On Mon, 14 Feb 2011 03:38:32 -0500, DogDiesel wrote:

Does a garden pay for itself ? Or is it cheaper to go to the grocery
store.

how big you have to have to break even.

It all depends on how you look at it. Do you spend money on entertainment.
Maybe you find gardening fun, so the cost of say, buying a tomato plant
and using water, can be though of as entertainment money. Then every tomato
you pick is pure profit. Also it depends on how you garden. If you spend
100 dollars building a raised bed, and buying soil, you will probably not
get 100 dollars of tomatoes in the first season. If you just use homegrown
compost, and build you planters out of salvaged wood, then the cost of a
tomato plant and the water needed is probably much less then how much would
spend buying as many tomatoes as you harvest. Also your time is valuable.
If you hate gardening then you will spend valuable time gardening. If you
like gardening then you get quality time when you garden. Would you prefer
to garden for an hour, or watch tv for an hour?