What Cost Organic?
I have been growing organically (as much as possible) for ten years, in my garden at home and on my allotment. I read recently that this is considered expensive, so I decided to look at the comparative costs between traditional and organic gardening.
Firstly, not all expenditure is a matter of being organic or not. Some things cost the same e.g. allotment rent. Other items are a matter of choice: for example, I choose to pay for a good quality soil-based potting compost, but I could buy multi-purpose. In fact, I would save loads if I ever got around to making my own.
Some items, such as netting and fleece, are essential to the organic gardener but, because they serve many purposes, they are often used by the traditional home gardener too.
I buy mostly organic seeds; onion sets; seed potatoes etc. I also tend to buy from very good small companies such as Real Seeds, the Organic Catalogue, Rocket Gardens and Tamar Organics. This is expensive, but I have found that organic seeds are generally hardier and better quality than their non-organic counterparts and remain viable for longer. In my opinion this offsets the few pence more per packet that they cost.
Because the plants are so healthy I can save top-quality seed potatoes, shallots and garlic to plant the following year, saving money by only buying in new stock every three years or so. Non-organic gardeners can do this too.
I make my own compost and leaf mould and use free horse and chicken manure, so fertiliser costs me nothing but time. I don’t use pesticides or herbicides – big cost saving there and no spraying equipment needed either. Instead, I use a variety of methods, such as companion planting, to deter pests and attract beneficial insects. I go on regular slug hunts and keep the plot very tidy so although I could buy organic slug pellets I don’t need to - zero cost there too.
So, my reckoning is that it’s cheaper financially to garden organically but requires more expenditure in terms of time – around 15 minutes per day.
The final question to ask is what is the cost, in terms of your health and the environment, of using chemicals on your plants and soil? The answer, to me anyway, is obvious.
Firstly, not all expenditure is a matter of being organic or not. Some things cost the same e.g. allotment rent. Other items are a matter of choice: for example, I choose to pay for a good quality soil-based potting compost, but I could buy multi-purpose. In fact, I would save loads if I ever got around to making my own.
Some items, such as netting and fleece, are essential to the organic gardener but, because they serve many purposes, they are often used by the traditional home gardener too.
I buy mostly organic seeds; onion sets; seed potatoes etc. I also tend to buy from very good small companies such as Real Seeds, the Organic Catalogue, Rocket Gardens and Tamar Organics. This is expensive, but I have found that organic seeds are generally hardier and better quality than their non-organic counterparts and remain viable for longer. In my opinion this offsets the few pence more per packet that they cost.
Because the plants are so healthy I can save top-quality seed potatoes, shallots and garlic to plant the following year, saving money by only buying in new stock every three years or so. Non-organic gardeners can do this too.
I make my own compost and leaf mould and use free horse and chicken manure, so fertiliser costs me nothing but time. I don’t use pesticides or herbicides – big cost saving there and no spraying equipment needed either. Instead, I use a variety of methods, such as companion planting, to deter pests and attract beneficial insects. I go on regular slug hunts and keep the plot very tidy so although I could buy organic slug pellets I don’t need to - zero cost there too.
So, my reckoning is that it’s cheaper financially to garden organically but requires more expenditure in terms of time – around 15 minutes per day.
The final question to ask is what is the cost, in terms of your health and the environment, of using chemicals on your plants and soil? The answer, to me anyway, is obvious.
Submitted by Jane, plot 9
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