or bought in sales....there was a thread on here a while back about how much garlic people grow, what would it cost to buy all that?  All the pickles, preserves, the fancy herbs...and without growing my own, I wouldn't eat asparagus, or aubergines, or squash....
Hang on, this was the Daily Mail. Of course it's rubbish.

[chriscross1966]

The Daily Mail, a paper determined to label everything on the planet as either the cause of, or the cure for, cancer....

and they've never finished apologising ()if they ever started) for supporting Mosley in the 30's....

[valmarg]

There's not much out there at the moment.  Some leeks, parsnips and White/Purple sprouting.

There's loads Valmarg... we had a prawn salad with lettuce, red mustard, sorrel, tomatoes, winter radish, chicory... and spuds, leeks, and sprouts from the lottie today...  :)

Ah saddad, as the good book says as you sow, so also shall you reap.  As we have not sown (and unfortunately not had space to sow) chicory, spuds and brussels sprouts. we shall not be reaping. ;D

We have a cherry tomato plant 'clinging to the wreckage' in the greenhouse, several chilli plants, which are very mild, most definitely not the strong rating in the catalogue.

We are left with the leeks and parsnips. :( :( ???

This is not my favourite time of year.

I'll get back to the seed catalogues, and plan for next year. ;D ;D

valmarg

[daveyboi]

Somethings you grow are probably cheaper in the supermarkets but on the whole the vegetables and fruit are where they make a large part of their profit.

It really does depend on what products you choose to grow. For example the price for runner beans most of the time is about £1 per pound but as we all know these crop so heavily normally the cost of the seed, canes and manure are well covered in the first year.

However some other crops are I agree hardly worthwhile growing in monetary terms but nothing beats the freshness at times.

[Froglegs]

Emptying and digging in the contents of a compost bin till it got too dark then on the way home a swift couple a pints of(food of the gods) mixed,while putting the gardening world to rights with me fellow plot holders then off home for a sunday dinner where the only thing on me plate i did not grow was the beef...........priceless.

[PaulaB]

I liked the comment some one put saying if firms considered the first year profit against cost of set up no firm would ever start up.  Yes I had to buy tools in the first year, but I am still using them.  Yes I brought seeds for the 2009 year but with seed saving I have enough to plant for next year (execpt I will be buying potatoes for next year) and to share with people on my allotment, so basically that means that the cost of the seeds is 0.  It is as someone said a backlash against people who want to produce some if not all of their own veggies and yes I am getting chickens (had to put it back to next year as my mother is ill) but that is because I want to know how my chickens and eggs are being produced so until then I only buy free range eggs.

[antipodes]

Actually I find the cost of produce in teh Uk to be really expensive. Here in France we have our lovely local markets, long may they reign and buying fruit and veg is really cheap. There is a Moroccan guy that does his own market gardening and I buy from him sometimes, you can tell that he grows it himself. He charges about £1 a kilo for courgettes in the summer, tomatoes can be really cheap when he has too many (like about 60p a kilo) and he does lots of peppers and chillies which rarely go about 1.50-2-00£ a kilo.
At the moment I am paying about 1.50 euros for a kilo of clementines (Spanish but they are tasty) and I buy apples from a local producer, he does small calibres for about £1 (1.20 euros) a kilo.

I am not sure it is financially viable to grow your own veg! Although I guess I pay about 35 euros for all my onions and spuds in the spring and I rarely then buy onion, garlic, echalotes or potatoes in the year, I guess that pays for itself then. The fruit is definitely worth it though - I got kilos of raspberries, lots of strawberries and kilos of gooseberries that you can't buy anyway.  And rhubarb is a doddle.

[pigeonseed]

The Daily Mail, a paper determined to label everything on the planet as either the cause of, or the cure for, cancer....

and they've never finished apologising ()if they ever started) for supporting Mosley in the 30's....

Yeah and I think they've established once and for all that it's working women who cause cancer  ;D ;D

[superdupa]

as previous posters have commented the initial setup is expensive tools rotovator and greenhoses dont come cheap ,but as hobby's go it is inexpensive compared to say golf when greenfees are in the £100s and there are is nothing better than the satisfaction of knowing that your eating something that has been sown ,grown and harvested by yourself

[pigeonseed]

Yes exactly - and you don't even need a greenhouse or rotavator. If I had money I would like a greenhouse though, for Aubergines and peppers.

I wonder whether there really is a backlash developing in the media, over grow-your-own. How tedious. Build 'em up, knock 'em down...

[Sally A]

I always laugh when I see 10 manky runner beans for 75p in the supermarket; yes collecting beansticks does take time, and involves a £10 pruning knife, a rambo headband and camouflage jacket, but I'd be taking the dog for a walk anyway, so collecting 4 - 6 at a time is no real effort (until it gets to those new swing gates- and I end up getting stuck in trees etc Carry on Coppicing!).

Courgettes 50p each in peak season.................PTAAH!!!

Mangetout £1.20 for an off green pack flown from Kenya....no thanks! these bu&&ers grow quicker than you can look at them, and freeze well too.

French beans...why buy?? 1 wigwam will be sufficient for a family for one or two meals a week, certain varieites can be frozen whole without blanching.