Would it be better if you planted your own tomatoes?
Answer: It really depends on what you are looking for.
Planting your own tomatoes can be time consuming and cost money to set up.
But, there are a lot of benefits to doing so
There are benefits to growing your own food.
Better for the environment
- if you don’t use pesticides and herbicides. the harmful chemicals would not leach into the ground.
It’s rewarding
- I think it’s pretty rewarding and something to be proud of to be able to grow a plant on your own. It shows that you are caring and can handle responsibility.
Taste
- Honestly, it could taste better. You can choose when to harvest your vegetables or fruits. For example, some produce at the grocery store is often harvested before it is fully ripe.
More nutrients
- The fruits or vegetables that you grow on your own would be much fresher.
Growing tomatoes requires initial investments in the form of materials such as seeds, a pot, a tomato cage, and soil which cost money. A 52 liter bag of soil costs around $20 USD, a tomato cage costs around $10 USD, a packet of tomato seeds around $5 USD, and a pot costs around $20. The pot should have a height larger than 12 inches deep as the roots of tomato plants go 12 inches down. The diameter of the pot should be large enough to place a tomato cage into the soil. The amount of tomatoes that a plant produces depends on the type of tomato plant being grown. For example, Juliet tomato plants can produce a lot more tomatoes than a Campari tomato plant as Campari tomatoes are larger. A tomato plant lives for about a year and starts producing fruit in 3 months.
These initial costs total approximately $55. Importantly, the tomato cage and pot are durable and reusable across multiple planting seasons, minimizing recurring expenses.
From a cost-saving perspective, consider that an average American consumes about 19 pounds of tomatoes annually. A well-tended tomato plant, supported by a sturdy cage, can yield between 12-20 pounds of tomatoes per year. Given the current average price of $2 per pound for store-bought tomatoes, the average American spends around $38 dollars per year on tomatoes.
Although a person would spend less money just buying tomatoes at the grocery store, once they purchase the cage and pot, they do not need to buy those materials again. While they would have to buy more soil and seeds, the soil and seeds will last them for more than one year if they plant one tomato plant per year. Cost-wise, a person would make up for their losses after the first year.
Within a packet of tomato seeds, there are around 50 seeds at most. When planting a tomato plant, a person would need to plant around 4 seeds. This means that for a singular packet of tomato seeds, a person could grow tomatoes approximately 12 times. Since a tomato pot preferably should have a diameter larger than 20 inches, and a volume of around 5 gallons, a bag of soil will last a person around 3 years. Therefore with the same material, a person can grow tomatoes for 3 years.
While, a person growing their own tomatoes would be cost effective, the time it takes to care for the tomato plant must also be taken into consideration. A person must be attentive to their plant. They must water that tomato plant when the soil is not wet enough. Additionally, as the plant grows, it puts less energy into its lower leaves. Those leaves might turn yellow or brown and they must be cut off so that more energy can be directed to the parts of the plant flowering and growing the tomatoes. Furthermore, a person must observe their plant to see if there are bugs and holes in the leaves. If there are lots of holes in the leaves, they will need to find a way to deter the bugs. For example, a spray bottle filled with some dish soap and water sprayed on the leaves to deter bugs.
Even though growing a plant can take time out of a person’s day, the benefits of having fresh food and a cost-effective way of obtaining tomatoes outweighs the loss of time. In a world where we waste over 100 tons of food each day and the agricultural industry creates massive amounts of waste and uses up so much water, fertilizers lead to eutrophication in surface waters and oxygen low zones, growing your own vegetables is extremely helpful to the environment. Everything starts with one small step and taking that step can make the difference.
While growing tomatoes requires regular care like watering, pruning, and pest management, the benefits—both economic and in terms of quality—make it a worthwhile investment of time and effort. Over time, the initial costs are offset, making homegrown tomatoes a sustainable and economical choice for many households.
