I think you forgot the most profitable one.

i would say strawberries & tomatoes. There is no way i can afford to eat all the summer tomas I desire if i don't grow them!

SFGail- it took me a few minutes to realize what you're talking about... ha ha ha!!!!!

I will have to disagree with beets being least profitable- they cost about $4/ bunch at my farmer's market & I buy 2 bunches/ week. I planted/ will plant 2 seed packs worth this summer & think that my $4 investment in seeds will be worth it. I plant them between rows of things that grow up, so hope that they do well. Even if only 1/2 do ok, I will have saved tons of money! Plus, there's no comparison between supermarket produce vs. grown in the garden/ farmer's market.

Interesting list, thanks! At the very least, it gives me a reason to "give up" on some of the unprofitable veggies that just never work for me :)

The list isn't really a good guide to value, because it assumes you would have bought $21.20 of cilantro and you're 'wasting the space' by growing mustard.

I would argue that the value of having small amounts of fresh mustard available twice a week is worth more to me than the dollar value of it at the store: I get it fresh, I know it's organic, I don't waste any of it, and I use the rest of the land for other vegetables. In cool weather, I get multiple cuttings from one plant. I think mustard's a bargain. Same for endive, slow-bolting lettuces, kale and collards.

And what about the decorative value of the plants, especially eggplant, squash and okra?

You get good value by growing the amount you need of each vegetable, and using your space wisely. That saves you the effort to go to the store as well.

I don't grow the big brassicas just because I don't have room, but if I had a big plot in a cold climate in winter - why not? If the alternative is nothing, cabbage or rutabaga is a good value.

I think that the most profitable crops for your gardens are the fruits & veggies that you actually eat.

I'm sure that there was a lot of number crunching involved to get the list above, but... well, I eat a lot of eggplant and beets, so those move onto the "good economic sense" list for me. While regular lettuce (I prefer spinach) and turnips would be a waste of time and money in my garden, since I just don't eat them.

very useful list, thank you. I agree with tallsarah, beets are expensive...especially if you buy organic at the farmers market, so they should be moved over to "profitable list" :)

These numbers take into account the ability to grow multiple crops in one season. For example cilantro can get 3-4 crops per year, compared to something like potatoes which you only get one crop per season.

I completely agree with the comments that you do not save any money by growing food you don't eat (I believe I mentioned that in my post as well) Just for the record I do grow plenty of vegetables that are less profitable because I like the convenience and taste better from my garden.

In my climate (western OR) chives should get an even higher value because they overwinter. I got two chive plants five years ago and have not had to buy chives since then.

This year I got tarragon plants hoping to avoid having to buy the expensive little plastic containers of tarragon.

The pure economics of what is most profitable to grow (especially if you have super limited space!!) obscure what is really important about your garden - growing things you love. I get more pleasure from the eight delicious potato varieties I grow than I could ever get from a turnip. There's a lot of value in diversifying your small space garden & growing diverse stuff in small amounts.

Re-reading my post from 2 years ago makes me laugh. I got zero usable beets from my plantings that year :( My garden was mostly a bust except for herbs & lettuces & peas. So that's what I'm sticking with from now on. I'm leaving the bigger items to my csas & then just growing the easy stuff that doesn't take up a ton of space.

I agree with previous posters that a profitable garden is one that directly saves you money at the store. We buy maybe $5 in cilantro every year, but the amount of tomatoes we will harvest for eating fresh and canning will save us $100 easily. I try to avoid planting things we can buy exceptionally cheap at the grocery store (say, potatoes or carrots) in favor of things we would buy at a much higher cost (peppers, tomatoes, basil).

...Or we could check the details & realize the value is determined by cost of buying 'em organic divided by how much space they take up in a garden....

I grow for the challenge not for how much a plant can yield.

I'm surprised that winter squash is where it is. Considering the amount of garden real estate and long growing time for it, and the ready availability of super-cheap squash from my area farmers markets in the fall, I would never ever bother to grow it. I get pie pumpkins, spaghetti squash and tons of other varieties sometimes three for $1 in the fall and cellar them all winter long.

dont forget about growing things like cucumbers and cantaloupes vertically up trellises. i agree with the grow what you eat mantra. also what does/doesnt do well in your own climate