Garden Versus Store: Save your FIAT money on your vegetable bills

How much FIAT money could you save with your own garden? Give it a look!

Imagine that one single tomato plant, if trained and physically supported (trellis, good position, good soil,...), can yield up to 20 lbs (9 kg) of fruits. Even if the maximal yield is not reached, a single tomato plant can yield 12lbs (5 kg) of fruits. Of course, it depends also on plant type and other factors.

Average price of 1 kg of tomato in New York is $5.25 , while in Prague it is $1.69.

The difference is huge, but still - how many tomatoes do you consume? How many potatoes? How many cucumbers? How much basil and other herbs? How many strawberries? And we can continue. Stay assured that it will make a high bill when you count it together.

At end of a day, a family with a balanced diet can easily spend $10 a day on vegetables even in countries where the prices are not as high as in New York.

One year consists of 365 days, we will divide it to 1/2,
because it is possible that you do not buy/eat vegetables every day. 

It makes 182 days * 10 = $1820 per year. 

What can you do with that money? Maybe pay your debt sooner?
Or invest it into bigger garden lot, or cryptocurrency such as BTC or STEEM?
Save it for Christmas or invest it into your project?

OK - it is a really simple math.
But it gives the point - if you want to eat healthy meals and have a balanced diet,
vegetables and fruits are of vital importance - and the cost of healthy eats is not peanuts.

While it is impossible to raise your own animals in a city, it is incredibly easy to grow your plants, have a look at @future24 and his balcony! It is important to start.

During winter season, these products are even more expensive.

What if you had a single row of 5 tomato plants to be eaten, preserved and sold?

12 lbs (trained plant minimal yield) * 5 = 60 lbs = 27 kgs of tomatoes for $147 in NYC and about $45 in Prague.

And this is just ONE fruit.

Do your math.

Do not have a space for garden? Maybe you have a balcony.
Do not have a balcony? Maybe somewhere in your city is a garden colony with free lot!
Or you could be able to find few other people interested in growing own organic food and you can rent a small space somewhere for a fair amount or even for free, if you are lucky enough. 

And it is NOT only about the money. Especially people who are all the day in front of the computer, in the office or anywhere else - a green space helps to rejuvenate your inner energy, improve your memory and make you a better human. No need to say that such a green space is perfect for work once you are tired of your chair.

Being eco-aware, imagine the footprint of a tomato you buy in the mega-store. Of course, sometimes you can buy from local farmers here, but it is not usual - at least not in our country - that you can buy these in supermarkets, sourced within 50 km from your store. It is much more usual that these are being shipped and have to travel hundreds and even thousands of kilometres - being sprayed, waxed, harvested unripen - just to survive the journey.
These tiny travelers eat more energy that they can provide.

Diversification of your life space, nutrients income, money income, ideas... garden is an eden and we are pretty sure that @gardenofeden will agree.

All you need is motivation. Yes - it will consume time and maybe some resources - but together with permaculture and smart technology such as dripping systems for constant water&nutrients income, you can maximize outputs while keeping your inputs low - and eventually make money on your vegetables instead of spending them.

Have a look at this guy on Instagram who makes his living money in a small yard behind his house using vertical #gardening . Such an inspiration.

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Let us know how much do you spend on vegetables and fruits per week and help us to make a small steemit-exclusive research! 

Thanks for reading and if you have at least something at your home, be proud of your plate.
Show us a photo with your recent harvest (please verify with Steemit on paper or phone on the photo..) and get a chance to receive some extra Steam Dollar!

Sue&Jake

Image source: Pexels.com