# When is a prep a bad idea?



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

As a prepper, I like the idea of growing my own food, and preserving it, especially if I can thumb my nose at the grocery store.

But is this really a good idea for me?

Cost wise, I think it is quite affordable. I'm guess-timating that I might spend $300-$500 next spring, then save about $80 per week for each week I am able to eat plentifully from it.

However, time wise, I just don't know if it is a good idea. 

I make over $30 an hour at work, how many hours will I have to work in the garden to get $30 worth of garden produce? Do you think I might be better off to shrink my garden plans to one that is mostly educational?


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Nothing wrong with the store. Just keep your skills up just incase.


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## Farmboyc (May 9, 2015)

I would say a garden is not cost effective. However you can put in plants that are reasonably low maintenance and that will reduce the time you spend.

I would suggest root vegetables. Carrots, potatoes, turnips, and the like. Basically you will have to weed when they are younger and once they are established they are fairly low maintenance. We spend only about 1-2 hours a week in our garden watering time not included.
Avoid things like peas, beans, cucumbers they can take a lot of care and attention.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

Does a garden have to be weeded by hand? Is there not a rake or a hoe that mimicks the industrial weeding equipment of a large commercial farm?


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## Farmboyc (May 9, 2015)

You can do alot with a hoe. However when the plants are very young or the weeds are very close if makes sense to do it by hand.
Also if you pull them out by the roots the don't come back as fast and don't go to seed. Saves future time but costs some now time.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Canning is a labor of love.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

The hardest part of gardening is getting to know what you can grow. "putting the garden together" is a years long process! We have only been at it for two years since moving here and some of the things that we grew in the Seattle area just do not grow here. we found that raised beds are our best bet for some crops but others need to be "in the ground" to do well. we have found out the hard way that "container gardening" (think pails and raised troughs) overheat in the sun here while they were very successful in the cooler weather. Our herbs do better in the house than outside and cantaloupes are easy to grow from seed as long as you plant them in the ground. Transplanting most everything has been a bust for us - there is no way to get a plant that is sprouted in the house ready for 14 hours of burning sun. We found that sweet potatoes do very well here and we are expecting a huge return. Onions do well and strawberries love this weather but the little white flies are an enemy to be reckoned with. Each year we try something new and replant or continue with what worked well the year before. Once we get the garden together it will almost take care of itself. Knowing what plants to grow in proximity to others to discourage pests and encourage growth is the key to "smart" gardening. We are in the middle of farm country and there are very few "gardens", everything is grown for profit. We have to find out for ourselves what works and what doesn't. We need to get different soil types for our different crops to help them do their best. 
Like any newcomer, we are learning our new environment.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

It's not going to be cheaper at all, but the knowledge you learn from it will be priceless. Learning how to do it and be productive will put you leaps and bounds ahead of most. growing food is not a simple as most think. 

I did a pretty big garden last year and I bet I spent 2 hours a day working on it. it was about 42 square feet total, nothing huge but I had all kinds of plants in there. did not do as much this year but its been crazy busy this summer.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

It is cheaper in the long run to grow it yourself. Having that ability may be priceless in the future.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

wesley762 said:


> It's not going to be cheaper at all, but the knowledge you learn from it will be priceless. Learning how to do it and be productive will put you leaps and bounds ahead of most. growing food is not a simple as most think.
> 
> I did a pretty big garden last year and I bet I spent 2 hours a day working on it. it was about 42 square feet total, nothing huge but I had all kinds of plants in there. did not do as much this year but its been crazy busy this summer.


42 x 42? or 8x6?


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

I came up with 6x7 but I have problems adding columns of numbers myself.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

IF shtf - it is good to have teh knowledge of what works and what does not... and chances are you will have lots of time to garden when the world is crashing


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

Planting your own garden cannot be related to your hourly job.
Consider it as a hobby if you like.
Something you can get satisfaction from.
The main benifit is you can transition from a part time garden to a survival one without a hiccup.
Better learn now and iron out your mistakes and reap the benifits as a supplimental addition to your table.

In the spring i am setting up two 8x8 foot raised beds nothing big, oregano, parsley, chive, one will be just potatoes and carrots.
There will be a few others in there.
My point is that i make 60 an hour and i don't apply that to the growing formula. 
The garden does not take away from my business, it should not from yours either.
If you mow grass, you don't apply your work to that do you?
You do not need to take time off from work to do one.


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

I like to think of a small garden as a "living seed bank." You don't have to grow 50 of each plant to gain the benefit of always having a supply of fresh heirloom variety seeds. One tomato plant, for example, can yield thousands of seeds. If the time ever comes when you are forced to live off your garden, you will have plenty of seeds on hand.

Other tricks, like solarizing, can drastically reduce the amount of weeds you will get. Combined with a high density method like "Square Foot Gardening," which shades out the weeds with close crop spacing, you can eliminate most of the work associated with gardening. Companion planting, succession planting, and other techniques can give you high yields with far less space and less effort.

Permaculture is another great way to get more food with less work.

Amazon links...

All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition

The One-Straw Revolution


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

I have a small suburban yard. I planted a garden and had ok results from it. I didn't get a lot from it because the path of the sun over my yard leaves half of the area I can plant shaded by the gianormous pine trees I have in my back yard. It would cost thousands to have these trees removed. Without removing them I realistically have an area approximately 20 x 25 feet or so that I can plant. I did enjoy planting nurturing, and harvesting what I did get from my garden though.


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## darsk20 (Jun 1, 2015)

Similar to keith9365, I only have a small area that gets good sunlight. Probably enough for us so I am planning on starting a small one next year in hopes to have some skills to pass along to my son once he is older and can help.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Kieth, get food plants that don't require direct sun and like the acid soil. Blue berries come to mind but I am sure there are others.


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

darsk20 said:


> Similar to keith9365, I only have a small area that gets good sunlight. Probably enough for us so I am planning on starting a small one next year in hopes to have some skills to pass along to my son once he is older and can help.


My kids are grown but my wife loved digging her hands in the dirt, pulling weeds, and picking what we grew.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

So square feet was I guess not the most accurate measurement. I have 2 3x7 raised beds and 6 4x4 raised beds


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Go small if you do not want as much of a time commitment. Gardens take time, so does food preservation.


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## Farmboyc (May 9, 2015)

If you have a shaded part of your garden I would suggest you plant your leafy greens there. Lettuce, swiss chard, Kale and such. The shade will keep the growing slower and the lack of direct sunlight keeps them from becoming bitter as quickly.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

When a prep costs more than it can possibly return.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

I hear you. We all have to balance our time and commitments. There is nothing wrong with doing a project on a small scale or temporarily in order to learn the skill. Even if you had a small garden bed and just grew a little bit of several types of veggies each year, you will be learning what grows well, what varieties do best for you, what pest you will need to deal with, etc, etc. 

I raised crickets for a year. I wanted to learn how to do it, how to process them, and how to use them in recipes, as well as in chicken formula. It was a very successful project and I learned so much about what to do and what not to do. When life got extremely busy earlier this summer, I had to phase out the crickets, due to time constraints. BUT.... I have all the equipment and can start them up again in a flash if SHTF. 

Lots of projects are like that - once you learn the skill and become confident in your ability, you can put it on hold while you learn something else. We simply don't have time to do it all, all at once. When SHTF we will all need to enlist the help of others to perform those skills that will be required for survival, and those of us who have practiced these things will train others.


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## darsk20 (Jun 1, 2015)

Farmboyc said:


> If you have a shaded part of your garden I would suggest you plant your leafy greens there. Lettuce, swiss chard, Kale and such. The shade will keep the growing slower and the lack of direct sunlight keeps them from becoming bitter as quickly.


That's good to know and makes sense.


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