Not just a coincidence

[Mtn-chef]

More and more every year, I have been noticing people asking us if our food is grown local.
I don't think it's a coincidence. People are starting to take notice of the fact that local is always better. Shipping tomatoes 2,000 miles is just insane.
My thought is, why aren't more people growing for market? They're missing a great opportunity.
When I go to the market here, I see lots of local produce but the cost is so high. I firmly believe they are cashing in because growing your own is way cheaper.
Why do you all think?

[tharp]

Chef, do you mean the cost is so high compared to chain store imported? That has always baffled me. How someone can ship produce thousands of miles and still beat local prices.
If someone can help my pea brain understand that, I'd appreciate it.
It makes no sense.
I can grow 5 times for the price of store bought.
Tom

[wildlifeman]

chef,

as time passes i have noticed that there is increasingly interest in locally grown foods. gauging by conversations with local farmers and advertisment.

interesting comment that it is way cheaper to grow your own. have read some engaging discussions on the net regarding " is it cheaper to grow your own ". for the most part i've gathered most agree that it is not cheaper for the home grower and justify their gardens for better healthier food and just a plain hobby.

i get a kick out of some justifying their garden costs due to things like saving on health club fees, not driving to the market everyday, no need to take expensive vacations and so forth.

i'm enjoying my garden as a hobby and make it somewhat of a game to actually produce my own cheaper. if i put in a proper wildlife fenced garden, including hiring someone to initially plow and disc for me, purchase a tiller,etc. it would take quite a while to recover those initial costs alone. economy of scale imho is the single most important factor in beating the cost of gardening. for myself the sack of seed potatos i could purchase at wally for 5.99 to grow my own is more expensive than buying a years worth of store bought taters. the only way i could justify the cost would be to say they are better,healthier and i enjoy gardening !

at wally i had a conversation with a young lady working the garden center discussing the price of potting soils. if i buy a 10 gallon pot and fill it with promix that works out to 30-40 dollars. the pots cost about 15 bucks and a 3.8 cu foot bale of promix is about 40. 1 bale of promix does about 4 - 5 gallon buckets. using those figures as a guide, one mater per pot is rather expensive. real expensive if u have a brandywine only kicking out a few maters. when i'm paying 10 bucks a pound for a mater they just won't taste that good and gardening may not be that much fun. i am mindful of actual costs, so the above scenario doesn't become a realization.

wildlifeman

[Or_heirlooms]

One thing to consider. It is ALWAYS cheaper to grow most vegetables if you do not consider the cost of labor.
Think about it. You can plant a whole package of tomato seeds for about $1 (or free if you trade).
Even if you fertilize you might spend $5 for a whole field of tomatoes.
Water is next to nothing for most people (except people in the city who's water is metered).
You can grow a whole acre of food without ANY machinery except for initial tilling. Yes there's a lot of work, but labor costs you nothing.
Two people can maintain 1 acre of food and one of them still work a 40hr/week job.
So, how much more cost is there besides that? Trying to count your labor into the cost of maintaining a garden isn't practical IMHO.
And in the thread:
http://backtocountrylife.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=316
Andy is correct about the time involved in growing a large garden.
You can't just plop seeds in the ground and expect to lower your costs. There is planning involved.
Jim

[Kingtomato]

I grow hundreds of tomato varieties a year for next to nothing.
If I had to buy all those tomatoes, it would run thousands of dollars.
Matt