Investments

There is a lot of debate over whether or not a garden is worth the initial cost to start it up.  The book "The 64 Dollar Tomato", would suggest that going to the grocery store is much cheaper and easier than growing your own garden.  In my experience, though I have never had a garden with a yield large enough to sustain myself and my husband, a garden can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be.

Since I entered this project, our biggest investment has been 10 yards of soil from Circle P in Winter Haven, delivered to us, for $260 dollars.

While its not the most beautiful, Jay and I have used reclaimed and recycled wood to make our raised beds.     In the end we're not too concerned with the aesthetics of our bed, as long as it works.

Seeds and starts are another investment to consider.  Starting your own seeds can be time consuming, though it does save some money.  With tomatoes and peppers, I recommend starting with plants, but about 1 month before the season starts, start your own seeds and plant them in succession.  In most cases these seeds need to be started indoors (to protect from bugs in the warm season), or in a green house / indoors (to protect from frost in the cold season).