I haven’t read the book “The $64 Tomato” but after this weekend, I can tell you what it’s about by only reading the title.
People (like me!) move out of the city to the country, look at space in their backyard and think, “why bother going to the store to buy my vegetables? I can grow them RIGHT HERE!”
So those people (like me!) go out and buy a hoe and a shovel, and some seeds, ($30, but I’ll have that hoe and shovel for years!) heeding the advice of all the people who said, “just put some seeds in the ground, and stuff grows!” Excited about transitioning from metropolitan slub dependent on take-out to a self-sufficient Barbara Kingsolver survivalist type, us would-be gardeners spend the first warm spring weekend tilling the soil of our little plots, because if all those weeds could grow so easily, why not tomatoes? Or beets and carrots? Or even Brussels Sprouts?
In my backyard, I’ve got a little plot under a Wisteria vine and another one under a lilac tree that are both sunny (at least until our backyard black walnut tree grows in all its leaves) and raised and very close to my back door.
I pulled out all the weeds with my own two hands (and partially the hands of Birmingham, who I Tom Sawyer’d when he thought he was just coming over to drop off a drill bit.) I started some seeds in pots, carefully taking them inside whenever the weather forecast called for frost, possibly showing them more love than my cat.
I didn’t want to wait until Memorial Day to plant, and since I had days off work last week, I started a little early. The guy at the nursery suggested getting organic material in my soil with some manure. ($4.99 a bag) (for cow shit!) (and later that night I learned horse riding friends are full of shit, and I could have gotten it for free!) Also, I live in Bambi central, so some deer resistant plants ($10 for 12 orange marigolds and $5 for something that looked pretty) filled out the purchase.
On the suggestion of my neighbor, I planted my vegetables in the wisteria plot on a diagonal, because even if none of these plants ever take, it’ll look funky. From my seedlings, I took the beets, the spinach, and the Brussels sprouts and put them in little beds. I also wanted to put the carrots in, but someone suggested to me that I should mix them with radishes, so I went out and bought a package of radish seeds ($1.69).
To mark the beds, I got creative and broke out my oil pastels from college and drew pictures on the back of a cut-up tissue box. But I didn’t want them to get wet, so I went to the Staples on the other side of town ($10 in gas, because I got stuck in traffic not knowing that it was Marist graduation weekend) to get contact paper ($10, because they only sell it in “lifetime supply” size.) (There is no place that sells contact paper on my side of town, I know because I went to every store on my side of town.) ($5 in gas.) But look how nice:
Since I was on the other side of town, I stopped by a craft store looking to see if they had cheaper contact paper, but instead I found that they were selling garden whimsy at 50% off! I got 4 pinwheels, a wind chime, a dragonfly that rings like a bell, and a dragonfly on a spring for ($20).
I am one garden gnome away from erasing from all memory the five years I lived in Manhattan. But look! So pretty:
And the fence (actually procured for free by a previous tenant) so effective against common garden pests.
26 responses so far ↓
Howling Hill // May 19, 2008 at 7:43 am
Looks great, Noelle!
Keep us updated on your gardening.
Oh, and the marigolds will keep the bugs away from the tomatoes. Also, catnip is a great bug repellent though a cat attracter. Something you might want to consider.
I knew the marigolds did something else, I just couldn’t remember what! I’ll consider the catnip, perhaps it will keep my cat close to the back door, and not interested in chasing squirrels.
Allie // May 19, 2008 at 8:40 am
Ha! I’ve been thinking about the cost/resource efficiency of my home garden quite a bit lately, especially since a bunch of my seedlings bit it.
I LOVE your signs! They’re adorable!
Yeah, the seedlings are so hard to manage, and nursery plants are almost as expensive as buying vegetables!
Dutchess of Kickball // May 19, 2008 at 8:42 am
Aw your going to have the cutest little garden ever!
I hope I do, and I hope you visit it!
nancypearlwannabe // May 19, 2008 at 9:30 am
Very cute! You might be making fun of all the work and money going into it now, but come July when you have fresh carrots and beets all us city folk will be jealous because we have to drive to the grocery store and pay a ridiculous amount of money for produce.
Well then you should come visit and take some carrots home with you!
Deb on the Rocks // May 19, 2008 at 10:29 am
I adore the signs. The garden is very impressive. I would have likewise been inspired to make cool signs and would want to make them first thing, to set the mood, but that effort would have completely sidetracked me into some random mural-for-the-bathroom project and the garden would have never been planted. In August I would have to go clean up the rusted hoe before a hurricane came to whip it around, and I’d be like “oh, man, I really should have finished that garden, because I’d have canned vegetables to feed my children through this hurricane.”
So, send me some beets if you get extra.
Yeah, the signs were distracting me from doing other things, but still so much fun. The beets are in the mail. With the other thing I still need to send you.
lizgwiz // May 19, 2008 at 10:29 am
I keep thinking about doing a vegetable garden. So far all I’ve done is think about it, but maybe that’s how I’ll spend my Memorial Day weekend. Actually doing it, I mean–not thinking about it some more.
Do it! I’ll be your moral support if you want. I don’t know what took me so long in the first place.
erikka // May 19, 2008 at 10:57 am
hey there. put that book on my library hold list.
initial costs for gardening can be high, but there are ways to cut costs once you’ve got tools (and really, what tools you need is very subjective).
let’s see a cost analysis of the rest of the season and next year’s start up to really see.
The only problem is that I don’t know how long I’m going to stay here.
apollocreed // May 19, 2008 at 11:16 am
You are way more motivated that I’ve ever been.
Just differently motivated, I think.
apollocreed // May 19, 2008 at 11:16 am
“than”
dammit.
Noted.
FDP // May 19, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Um, I am totally jealous. I was born with a brown thumb, of course since I’m color blind I can’t see that its brown…so I just keep trying and killing every dang thing I plant. I wish I could grow veggies…today in lovely Zurich I spent CHF9.90 (aka $9) on 4 organic, local Swiss apples. No I’m not kidding. And, I know you’re a veggie-only kind of gal, so don’t even get me started on the cost of meat. eeek.
AND I loved the signs, so creative!!
Yeah, you live in one of the highest cost-of-living places in the world! I’m not known for having a green thumb, but I’ve never really tried before.
Aaron // May 19, 2008 at 1:12 pm
“Tom Sawyer’d”. I must remember that.
It comes in handy, both the phrase and the action.
Laurel // May 19, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I adore the handmade signs! Here’s hoping that your vegetables are bountiful and delicious!
Me too!
Lara // May 19, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Your signs are SO cute. Excellent artistry, my dear! Also, I giggled at all your purchases - that is totally something I woudl do.
Yeah, you don’t really have a garden until you cover it in crap. (And I mean that in many ways.)
kir // May 19, 2008 at 3:05 pm
oh I cannot wait to have a garden, again. I shall live vicariously through you. Kir loves carrots and beets!
Carrots and beets mixed with apples makes the best juice!
Kristabella // May 19, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I am impressed!
And this is why I can never move out of the city.
It’s true, it gets ya.
courtney // May 19, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Love it! I wish I could have a garden, but alas, I live in a city. Very impressive!
The city gardeners are the truly hard core ones.
The Modern Gal // May 19, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I don’t ever let myself think about how much I spend on plants that just end up dying every year.
I spent about $100 my first year here, and all I bought were impatiens.
Sobe // May 19, 2008 at 9:32 pm
inch by inch
row by row
gonna make this garden grow
all i need is a rake and a hoe
Thanks! I’m gonna keep telling myself that.
alexa // May 19, 2008 at 10:54 pm
i’m impressed!!! will you mail me a carrot when they grow??
this post is making me excited to plant my flowers on my deck!! it’s only 4 planters but still…
If you don’t feel weird about getting a single carrot, I’ll see what I can do!
Stefanie // May 19, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Love the signs. Rather than buying a lifetime supply of contact paper, though, I would have just used packaging tape. I say that, but your contact paper version undoubtedly looks way better, I’m sure.
I considered planting some tomatoes this year, seeing as I’m addicted to cherry tomatoes lately, but knowing what little success I have with making something as seemingly simple as GRASS seed grow (and also knowing how many squirrels and rabbits live in my neighborhood, it just doesn’t seem worth the effort. I hope yours pans out successfully, though!
I thought about doing packing tape, but I always find it so unwieldy. I’m just going to have to find a use for contact paper in my every day life.
jennifer // May 20, 2008 at 1:36 am
GGRRRREEEEENNNN Acres is the place to be..
FFAAARRRRMMM livin’ is the life for me…
Noell Noell, sweet sweet Belle
How does you Garden Grow?
With oil pastels
and windchime/bells
and sort of expensive Hoes.
Hope you have a bumper crop!!
Jen
You are one crazy lady! I love it!
jennifer // May 20, 2008 at 1:37 am
Well Sh*t on toast, I mispelled your name twice.
Sorry.
That’s okay, I made up the name!
Pants // May 20, 2008 at 2:26 am
Home grown veggies taste better.
They darn well better.
rdl // May 20, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Wow, i’m impressed - you are way ahead of me.I’m not putting anything in til next wkend cause i’m goin to Washington DC for 3 days on fri.
Enjoy your trip!
xsquared // May 21, 2008 at 9:17 am
Very nice garden! I haven’t tried veggies in my garden yet, just herbs and flowers.
I think I’m going to fill with flowers and herbs. They are so much less stressful.
mickey // May 21, 2008 at 2:30 pm
As impressive as the garden itself and your vegetable drawings are, I’m actually more taken by your outstanding penmanship. You should trademark it as a font, it’s that attractive.
Good work on the garden, though.
Thanks! That’s my standard “upper case neat” writing.
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