Short answer: growing food can reduce what you buy, but there is no honest national break-even year. Results depend on your existing tools, space, local prices, crop losses, the food your household actually uses and whether you count your time. Use this worksheet with your own receipts and harvest record.
Step 1 — Record setup costs separately
Setup items may last for several seasons. Record what you actually buy instead of using an online estimate.
| Setup item | Your cost |
|---|---|
| Tools you did not already own | _____ |
| Bed, container or support materials | _____ |
| Watering or rainwater equipment | _____ |
| Other one-off items | _____ |
| Total setup | _____ |
Step 2 — Record annual running costs
| Annual item | Your cost |
|---|---|
| Seeds, sets and plants | _____ |
| Compost, soil improver or approved feed | _____ |
| Plot fee, if any | _____ |
| Netting, labels, twine and replacements | _____ |
| Water or travel attributable to the plot | _____ |
| Total annual running cost | _____ |
Step 3 — Value only produce you use
Weigh or count harvests by crop. Value them using the price you would genuinely have paid for a comparable product that week. Do not value gluts you gave away, produce that spoiled, or crops your household would not normally buy.
| Crop | Used harvest | Comparable price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example: salad leaves | _____ | _____ | _____ |
| ________________ | _____ | _____ | _____ |
| ________________ | _____ | _____ | _____ |
| Total used harvest value | _____ |
Step 4 — Calculate two results
- Cash result: used harvest value minus annual running costs.
- Full result: used harvest value minus annual costs, an annual share of setup costs, and any value you choose to place on your time.
Keep setup costs visible for more than one season. A simple approach is to divide a durable item's cost across the number of seasons you reasonably expect to use it, then revise that estimate when it wears out.
Where the Numbers Break Down
This analysis doesn't account for:
- Your time. Decide whether this is leisure time or labour you want to value.
- Waste and gluts. Record only what was eaten, preserved or otherwise used.
- Shared equipment. Count only the portion attributable to food growing.
- Crop failures. Seeds and inputs still count even when there is no harvest.
- Changing retail prices. Use dated local comparisons rather than a fixed national claim.
Things That Tilt the Maths
In favour of growing
- You already own tools and have suitable soil or containers
- You grow food the household regularly buys and uses
- You save and store unused seed correctly for another season
- You compost suitable household and garden material
Against
- You're short on time and would pay more for the hours spent
- You rent a plot or travel regularly to it
- You commute/work long hours and can't reliably water
- You buy large structures before testing a small growing area
The Honest Conclusion
Do not treat a generic online table as a savings guarantee. Start small, grow food you like to eat, and keep a record. Teagasc's home-gardener guidance likewise recommends that beginners start small and build as they learn.
- Record sowing, harvest and purchase dates.
- Compare the same crops and pack sizes where possible.
- Review what was eaten, wasted and given away.
- Use the result to choose next year's crops and quantities.
Home composting can reduce purchased soil-improver needs over time. Government guidance says successful composting needs sufficient moisture and aeration and that finished compost can improve garden soil.
Official sources
- Teagasc information for home gardeners
- Teagasc introduction to vegetable growing
- Government of Ireland guidance on waste and home composting
Still want to grow?
Start with the space and equipment you already have. Use the beginner guide to choose a small first-season plan.
Open the beginner guide