How much do you reckon to save by growing your own?

[rary]

I don't really count the cost or saving I have from the garden, I garden because I enjoy it, I grow a lot of flowers which can't be eaten (though maybe I should try eating the dalhias) some of the vegetables I grow my OH wouldnt buy from the shops so how can you compare the prices as for the staples like onions, potatoes I know they have not been sprayed with any chemicals and salad veg the same plus they are fresh which to me makes it worth the money

[Selymbria]

Just the joy of gardening is priceless!

[Small pumpkin]

I probably only break even, even though I sell a bit of my produce ( due to location ( which is awesome ) and the higher cost of getting things here ). Breaking even is obviously as long as I don't take hours spent and wages into the equation.
As most others have said. It has very little to do with money. But a lot to do with the enjoyment, satisfaction and knowing how it's been grown and having no ( or very few, for those with allotments not on their doorstep ) food miles.

[Teds Mum]

We used to get an organic veg box delivered, the current price for this is £18.50 a week.
Taking into account allotment rent and money spent on seeds and compost I get considerably more produce for less than half price. If you are time rich and cash poor GYO is absolutely the way to go.

[MarkPelican]

Whilst I keep accurate records of what I grow, I've never felt that the reason I grow is to save money, more as a way of entertaining myself and producing food which is nicer to eat than that available from supermarkets (after all, who want to eat flexible runner beans). There are also intangible savings (I don't go to a gym for example) and other costs (pairs of new wellingtons) so I decided it was just "too hard".

What I do find interesting however, is the research being done by the MYHarvest team (www.MYHarvest.org.uk) who are researching into how much food is grown by allotment holders and gardeners in the UK and I would recommend anybody to help them improve their data.

[Derbydal]

Myhavest looks like it may help keep the tradition of allotments going ! i'll have a better look later .
Do I make a saving out of growing on my allotment ? No ! Do I enjoy my alloment Yes .

[Greenleaves]

I certainly don't grow to save money. More important to me is the exercise and enjoyment I harvest.
What money cant buy is knowing the provenance of my crops

[Paulieb]

Surely the theory of putting a value against food that you grow, when you wouldn't buy it in the shops otherwise, is slightly misleading.

If you harvest a kilo of blackberries, then is that not displacing some other food that you would have bought?.....thus saving money, though perhaps not the actual price of the blackberries in the shop.

[PepperMonster]

Paulieb I was thinking the same thing.

In the one year I tried to keep track at my last allotment I was in profit after accounting for the rent, seed compost, canes, string and new spade I bought. The bulk of that was an enormous overabundance of raspberries, radishes and courgettes. It was a bad year for me for everything else! I would never have normally eaten that many but we ate them in place of other things so still saved money on veg. Also I didn't know How to calculate the value of the courgette blossom and young shoots as I would never be able to buy those where I live(d). But again, didn't buy other greens because we ate those.

Also I don't include my time as gardening is in the leisure category for me. If I was doing this to save money instead of spending the equivalent time working at my other job...well, that would be depressing.

[bikermike]

minimum wage is about £8/hour.

it's a tricky one pricing hobby activity vs getting someone else to grow it, and can lead to unrealistic expectations of prices.

see this from Jay Rayner about comments about restaurant proces vs making it at home

Oi you! Yes you! The one whingeing about the cost of the restaurants I review: READ THIS. (A one-size-fits-all response). – Jay Rayner

[Aberdeenplotter]

I wouldn't have the fingers to count that many'

Chickens have fingers? Mind you, I never believed in fish fingers either

[veggiechicken]

Nutter ^^^^

[bikermike]

Chickens have fingers? Mind you, I never believed in fish fingers either

mothballs must be a terrible disappointment...

[veggiechicken]

Going back to costing your crop Could you do it on a notional "replacement" basis.
Each time a home grown veg replaces one on your plate that you would have bought give it a value - like 25p or 50p.
Each serving of fruit has the same value, whether its strawberries or apples.

For example, my breakfast is usually granola and fruit. If I have to buy the fruit (oranges, bananas, blueberries) it might cost me 50p but if I replace it with homegrown raspberries, I've saved myself 50p.

Lunch might be mixed salad and tomatoes. Since a bag of salad leaves is about £1 and I'd eat about half a bag, every time I have a salad I've saved 50p.

Evening meal maybe something with 3 veg - say spuds, carrots and peas. If I've grown courgettes and beans, they replace the carrots and peas, so have the same value. It doesn't matter that carrots are cheaper than courgettes in the shop, what matters is that I didn't have to buy them.

Still with me?

Maybe cost per serving is where to focus rather than value of everything grown that may not be used?

[burnie]

You can't buy that warm feeling when you look at your plate and think I grew that, nor the smug grin...……….nor the taste either, put a price on those.