Gardening for beginners: Is growing your own food worth the time and money?

As a bonus, there’s also evidence that gardening can benefit your mental and physical health. 

But is it worth the time and money? As with many financial questions, the answer is: it depends. Before you load up your car with bags of topsoil and gear, here’s what to consider. 

Start small

To get the most bang for your buck, start by planting only what your family will eat, recommends Frank Ferragine, one of Canada’s most trusted gardeners (you may know him as TV’s Frankie Flowers). Let’s face it, most of us don’t need 20 tomato plants. Early Girl is an example of an early-to-harvest tomato variety that can feed a family of four with a single plant. 

“A mistake people make is starting too big, then they get frustrated and don’t harvest in time,” Ferragine says. To determine the number of each kind of plant you need, the general rule of thumb is to multiply the number of eaters in your household by three or four, but a little bit of online research can help you plan with more precision. You say your family of four enjoys zucchini? A crop of four plants is plenty. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ferragine suggests that beginners use seedlings instead of planting from seeds to avoid getting caught up in buying soil, trays and a lighting unit. Before you know it, those early-season supplies could set you back $100. 

And don’t expect to save money the first year, Ferragine warns “[Over time] that investment will pay off. It takes a few years to get it right.”

Choose your crops wisely

Canada is blessed with a wide range of climates—from White Rock, B.C., where palms grow, to Iqaluit where…not much grows. It’s important to know your area’s plant hardiness zone and be realistic about your planting options. Having an orange or lemon tree in your yard may be a fun novelty, yet will bear few fruits. 

It’s also important to know the length of your growing season. In most places across Canada, Ferragine says, it’s around 100 days. For example, he says, backyard gardeners should “avoid certain peppers, because you won’t have enough grow time to see them through to harvest.” 

Solid bets are lettuce, radish, herbs and spinach, which can be harvested in just 4 to 6 weeks. On the “approach with extreme caution” end of the spectrum, potatoes are susceptible to disease, expensive to seed and take up a lot of space, while the height of corn reduces the amount of light in your garden, and often attracts raccoons and other pests. Ditto for pumpkins, which can take over your plot and yield very little. (Also, how many pumpkins could you possibly need?)

Essential ingredients: sun and sweat equity

How much sun is enough sun? According to Ferragine, you need at least six hours of afternoon light to garden successfully. Produce can’t flourish in a shady spot.

And be prepared to roll up your sleeves and put in the time. “Plants need work. You can’t plant and forget, especially if you plant at a cottage.” Be realistic about what you’re willing to commit; Ferragine says people tend to get excited about gardening in spring then give up once it gets too hot.

Don’t skimp out on soil

Not all soils are created equal, Ferragine warns. Poor-quality soil results in poor-quality plants, so this is one item in your garden worth investing in. If you’re planting in containers, look for potting soils that are formulated for containers. Many municipalities also have programs where you can get soil inexpensively or even for free.

Gardening tools: you may already have what you need at home

Your green beans aren’t going to care if you have a state-of-the-art watering system. Browse Kijiji or other online marketplaces for secondhand planters and tools, and keep an eye out for sales on plants and tools at your local garden centre, and buy only what you truly need.

Many items you already own can be upcycled or repurposed. I used egg cartons and plastic salad containers to start my seeds this year. Old hockey sticks can double as stakes to support climbing plants. A pair of scissors or steak knife can trim plants and remove weeds. Turn plastic forks upside down in the soil to deter critters like deer and rabbits from gobbling up your hard-earned bounty.

Waste not, want not

And if you do plant more than you can eat? Try your hand at preserving. Cucumbers that don’t find their way into a salad can be pickled. Excess basil can be turned into pesto then frozen. Experiment with making your own hot sauce. (Ferragine’s word to the wise: opt for the more palatable heat of cayenne over the insanely fiery Trinidad scorpion peppers.) Avoid buying fertilizer by creating your own compost out of food scraps. Perennials such as rhubarb and mint can be thinned out and traded with friends and neighbours—curbside, of course.

Lessons from last year’s attempt

With gardening, as with life, the best laid plans sometimes fail. Last year in my garden, eagerly awaited strawberries were not quite ripe one day, and moldy the next. My bell peppers developed black spots. Squirrels sampled my green tomatoes, while cucumbers proliferated on the chain-link fence backing my property.

Despite these setbacks, I’m trying again—because the rewards are too numerous to discount. Studies have shown that families who grow their own fruit and veg raise more adventurous eaters, which is a saving grace for my picky 12-year-old. Possibly the greatest takeaway of home gardening goes beyond what we pull out of the ground. Growing food teaches you to value food. The staggering amount of food waste in this country should be all the incentive needed to get our hands dirty. As Ferragine puts it, the next time “you buy a head of lettuce, you won’t let it spoil in your fridge because you know the work involved in growing it.”

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