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Will I break even?

September 17th, 2007 at 06:04 am

The big question for my $20 (Garden) Challenge this year seems now to be: Will I be able to break even (recoup my original $20 investment)? My grape tomatoes are still green-green-green. It is quite cool here and I have just under 2 weeks to go before my move, so I know the odds of actually harvesting a single tomato this year are slim to none. All I am harvesting now is the microgreens ... I sure am glad I made the mid-challenge decision to plant those, otherwise I'd have ended up in the red for sure!

Oh well ... I do not regret this challenge one bit. While I have MUCH to learn yet about gardening, I have made a start. This is what I have learned:

- Yes indeed, I can plant seeds and they will actually grow (my thumbs are not quite as brown as previously thought)
- Gardening can be done frugally ... no need to get sucked in by all of the gizmos and pretty decorations
- There are lots of resources out there for learning and plenty of really nice people like contrary1 and Joan.of.the.Arch who are willing to share their expertise
- Think cheap, healthy SOIL: This is the real secret. Most of my $20 challenge money went to buying potting soil (since I was limited to container gardening). I'll wait to plant my next garden until I have a house and have a composting system going.

1 Responses to “Will I break even?”

  1. baselle Says:
    1190093286

    Don't feel bad. Getting ripe, tasty tomatoes in the Pacific NW requires very advanced skills. Frankly, even with the PhD, I had to use every trick I knew to get a even few decent ones. They'll be easier to grow in Texas. Just remember that you could be planting them in late Feb - March.

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