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Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

So with the economy is the tanker. I have been seriously debating about growing less Ag's in 09 and more edible vegies to can and preserve for next winter.

Is anyone else been thinking of this as well?

12/25/2008 12:58:32 PM

[email protected]

No more pumpkins and veggies both!

12/25/2008 1:06:54 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

No, I grow a lot of vegetables anyway.
It may be something to consider, for those only growing A.G.s.

12/25/2008 1:24:58 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

More pumpkin patch and same amount of veggie/food patch as before.

I am on city water as it's cheaper than running wellpump around here. Make sure to check your bottom line as homegrown food may be more expensive than you think. Plus it costs you time and $ to put things up (preserve them).

I grow for fresh to table, not as savings!

12/25/2008 1:29:44 PM

Rexburg, Idaho

By the time you pay for water, fertilizer, seed, plowing, tilling, etc just buy your veggies it is probably cheaper.

12/25/2008 3:19:59 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

If you can buy them... I don't have a space problem, but I think I will spend more time on other crops next year.

12/25/2008 4:00:43 PM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

I have free water. and I have a 28x40 sq ft area for vegies.

You are right when you put the numbers together its good to know. BUt nothing beats homegrown.

12/25/2008 4:10:44 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

I usually keep a fairly decent size garden but this year hope to increase it's size. I'd like to add a couple of fruit trees as well.
Buy all my veggies. LOL
There is no way I can buy veggies of the same quality as I can grow myself. I sell my extra veggies at the local farmer's market and make more than enough to buy a side of beef and a pig too. :)

12/25/2008 4:18:29 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

I think what CCW may be getting at, is if you grow less A.G.s, you'll have more time and space to grow the other veggies. So you may be putting a similar amount of time in with two A.G.s and a bunch of veggies, as you would with growing 5 A.G.s and no veggies. The growing inputs may even be less expensive, especially if you grew the veggies organically. Organic vegetables can be fairly expensive to buy in the store.

12/25/2008 5:16:08 PM

Dallas, Oregon

Who said AG's aren't edible? I survived the last six weeks only eating from a 412 lbs. punkin. If the economy doesn't get any better I'll probably be sporting a dill ring come February.

12/25/2008 5:36:39 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

So that's what that was? I thought that was my waistband mark. Okay. I do know I have ribbing, or is that stretch marks...

I found I can grow 21 tomato vines (caged) in the same space as one AG vine. Takes the same amount of water, weeding, sun, and bug control. Yield on AG is (one) but usually more poundage than the combined tomatoes output.

12/25/2008 5:53:06 PM

Colorado Springs.Co

A slowing ecomomy should result in deflation. If oil prices stay under sixty dollars a barrel and there isn't a weather disaster we should be paying less for the food on the table. I do agree there is nothing like vegies right out of the garden.

12/25/2008 6:59:35 PM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

I have done both ag's and vegies, same amount of time spent per sq ft.

I have been eating potatoes darn near every day in one way or anouther.

Each of my tomato plants take up 4 sq ft. a zuc take 6sq ft. True with the recession should be cheaper to buy food, but will gas prices climb up like last yr.

But an extra row of potaotes should yeild 80-100 pounds on average(they averaged about 105 plus this yr.)2-3 pounds per plant. estimated what I got last yr in 08

I'll spend the same amount of time in the patch just differently. I figure I will spend the same for either AG or vegies.

Anyone else thinking of doing this?

400 sq ft is bigger than some peoples vegie gardens.

12/25/2008 7:22:50 PM

Reed Point Montana

iv been growing both for many years and its great if you dont mind spending 6 hours a day in the garden but its is deffinately worth growing your own stuff. Its not over just growing the stuff though, you need to be able to get the old lady to can the stuff

12/25/2008 7:32:24 PM

Iowa

LMAO... Food comes first, so what if you can't buy it in the store????

12/25/2008 10:29:58 PM

Ohio

Who needs a bigger food plot garden if you grow tomato's like Greenhousin does, over 4 lb tomato's saves him a lot of space to plant more pumpkins,,,lol!!

http://bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=98967

12/26/2008 7:49:10 AM

Walton N.y.

we've been growing our own veggies and home canning for over 10 years and i will agree that almost everything we put up for winter use costs more than the same item purchaced at the store but... with scares of e-coli and other illnesses from store boughten items i control what goes in my garden and when crops are picked and take charge in quality control and we have a rule if a fruit or veggie doesn't look or feel right onto the compost pile it goes - and i know who is handling my food

12/26/2008 9:43:23 AM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

E-coli scares me and there has been a lot of it.

I love going to the weigh offs, but I have been debating on how much i should concentrate growing pumpkins.(the fact that I havent grown a 500 pounder makes me think of putting time into vegies.) I'll spend same amount of time in the garden .

I have to grow atleast one I have to have something to blog in.lol

12/26/2008 12:52:12 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

I grew a much bigger garden this past summer.Plan on growing a big garden next year too. We have one freezer full of frozen vegtables. Got enough potatoes until next fall. Like Randy said, at least you know were your vegtables come from and there not sprayed with all sorts of chemicals.

12/26/2008 5:22:41 PM

Gold Hill, Oregon

this is my second year growing big'uns, my 1'st year i ended up with a 20#er, i've had a garden for years can't beat fresh home grown vegies; just had some home made zuccini bread, mmmmm; my garden seems to attract a lot of venison for some reason so i get to have a little meat with my potatoes.

12/27/2008 1:16:51 AM

Poulsbo, WA

After the pumpkin season is over, I pull my soil cable that I got from Joel Holland and run it through one of my raised beds and grow lettuce ALL winter long. I try to grow crops that are usually more expensive at the store... lettuce being one of them. Leeks, strawberries, tomatoes and herbs are other favorites.

12/27/2008 10:40:40 PM