By all accounts, 2009 is going to be a pretty rough year on an economic and personal finance front.  It has certaily show signs of going that direction already.  However, with turmoil comes the opportunity for change.  To be able to take a fresh look at your situation and try something different. If you have always wanted to grow and maintain your very own vegetable garden, then current events may just be the catalyst you need to pull you off the fence and into the dirt.  Growing your own vegetables has many advantages over simply going to the store.

1. You personally know where your food has come from.
2. It's the freshest, tastiest, and most nutritious way to enjoy food.
3. It saves resources, since you're not having your food shipped thousands of miles to your dinner table any longer.
4. You get the satisfaction of working the earth and providing for yourself
5. It will save you money!

That last one may be the most important, since it's the one that seems to spawn people to action.  It's the reason the green movement is finally getting legs in the U.S.  So if you need some tangible example of the cost savings, here's an exerpt from the above linked article:

Kris and I own about two-thirds of an acre in Portland, Oregon. Since moving into this house in June 2004, we’ve been gradually building a garden of fruit, berries, and vegetables. In 2008, we conducted a year-long experiment. We tracked our garden expenses (in money and time) and also noted our “profit” from the harvest. Last month I posted detailed results for the project. Here’s a summary:

• We spent $318.43 and 60 hours working in our garden during 2008.
• We harvested $606.97 worth of produce, including $225.74 in berries, $294.59 in vegetables, and $66.63 in fruit.

For every dollar we spent on the garden, we harvested $1.91 worth of food. We hope to improve on that significantly in 2009. Last week Kris wrote about the winners and losers from our garden last year.

That's pretty convincing stuff, considering even more savings can be had through increased planning and efficiency.  So give it a try this year; make your plan and get started with your own garden!