With food prices on the rise, would planting backyard "victory gardens" save money for the average family

Question

Or would the cost of the garden outweigh savings at the market? And what crops would produce the greatest amount of food per square foot of garden area?

Answer 1

Yes, gardening will save you a bunch of money.  Here is a website with vegetable seeds http://www.burpee.com/category/vegetable... but I find that they're cheaper at, of all places, The Dollar Store.  If you have a dollar store or a local gardening center, you might be able to find seed packets for twenty five cents each, like I did.  

The problem with gardens is that you always wind up with too much food.  I suggest planting different varieties of vegetable so that you don't end up with a freezer full of broccoli, like we did.  After a while, it was just too much broccoli!  We had to give it away.  So plant different things, not all just one type.  And you won't ever buy a five dollar artichoke again.  :)

Answer 2

It depends on if you need to buy garden tools or rent a tiller, etc.  If you have a spade or shovel, a hoe, and some hand tools, you can save a small fortune.  Even if you use transplants from the garden center, you can get 4-6 tomato seedlings for a couple bucks.  If you goof up and kill off half of the tomato plants, you are still left with 2-3 plants that can easily produce 10-15 pounds or more of tomatoes apiece.  Vine tomatoes are currently $2 a pound in my local grocers, which means I can get $60 or more worth of tomatoes for my $2 investment.  Radishes, garden onions, lettuce and other salad veggies are pretty easy to grow.  Radishes from seed in the ground to sliced in the salad only take 21-25 days.

Answer 3

Gardening was a big help during the war , the ones that had gardens always had food on the table to feed their family . And now the interest of gardening it's coming back , not only you will save money but you will be eating fresh produce grown by you .

Answer 4

Not only will it save money, it will provide healthier, organic, produce for families. A great idea that I am doing now for my family!

Answer 5

If you have the space....yes.......but the cost of seed and gas and tractor and hoes and rakes, plus the water is not something to be taken lightly. If you have your own well for water really helps...........but you can go to Costco and buy a whole bag of carrots and onions for 3 to 4 bucks a bag...But it has to be done out of love and to help others I believe. We had about 2 acre's every year.......100 tomato plants 100 cabbage plants: our rows were from 50 to 300 ft long...corn cucumbers , beets, lettuce , carrots, beans(bush) and pole, potatoes........my mother would can everything so we had food for the winter.........but you need jars and lids.....and time........it's a lot of work........but I didn't know how well I was eating when I was a kid. It's wonderful , fresh peas , radishes, little onions,...........I'm getting hungry just remembing the moments................bye

Answer 6

of course it will help alot

Answer 7

Absolutely!  I planted watermelon seeds $1.25 if I get 2 from them I've saved at least $8 or more.  Figuring it the price of seeds compared to the finished product in the store.....Priceless....and you don't have to worry about what happened to it in the fields as far as any contamination.

PS we planted a large garden.....with all of the things we like to eat and are so expensive....We planted fruit trees last year.