Balance sheet and growing list 2009

[PeshB7]

Mrs Dobby...Do you sell your produce or consume all yourself?

[singleseeder]

Mrs Dobby, having read a lot of your posts, I have to say that I am seriously impressed with your plots and how much you get from them.

I don't grow very much at the moment (recently relocated) but hope to step everything up when i get a plot ( and eventually retire) and I like the idea of keeping a spreadsheet. Valuing the produce directly with shop prices is a little unrealistic for me though as I wouldn't buy rhubarb at £1 a stick (although I know that was the price) and I couldn't afford to buy lbs of fresh soft fruit, courgettes, beans etc. The trouble is I can't think of any other way of valuing it.

Also, how many freezers do you have and do you take any of the electricity into account?

The bottom line (excuse the pun) isn't the monetary value, but the fresh food and satisfaction of having grown it, excercise and fresh air. As stated in the advert "priceless"

PS. Just read back to the post saying how many plants you have....... do you ever sleep?

[Mrs Dobby]

Hi Guys! Lol!

Pesh, we dont sell any, we process it all or eat it all, we dry some, pickle some, can some and freeze a lot, so it basically seems us through most of the year for most veg!

Singleseeder, we have 3 freezers, and the electric cost is minimal if they are kept full, so thats what we do! I know if we had to buy it, then we wouldnt buy that much soft fruit or rhubarb, but as you have it for free from the plot, then you find ways of using it, rhubarb can be frozen and jammed, so plenty of scope for using it all, if you really try!

And yes, its the taste, the fact we know the veg's providence, the free exercise and sense of satisfaction at putting it on the table yourself, plus the friendship and community sense you get both on here and at the plot that make it all worthwhile! I only started the balance sheet to prove to myself that we were actually saving some money by GYOing, and its sort of grown from there!

Do we sleep? Yes, and we both work full time too, but days off are spent on the lot, as is any time we can get down there, hence it looks ok and the crops are doing well again this year! There is a new thread with the 2010 balance sheet on it, not quite yet in a profit, but not far off now!