Gardening Makes Cents

Published: May 5, 2015

Someone once mused: “Money may not be the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the ‘must-have’ list.” All sarcasm aside, most of us struggle to find ways to increase our disposable income and would welcome additional financial resources. One way to accomplish the latter is to garden. Saving money is just one of the many benefits of home gardening, which is the subject of this article.

Gardening benefits:

1. Economic

As our nation emerges from a prolonged period of recession, saving money remains on the mind of most people. Vegetable gardening is an excellent way to save on the family food bill. The National Gardening Association estimates that a well-maintained vegetable garden yields an average return of $500 per year. Multiplied by the number of vegetable gardens in the country (~36 million), the NGA estimates that American food gardeners are producing more than $21.6 billion of produce a year.

A 2012 study conducted by Oregon State University investigated the cost of establishing a vegetable garden, versus yield and cost savings. The study revealed that the mean value of a home vegetable garden was $0.74 per square foot of garden area. For a modest-sized garden of 500-700 square feet, this equates to a return of $370 to $518 the first year alone. These values were projected to increase in future years, since the cost of maintaining a garden is less than establishing one.

Several years ago, the director of Kitchen Gardeners International, weighed and recorded each vegetable harvested from his 1,600-square-foot garden outside Portland, Maine. At the end of the growing season he found he had saved about $2,150 by growing produce for his family instead of buying it.

On does not have to spend $500 on a raised bed filled with an artificial growing medium to benefit economically from gardening. A recent study by Burpee Seeds revealed that $50 spent on gardening supplies can be multiplied into $1,250 worth of produce annually. This twenty-fold return on investment also was documented by a national survey conducted a number of years ago. Simply put, if vegetable gardening does not reduce your food bill you are doing something wrong.

2. Health

It has been well documented that physical activity is important for maintaining good health, both physical and mental. The digging, hoeing, raking, etc. associated with gardening are great forms of exercise while doing something productive. The average gardener burns between 300 and 400 calories per hour while gardening. That same person would have to walk about four miles at a fairly brisk pace to use up the same number of calories. Someone once remarked, “gardening is a labor of love; a treadmill is just labor.” Also, research has shown that gardening reduces stress which is all too much a part of our daily lives and can lead to health problems of various types.

Gardening offers nutritional health benefits as well. Eating fresh vegetables and fruits is known to be important for good health. Some suggest it may even reverse the aging process. The availability of fresh, inexpensive produce from the family garden is conducive to maintaining good dietary habits and (at times) forces greater vegetable consumption. When shopping at the supermarket, you might purchase one zucchini. Plant zucchini in a garden and you suddenly are looking for new recipes to make good use of the bounty of your harvest.

3. Psychological

By allowing people to connect with nature and other living things, gardening tends to restore our spirits and make us feel good about ourselves. Working with plants tends to divert one’s attention from other trials and tribulations of life and affords people the opportunity to achieve a level of serenity and enjoyment that often escapes us in our technologically-based society.

Simply being surrounded by growing plants and blooming flowers is a way to become immersed in another world and a diversion from the stresses and demands of life. Research conducted by the non-profit organization Gardening Matters revealed that a ten percent increase in nearby “green space” decreased research subjects’ health complaints in an amount equal to reducing the person age by five years.

Humans need to feel needed and successful in life. Planting and caring for a flourishing flower or vegetable garden imparts a sense of accomplishment without unreasonable expectations often placed upon us by society. For this and other reasons Plant Therapy is a therapy modality many hospitals and health care facilities now offer. Plant Therapy recognizes the healing power of plants whether people are suffering from physical, psychological or emotional problems.

4. Environmental

Gardens benefit our planet in many ways. They reduce our “carbon footprint” by growing food locally instead of having it shipped in from distant locations. Plants take in carbon dioxide as they manufacture food thus helping to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gasses. The latter have been linked to global warming and climate change. Gardens help to reduce soil erosion by slowing rainfall runoff and allowing it to infiltrate more slowly into the ground. Additionally, gardens tend to serve as a food source and gathering place for many types of wildlife such as butterflies and birds.

5. Social

Working together strengthens the bonds between people. Gardening represents a universal language that can strengthen family relationships and is a wonderful way for generations of family members to interact. The most valuable “produce” from a garden just might be the joy derived from working with family and friends.

Gardening also can help bring communities closer together, ameliorating differences between socioeconomic, racial and ethnic groups. For example, research has shown that community gardens and urban forests lead to a lower level of crime and domestic violence in cities. Even corporate America is considering the advantages of surrounding people with plants as it emphasizes the importance of landscaping places of business.

6. Educational

Gardening is a learning experience; every year provides different challenges from which one can learn. Gardening can encourage children and adults alike to be more curious about their surroundings and nature. It is a great way to teach youngsters the joy that can come from work and that positive results are not always instantaneous in life. Gardens make us more aware of our senses through simulation of sight, smell and touch. They have the ability to motivate people in many different ways and serve as a creative inspiration.

In short, gardens and gardening remind us of everything that is good about life—the beauty of nature, the feeling of pride and sense of accomplishment for having done something productive, and the realization that our efforts are helping to improve ourselves, our society and our environment. For those readers who are gardeners, best wishes for the upcoming growing season–relish it while it lasts. For those of you who are not, there is no time like the present to start.