Gardening Goals

I am a gardener with goals. My primary goal is to grow high quality vegetables as long as possible during the growing season. My secondary goal is to grow those vegetables at the lowest cost possible. It simply doesn’t make sense to me to grow vegetables that cost more than the same vegetables would cost at the market. I accomplish my first goal by growing intensively in raised beds in natural amended soil without the use of pesticides or herbicides. I will add commercial fertilizers such as 10-10-10 when my plants indicate a need for it. Since I grow intensively (crowded), my garden requires more nutrients and minerals than may be available in the amended soil. Next year, I plan on adding another layer of landscape timbers to each bed increasing the depth of each to about 12”. I will completely fill each bed with a mixture of soil and compost. Hopefully the added depth and organics will prevent the need for additional fertilizers. I accomplish my second goal by buying seed at end of season sales, and buying landscape timbers and other supplies at special sales. I also have no problem using other peoples throw away materials. If you look at the photos at the following link http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/ , the tomato cages, fence wire, pole bean trellis wire, and cucumber trellis wire were all materials someone else tossed out. I had to do some straightening and bending to make it usable, but it works. The green material covering my tomato cages is simply crinoline or tulle which I purchase at fabric stores on sale at $.99 per yard. The landscape timbers normally cost $2.97 each at Home depot. I wait until they are on sale at $1.97 each. That means each bed cost me $17.73 to build plus the cost of the long nails/spikes that hold them together. The T posts that support my fence and pole bean trellis normally cost about $3.25 each at Tractor Supply or other farm supply stores. I usually buy them on sale for about $2.50 each. An additional cost most gardeners have which may not be counted is the cost of water. Since my garden is set up to water on a set cycle three times per day with a battery powered timer (the timer cost $30.00 at Walmart three years ago and runs on two AA batteries all season), it can consume a lot of water. To minimize water use, I set each cycle time length to achieve moist soil, not wet soil. We have a water well so my only cost is about $2.00 per month for electricity. I have gardened in other areas where I purchased my water from the local water utility and my water bill for the garden alone would cost as much as $30.00 per month. We have harvested, eaten, or given away about 60 lbs of yellow crookneck squash so far this season. The last time I checked, yellow crookneck squash cost $1.69 per lb in the market. By summers end, I expect to have harvested 120 lb’s of squash which would have cost $202.80 plus tax at the market. Most of the cost of my garden will have been paid for by the squash alone. That means the tomatoes, beans, onions, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, lettuce and eggplant are free. If you have any comments or questions about what I do, please post them. I am also interested in what you do to achieve your gardening goals. Ted