It's expensive

I am surviving strep throat.  I still have very little voice.  My husband says it's kinda sexy.  My doctor said "Try not to talk".  RIGHT...I work with small children and have children of my own.

Right now I have no voice and I feel like ranting.  Gardening is expensive!  I mean, from the ground up, it costs $$$$.

To start with, the soil needs to be amended.  That means compost, nitrogen, and other additives to build up the soil for gardening, especially here in Florida.

So, let's talk about making compost.  A class at the local extension office costs $35.00 and you get a free compost barrel.  (I don't see that as free... I'm paying $35 for it).

You don't want any grass, or other unwanted pest, growing in the fresh new garden space; so, weed tarp.  OK, the price of weed tarps, when a large area needs to be covered, is ridiculous.  Nope, Nope, NOPE... can't make me.  Plus, that weed tarp doesn't last in this heat.  (I still like the newspaper idea, it is working great; just as long as enough paper is laid down.)

Mulch would be next.  I have three gardening spaces I am starting. All total, they are 1300 sq ft.  If I mulched them, at three inches deep, it would take 109 three-cubic-foot bags to cover.  (Thank you friendly garden calculator at http://www.gardenplace.com/content/calculator/mulch_calc.html#)  A bag of mulch will cost around $3.50, give or take.  So the grand total would be $381.50

We haven't even gotten to the plants yet!!  It is enough to make you change your mind about the hobby.  But, you don't garden because it's cost effective.  I remember as a kid, my Dad looking at an empty corner and saying, "Ya know what I could do here?"  He was a carpenter and he always had an idea.  I see yards on my drive home and think, "Ya know what I could do with that?"  I have been bitten by a bug just like my Dad had been.  You can't fight it.  While my family and I visit more nurseries and gardens, we will just have to be smart shoppers.  Like the five gallon Dutchman's pipe vine I picked up today for $3.00 (I am very tickled by this find)!

But it's still expensive!

Happy gardening and planting!