Can a Vegetable Garden Save You Money?
With today’s tight economy, everyone is looking for ways to cut expenses. Growing a garden has the potential to reduce the amount of money spent on groceries. But this “potential” depends on the costs involved in growing the crops, types and amounts of vegetables grown, yields that are derived from the garden, and other factors. So, the answer to the above question is “yes” – if done correctly.
It’s possible to spend a small fortune on a garden. The humorous book, "The $64 Tomato" by William Alexander, discusses one man’s quest for the perfect garden and how it ended up costing him $64 per tomato (among other things). This astonishing figure is the result of all of the input costs (tools and equipment, fertilizers, pesticides, water, etc.) associated with gardening. These costs can add up quickly, even for a small vegetable garden. The trick to saving money with a vegetable garden is limiting the costs while maximizing yield.
While saving money may be one of the benefits to growing a vegetable garden – let’s not forget that there are others as well. Gardens are a potential means to increase our confidence in food safety and security. We know where the food is coming from and all the history of plants grown in our own gardens. We know what chemicals were used, we know what pests were problems and we essentially eliminated the whole resource-gobbling transportation chain to get the food to your plate. And all that gardening is good for you. It is a great form of physical exercise, and I haven’t met a nutritionist yet who didn’t think that fresh produce was “good for you” too!
So, growing your own vegetables can be rewarding, regardless of the potential savings. But with a few tips, it can save you some money on a grocery bill or two. First – you have to know a couple of basics of growing vegetables.
Vegetable Growing Basics
There are a wide variety of vegetables that can be successfully grown in Iowa. As I walk through the produce section of my grocery store, there are only a few things I see that are difficult to grow in Iowa. The location of the vegetable garden is crucial. Nearly all vegetables need full-sun and a well-drained soil. The vegetable garden also should be located near a source of water.
Iowa’s climate allows production of both cool and warm season vegetables.
Cool season vegetables (carrots, beets, lettuce, cauliflower, etc.) are planted in early spring and harvested by mid-summer. Warm season vegetables (tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, squash, etc.) are planted after the danger of frost has passed and harvested by early fall. With proper planning, it’s possible to grow two or three crops in a given area during the growing season. Using the same space for two or more crops is called succession planting. Other techniques, such as interplanting and companion planting, are other ways to make efficient use of garden space. The more efficiently you use garden space and resources the larger the potential savings.
Below are several other important factors to consider when growing a vegetable garden to save you money.
Select vegetables that you like. This is simple – you’re not likely to take care of …or eat things you don’t like. So don’t waste your time or money planting them in the garden.
Select vegetables that can be easily stored or preserved. Selecting vegetables that have a long storage life or that can easily be canned or frozen is a great way to stretch your grocery dollar. Potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, and winter squash can be stored for several months when stored at the appropriate temperature. Other vegetables, like beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets and sweet corn, can be preserved by canning or freezing. Preserving vegetables is a great way to enjoy the “extra” produce later in the year.
Select vegetables that are expensive to buy in the grocery store. To save money, grow more expensive items, like tomatoes and melons, or large quantities of vegetables that you purchase regularly. Consider vegetables like beans, beets, onions, spinach, broccoli, peppers, carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, peas, and Swiss chard. These vegetables provide the biggest returns on your investment of space and time in the garden.
Do some research and start with a plan. Decide what you want to grow and determine what will be necessary to be successful. Plan the garden on paper first. Establish a network of family members, neighbors, or friends that can help you answer your questions. Don’t forget about your local county extension office. There are more than 20 vegetable gardening publications from Iowa State University Extension that can help you (see table below). Each of these can be picked up at your county extension office. They can also be ordered or downloaded online at www.iastate.edu/extension/pubs/store. County extension offices are also the meeting centers for Master Gardeners – many of whom have the knowledge and experience to keep your garden growing successfully.
Research and consider ways to reduce your inputs. Collect rainwater for irrigation. Add compost and well-rotted manure to the garden to improve the soil and reduce the use of fertilizers. Practice the principles of Integrated Pest Management to control insects and diseases, reducing your reliance on pesticides. Start with high quality seeds – most are relatively inexpensive, and most can be stored for at lea stone or two years. Find ways to reuse containers, flats, stakes, ties, etc. Remember that saving money with vegetables usually means keeping the costs as low as possible while still growing productive plants.
Start small. Like many things, gardening takes practice. Plants will require regular watering, maintenance and harvesting. Growing many different vegetables in a large garden can be overwhelming for new gardeners and can ultimately lead to failure. Limit yourself to just a few types of vegetables the first year. When you become more confident in your abilities and resources, you can increase the size of your vegetable garden and grow a wider variety of crops.
Finally, have fun growing your own vegetables. Encourage your neighbors to grow a few vegetables as well. Visit each other’s gardens and trade “extra produce” regularly. It’s surprising how something as simple as a vegetable garden can impact your life...and hopefully your pocketbook as well!
Iowa State University Extension publications on growing vegetables in home gardens area available from county ISU Extension offices or online at www.iastate.extension.edu/store.
Anhydrous Ammonia Applicators Have New Safety Issue
AMES, Iowa--High nitrogen fertilizer prices have producers and ag-input suppliers searching for ways to reduce costs and gain efficiency. Some anhydrous ammonia applicators have responded by modifying equipment to allow control of flow to individual sections of an applicator, or even to individual knives.
“These modifications are being made in order to avoid unwanted nitrogen application on overlapping rows, near field boundaries, or into waterways,” said Mark Hanna, Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineer. “Although this is a sound strategy to limit unwanted fertilizer application, operators need to take extra precautions as they service or work on the system.”
Hanna warns that individual section or knife shutoff valves on an anhydrous ammonia toolbar can trap pressurized ammonia at various locations within the system. Operators should take care to bleed all lines including those to individual soil injectors that may still be under pressure before attempting any servicing or work on or around the system.
“Installing a small bleeder valve upstream of any section or knife shutoff valve allows an operator to bleed off trapped, pressurized ammonia before working on those sections or lines,” Hanna said. “Because these systems are relatively new, and bleeder valves may not be present, it is important to empty all lines before working around the equipment.”
Hanna recommends operators take the following steps to bleed pressure from the applicator:
1.Shut off ammonia flow first at the supplying field nurse tank.
2.Then open individual knife or section valves farthest downstream in the plumbing system.
3.Follow this by opening any upstream section-control valves.
4.Finally, open the main flow valve.
This procedure opens valves successively upstream in the plumbing system allowing system pressure to be released.
Additional safety actions
In addition to bleeding pressure from hoses and fittings, individuals working around the equipment should always wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), gloves and unvented or splash proof goggles, to prevent injury from minor amounts of ammonia that still may be present in the system.
Having readily available water is especially important to flush tissue that may be affected by an ammonia release. Even if the ammonia plumbing system has been properly bled, openings in hoses, lines, or valves should be treated as exit points for ammonia. Heat from surroundings or sunlight can vaporize small amounts of liquid ammonia still contained in the system and cause unexpected release as hoses or equipment is moved. Caution is always of paramount importance.
Hoses on applicators upstream from shutoff valves must be capable of handling maximum expected pressure within the system at that point. Maximum pressure is often supply (tank) pressure or that delivered by a supply pump along with an added safety factor. All ball valves should be rated for use with anhydrous ammonia and vented to the inlet side. If not properly vented, liquid ammonia can become trapped in the valve’s closed position and later release when the valve is opened.
Read the Iowa State University Extension publication Play it safe with anhydrous ammonia – PM 1518d for additional information regarding the safe handling of anhydrous ammonia. The publication is available from the extension online store at www.extension.iastate.edu/store/.
Iowa State Offers Technical Sessions on Nutrient Managent
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University’s agricultural and biosystems engineering department is offering two national courses in April for consultants working in farm nutrient management.
The first session is the Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) Development Course, which is scheduled for April 6-8 at the Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines. This course is designed to prepare consultants for U.S. Department of Agriculture certification as Technical Service Providers (TSP).
In addition to the CNMP course, a one-day course will be offered on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Final Rule. This course will be held following the CNMP course on April 9 at the same location.
Registration for either or both courses is now open. Information about the courses, lodging and registration is available on-line at the following website: http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/cnmp/home.html
Completion of the CNMP Development Course is required to become certified as a Technical Service Provider by the Iowa State national TSP certification program. If you are interested in becoming a CNMP Technical Service Provider, certification information is available at: http://www.abe.iastate.edu/wastemgmt/cnmp-curriculum.html
The 2009 CNMP Development course is based on the CNMP Core Curriculum developed under a joint effort by Iowa State, the University of Tennessee, Michigan State University, Purdue University, the University of Idaho and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The special one-day training course, Understanding and Working with Nutrient Management Plans under the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Final Rule, was developed to address the updated requirements released on Dec. 22, 2008, for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit process. Development of a nutrient management plan remains an integral part of the NPDES permit process and is also now a requirement for the “no-discharge” certification option.
Individuals working with and providing information to CAFO operators need to understand the permitting options in the final rule and understand how nutrient management plan terms will become a part of the NPDES permit. This training will provide an opportunity to gain the knowledge necessary to work with CAFO operators as they make decisions about meeting requirements under the CAFO final rule on their farm.
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