[Dominic]

Mines currently an expensive hobby.
I've probably spent £200 on stuff.
However, £100 of that was on my first fruit bushes, which were way expensive.

And of course, I merely "play" farmer.

I could, knowing what I know now, take on an allotment and make a killing growing fruit

As it is, everything moves just a little bit closer to pay back every year, and I add a little bit more.

A £1 blackcurrawnt shrub from pound land, stuck in the garden and watered once or twice a month will pay for itself after, say three years?

[LeeR]

Well I guess it depends on what you want.  I've spent a small fortune over the last few years on a greenhouse, greenhouse heaters, heated propagators, cages with mesh netting etc.  However I don't need any of these extras, but it gives me more freedom on what and when I can grow certain crops.  If I didn't have the money I wouldn't of brought these things and I could of done it far cheaper.  You pay your money and take your choice.

[compostqueen]

I keep my seeds for years and they keep just fine.  I reseal them meticulously though 

[stompy]

I keep my seeds for upto 3 years then get rid, the only exeption is parsnips i get new every year.

I don't understand how anyone can find it cheaper to use a shop rather than growing their own, especially on an allotment?
The yearly outlay is only around £150 and our veg is more than that a month?

[compostqueen]

I have some seed older than that and each year it comes out just to check that it's viable. It nearly always is    I grew some lemon grass from seed that looked mouldy, and even I was sceptical but up it came and I grew some lovely plants last year 

Don't just throw them. Check their viability first by sowing a few

[JayG]

I don't have an allotment which is just as well as if I tried to factor that into what is already an almost impossible calculation I'd be wearing one of those natty rear-fastening jackets by now!

I think that runner beans are probably the most "profitable" veg to grow given the yield and the price in the shops, and raspberries probably the most "profitable" fruit.

At the other end of the scale things like sweet peppers and aubergines probably don't pay their way (especially if you had to buy a greenhouse to grow them in!)

Everything else falls somewhere in between, but for me it's not really the point; you wouldn't want to only eat runner beans (and they're yucky when frozen IMO!) and sweet peppers are interesting and a bit challenging to grow even if you don't get that many. Home grown sweetcorn is not that productive either, but eating it delivers the most wonderful physical sensations possible to have whilst still remaining fully clothed!

I like to think that I probably save money over the course of a year, and have all the pleasure and satisfaction of growing my own food whose provenance I am 100% sure of.

I regard it as more than a hobby, and it's never crossed my mind to cost my own time (does an angler offset the pleasure he gets from his hobby by thinking about the money he's not earning having gone fishing instead?)

[stompy]

I do it mainly so i can try new varieties or there isn't enough to get a good size crop.
We don't have to rely on the lottie of course but we do like to be as self sufficient as possible and if i sowed old seed that didn't germinate so well it could leave us with a month where we would have to buy veg to supliment our produce (and i don't like doing that).

We only have to buy through the winter really, like i posted else where, salad leaves (etc) but going to try and sort that.

I now have a 350sqft plot now and a much bigger greenhouse so hopefully we can be 95% self sufficient.

100% is the holy grail but i think it's unobtainable for us at the moment due to work (etc) but i know we save alot of money.

[Coach]

This subject has come up before and my reply is the same - for me it isn't about cost, it's about fun and enjoyment, excersise and relaxation, escape from a busy life. How do we put a cost value on all that?

And the satisfaction of picking and eating home grown veg.

worth every penny 

 

I completely agree  

Fresh air, exercise and the feeling of something achieved no matter how little!

It's what YOU get out of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stompy]

This subject has come up before and my reply is the same - for me it isn't about cost, it's about fun and enjoyment, excersise and relaxation, escape from a busy life. How do we put a cost value on all that?

And the satisfaction of picking and eating home grown veg.

worth every penny 

 

I completely agree 

Fresh air, exercise and the feeling of something achieved no matter how little!

It's what YOU get out of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I totally agree, but to save money as well, now thats just iceing on the cake 

[compostqueen]

you don't rely on the old seed  You just do a test sowing at home in a little pot or little tray.    That proves quickly whether the seed is a goer or a dud

No more sweet pepper growing for me. I decided that after last year.  I love growing aubs though. The space left by not growing sweet peppers is to be filled with chilli varieties

I am aim not to buy anything except for stuff we can't grow over winter such as toms and coriander.  Bit disappointed that my leeks didn't come through the snow!  They should have done   

Growing veg for the chooks also helps stretch the food budget.

[Dominic]

and raspberries probably the most "profitable" fruit.

I have very little luck with raspberries.
My best croppers by miles are red currants, which grow like mad (I assume they're "natural" black currants?), which are seriously expensive in Tesco.
Actualy, given tesco pricing, just my main red currant bush has paid for everything...

[slow_worm]

Interesting comments from you all.
It is abundantly clear that it can be as expensive or as cheaper hobby as you like the only fixed costs being rents.  It appears that in terms of 'value for money'  things work out cheaper the longer you have a plot as the initial expenses with sheds, greenhouses (if you have one), tools etc start paying for themselves over time and we get better at it over time.
It's also clear to me the reason why we would never dream of costing our time is that we just love growing stuff!  That time on our plots is priceless, we all wish we had more time (especially us working allotmenteers) to spend down on the land.
I think like a lot of you that hav eadded comments, that I am now saving perhaps more than I am spending after 4 years on my plot as I am wiser to what to grow and when,  don't succomb so much gardening mag offers and see how I can recycle old stuff for use on the plot.
So perhaps in summary this is one of the best hobbies anyone can have?  Good quality produce, it can be flexible in terms of budget, encourages recycling, good for health and general wellbeing! So it is of value (worth doing) as well as value for money.

[iggyboy60]

Initially my plot was expensive due to building my shed and erecting a polytunnel. However,three years down the line I am expecting my first bumper year with more fruit than I will be able to handle and tons of veg! I now see the worth of my plot and like other plot holders have said,you cannot put a price one getting away from the rat race for a few hours and to catch up with other allotmenteers is priceless.

[potatogrower]

Don't have an allotment but nice big area to grow. Its not about calculating return on buying an allotment. Its all about enjoying what you grow, setting new challenges and broadening your knowledge and understanding and healthy competition.

i find it very rewarding and can't until spring comes so i can start growing seeds in pots. Its a priceless feeling. i must spend around £60 a year on seeds (veggie and flowers), compost and commercial manure (when time is limited) and don't regret it at all.

PG

[Robster]

I have always grown fruit and veg.  When I was made redundant, it took on a slightly different sense, "Dig for Victory" and all that.  It seemed something I could do that would make a small difference, while I got myself going again.

I do it because I love it though really.  I expect the way I do it doesn't make a financial sense.  Buying a new greenhouse 2 years ago.  But heck someone's got to buy a new one sometimes.  My best time recently- my 12 year old daughter helping me out and talking while we were pottering- now that's priceless too.