While most beginning gardeners don’t think of the money they’ll save on grocery bills, long-time gardener Joanne Davis, of Lake Worth, says it’s well worth it. Just expect to lose money in the first year’s outlay.
“Setting it up is expensive,” says Davis. “It’s $75 or more of materials. Then it takes $100 or $150 to fill a bed with dirt, even more if you have the soil delivered.”
But there are ways to keep expenses down. She buys her soil in bulk from a soil and mulch company, which is cheaper than buying by the bag at home improvement stores.
“Borrow a friend’s pick-up truck or rent one for $19 and go get the soil yourself,” she says. “They’ll load it for you there.”
Davis grows tomatoes, peppers and lettuces and, as a professional landscaper, helps others build gardens of both tropical plants and vegetables.
“I can show someone how to do it, or go in and set up the whole bed,” she says. She works mostly in the Lake Worth area but travels outside the county to build entire gardens.
As a cook, she uses her harvest to make stuffed peppers with ground turkey, tomatoes and rice.
“I enjoy working in it when the weather cools down. It’s not so great when it’s hot, but it’s rewarding — definitely worth the effort.”
—Jan Norris
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