How Much Does The Balcony Garden Cost? How Much Does It Produce?

I'm going to try and keep a running record of my expenses for the balcony over the years, to figure out just what kind of an "investment" it turns out to be.

Year One

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While technically this is my third year of having plants on the balcony, I only bought pots for the first year and not the second. Thus, year one and two were virtually identical and so I am simply going to count them both as "Year One."

For the first year's items, which were basically just some planter boxes, a railing hanger, four bags of soil, and a few plants, I no longer have receipts. If I recall correctly, it cost around $180 (including the plants), with by far the most expensive item being the hanger for the box on the railing, which cost over $40! I really like the idea of lining the railing - on both sides - with planter boxes, but my goodness, at that price putting up another five or six boxes would cost me $250-$300 just for the hangers alone! It's quite silly, the box costs between $15 and $20, but the device to hang it on is worth two to three times as much. There has got to be a better solution. In fact, if I could go back in time, I would tell myself not to bother buying new planter boxes from the store anyway, as you can find all sorts of things to plant in for much cheaper - plus, people are always getting rid of old pots and stuff and free is the best price of all. At any rate, I'm going to peg the investment for Year One at $150, which excludes the plants I bought for them which no longer exist - except for three strawberry plants.

Total Expenses = +/-$150
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The amount I harvested from these containers was negligible, although it was still fun growing them and it was nice to have a couple of fresh strawberries or cherry tomatoes to pop into your mouth on almost a daily basis by mid-summer.
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Year Two

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April 23, 2014

I have kept all the receipts for everything I bought for this year, so I will be able to keep a much more accurate tally on expenses from here on out.

Permanent Fixtures & Perennials
4 x Rubbermaid Containers = $29.88
14 x Bags of Soil = $55.86
1 x Wire Mesh Grate = $12.86
2 x Zip-Tie Packages = $4.80
3 x 18.9litre Pails with Lids = $22.11
1 x Blueberry Dwarf Bush = $24.99
1 x Raspberry Dwarf Bush = $34.99
1 x Strawberry Plant = $2.49
1 x Kitchen Scale = $10.99 

May 22, 2014

    1x Owl Statue/Scarecrow = $9.99
    1x Bamboo Trellis = $5.99 
Total = $214.94 x 12% Tax = $240.94

Annuals for 2014 
1 x Climbing Bean Seed Package = $1.99
1 x Radish Seed Package = $1.99

1 x Carrot Seed Package = $2.29
1 x Cucumber Seed Package = $2.49
1 x Hot Pepper Mix Seed Package = $2.49
1 x Sweet Pepper Mix Seed Package = $2.49
1 x Nasturtium Seed Package = $2.19
1 x Grand Rapids Lettuce Seed Package = $1.89 

                                        3 x Petunias = $3.87
                                        3 x Mesclun Mix Lettuce = $4.47

June 19, 2014

3 x Great Lakes Lettuce = $4.47
6 x Red Russian Kale = $8.94
1 x Tomato Plant = $1.99
1 x Cherry Tomato Plant = $1.99
Total = $43.55 x 12% Tax = $48.78
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Harvests for 2014 (Updated during season as harvested)
18oz Salad Greens x $1.88/lb = $2.12
20oz Red Russian Kale x $1.57/bunch (4.5oz/bunch) = $7.07

2oz Radishes x $2.49/lb = $0.31
8oz Strawberries x $3.80/lb = $1.90

30oz Tomatoes x $1.75/lb = $3.28 
9oz Cherry Tomatoes x $1.26/lb = $0.72

July 25, 2014

41oz Potatoes x $1.12/lb = $2.87
24oz Cucumbers x $2.06/lb = $3.09
3oz Carrots x $1.95/lb = $0.37
4oz Sweet Peppers x $2.24/lb = $0.56
4oz Hot Peppers x $3.09/lb = $0.77
Total = $22.22

The Profit = -$48.78 + $22.22 = -$26.56




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Year Three

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Feb 22, 2015

April 22,2015

Permanent Fixtures & Perennials for 2015
1 x 30litre Bag of Soil = $3.99
Total = $3.99 x 12% Tax = $4.47

Annuals for 2015
1 x Kale Seed Package = $1.89
1 x Tomato Seed Package = $1.89
1 x Cucumber Seed Package = $1.89
1 x Zucchini Seed Package = $1.89
1 x Nasturtium Seed Package = $1.89
1 x Watermelon Seed Package = $1.89
1 x Cantaloupe Seed Package = $1.89
1 x Miracle Grow Singles = $5.99

May 14, 2015

Total = $19.22 x 12% Tax = $21.53
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Harvests for 2015
22oz Kale
1oz Radish
3oz Salad Greens
Total = $
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