Planting Your Own Vegetables. Is It Worth It?

Yes - I think so. Start small - a few tomato plants, peppers, carrots, etc. I liked growing things in containers rather than a plot of land, which were easier to deal with and kept weeding to a minimum. Also easier to deal with pests. Try to go organic and avoid pesticides. Let child help. Can be a great experience for you both.

Hey, I am a first time container gardener this year, i have already planted lettuce. The cost of the seeds was 2 bucks and already have sprouts coming up....I think it will be worth it!...good luck...

Worth the time and nice savings for sure. I grow tomatoes every year and position them next to the AC unit to keep the bugs off.(the air blows periodically) Just water regularly.(put some mulch down to control weeds) Downside is if you leave on a trip you need someone to water and harvest. You can do the whole thing in pots if you don't want to cut in a whole garden. Good luck.

I'm all for gardening of any kind, but an option you might think about is joining a local gardening co-op. You pay a yearly fee and get local fresh produce every week during the growing season. You can split shares with another family if you can't use it all, which is what we're doing. There's one in Bowie called Claggett Farm, which we belong to, and you can find others online by Googling "community supported agriculture"...and then use your garden to grow flowers that attract butterflies and feed the wildlife! I find flowers more fun, and this way I can do what I like to do AND support local agriculture.

Absolutely worth it!! The taste of a homegrown tomato is something out of this world, and I will never ever buy a store bought tomato. And yes, some of the crops will definitely save you money. If you want to save money, then grow the veggies that you use frequently and that are more costly (broccoli, sweet peppers, or spinach, for instance). Start out small with your garden, that way you won't be intimidated in the middle of summer when you need to weed, water, and harvest a huge patch. and think of all the benefit and fun that you're passing on to your daughter who will learn about the joys of gardening, too. she can help you pick the tomatoes!
I have many links that may be of interest to you to get you started. if you want, you can contact me off this list ____@____.com for more ideas. There are fantastic resources on how to create a garden in an afternoon, with no digging or weeding. Good luck!

Hi GS,

I see you have already gotten a bunch of responses. But this is a little different take. First off, yes, totally worth the time and effort, as well as initial cash. But my story is this...growing up, each summer my father, sister and I would help with the graden. We'd go to the store and help pick out the plants or seeds, help ready the soil, planting and watering, etc. We really appreciate where the fruits and vegs come from, and to see the process is neat. But mostly, I have great memories of being in the backyard with my family summer after summer. It didn't take much money to make us happy, just a packet of seeds and time well spent with our folks. Wishing you luck!

Dear G S,
I am wondering the same thing, so I am responding to your question with my own so that I can read the answers you've gotten so far!
Blessings!
J. F.

I love being able to make fresh salsa all summer long. I plant tomatoes every year mostly Roma & Cherry. My girls eat the cherry right off the plant. My garden is 10x20 and I add mushroom soil every year. Last year my cherry tomatoes grew over 7 ft high and I got 100 Romas off two plants in one week. It is well worth it.

Absolutely worth it. I can not say enough about how great it is to grow your own vegetable. We grow our own and then freeze enough to have all winter. You save money and know where your vegetables are coming from. And because you will have a lot you will find that you increase the amount of veggies in your diet and use more in recipes because they are handy. Also your little one will love getting in the dirt and helping.

Go for it! It's not that hard, also lettuce is easy to grow I like Butter Crunch as it's a small head but the taste it big. L.

LOL - more challenging than herbs? I can't even grow them! Haha...I have been thinking about having my own garden though - may cut down on produce cost, plus gardening is supposedly very good exercise and improves mood. I used to grow tomatoes when I loved in NC and they grew very easily and were huge! They tasted great and I knew there were no pesticides, etc. I would definitely start there - they can even be grow in big pots so you can keep them on the porch...

Initially, there is some money that goes into it, but once you have an established garden the rest is just maintenance. However, the tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, etc you grow will be better than any of those you buy in the stores and have more nutritional value. Reason being, most of the produce in the supermarket is picked before it is close to ripening. Many nutrients are lost this way and also through the transportation process. Personally, I love my garden and it is well worth the work.

We grow our own tomatoes. My policy is if I can get it cheap & of good quality in a local store or farmer's market, I don't bother growing it. Tomatoes and basil are the 2 things we grow. (I don't eat peppers, my husband tried growing them one year and had way too many it was a pain to find people to give them all to.)

It is absolutely worth it! Unless you go to a farmers market or belong to a farm coop you just can't get the same taste from the grocery store. It is definitely a money saver as well, with the benefit being that you get organic produce! And I would include your daughter in the process. My kids have been helping me fill pots with soil and water plants since they were about a year old. It is a great learning experience. Mine are now 4 and 7 and were so sad when we had to pull up the veggie plants at the end of the summer last year. They were in charge of harvesting and absolutely loved the garden (my oldest still wont' eat vegetables but at least she is spending time outside!).
Good luck!

I love to garden and grow veges every summer. I don't think I save lots of money but home grown food tastes terrific! I'm spoiled on my home grown sweet potatoes. They are so sweet and flavorful that I don't like store bought ones anymore. All veges have more vitamins in them when they are fresh out of your garden. You won't believe food can taste sooo good! AF

Absolutely!! Try grape or cherry tomatoes to start with. They'll grow and ripen faster for your first attempt. Find a sunny spot (morning and afternoon sun) and get them in the ground by May, so they have plenty of time to grow. You may have to protect from the rabbits and deer. Your daughter will learn about growing and will become involved in picking. My 4 yo and neighbor's kids pick them straight out of the garden and eat them. Green peppers are easy, too. Don't know much about salad greens, but they may be more challenging. Good luck, K.

I think it is worth it if you have the time. Home grown tomatoes have an excellent taste to them and it's less expensive to grow them than it is to buy them. Just give them water, full sun and check them for bugs. I have been growning them for 3 years and the only problem I have is turtles they love my tomatoes.

Hi! Yes it is definetly worth it. First veggies that you grow yourself taste better. You have never tasted a tomato until you taste one grown in a home garden! I grow tomatoes, peppers, corn, blueberries, strawberries and much more. Two in these hard economic times its a great way to save money. You can pick up a couple of plants from a nursery for a few dollars and get an abundant supply of fresh veggies. Three it can be a great learning experience for your daughter. Four with all the recalls etc you wouldn't have to worry about if it's safe to eat b/c you know what's used to grow them. Good luck!

It is most definately worth it. Even if just in the lesson value of the process to teach your little girl about where food really comes from and the concept of PATIENCE. My son is five and is asking what we will try this year. When he was 3, we did snow peas, which he now loves and eats like potato chips. You do not need alot of space, alot of variety are good for pots these days. We had fun with the easy pickin' stuff- grape tomatos, snow or sugar snap peas (these are easy in pots and just need a stick frame to grow UP-which is easy to make with tree sticks or bamboo with twine. You can pick and eat that stuff immediately. Gourds are fun too- we got snake gourd seeds at Homestead Gardens last year and one grew almost 4 feet long! My son was very impressed and we checked it every day. Anyway, he is more apt to try and eat something he grew himself. Not to mention he fancies himself an expert in mint varieties (even though we only have three-he Can name the different varieties. Vege's in pots, mixed with herbs, make beautiful arrangements- your just adding another layer. Not to mention- google 'companion planting'. Ie- marigolds help keep bad bugs away from your tomatoes, you shouldn't put peppers and tomatoes in the same pots(they will work against eachother, curley parsley in catapillar food for butterflies so its good to plant it near the flowers that attract butterflies- it can be a real learning experience for the both of you, especially learning how to keep the bag bugs away without using pesticides. Good luck- gardening on all levels is one of those things that really bond you together as mother and child and connects you to the real deal of your surroundings.

It certainly has been for my family of two. For most of the summer, we eat from the garden. I generally plant a couple tomato plants, 3-6 zucchini and squash, lots of strawberries, peppers, green beans and sugar snap peas. I freeze the left overs in plastic bags and use them through out the winter. My secret weapon has been Earth Boxes. They are a bit expensive to start off but I'm betting a year's worth of veggies has paid for them. They are great because they are so low maintenance. No weeding, easy watering and they just sit on my deck. I really buy no produce in the summer because of my garden.

Sorry for the late response. On Good Morning America this morning they showed the Mrs. Obama and a group of school children planting a garden at the White House. At the end of the segment they said that $50 in seeds can yield more than $1200 in savings by gorwing your own food. For me, I am a strong believer in organics, so at least I know how the vegetables were cared for and what was used to treat them. It is a fun learning experience at any age, if you start kids early enough, you can teach them gardening, cooking and how to enjoy "the fruits of their labor". DOn't forget responsiblity when it comes to tending the garden.
My children, ages 13, 11 and 6, enjoy fresh veggies, home made pies and smoothies. They have said that they like the food that I make more than McDonald's, so I know that they are learning how to make good food choices. They even convinced their father (we're divorced) that they would prefer home cooking to fast food, he finally listened and now they enjoy cooking with both of us.

Tomatoes are SO good homegrown, but I have to agree, my favorite part last summer was watching my two year old pick them off the vine by himself and eat them right there. He helped his dad plant the pumpkin seeds and was SO excited when we picked them and carved them or made our own pies (a lot of work, but a neat experience.) So let her help and enjoy it!