How much do your tomato plants Cost?

BajaMitch · March 2, 2016

Does anybody know how much they themselves spend on potting mix/soil/fertilizers to grow a single tomato plant in a container?

Excluding the cost of seeds or seedlings, water and the container and any other durable goods cost like the PVC tube and/or the net pot in a self watering bucket container, or the other rig costs of a hydroponics system, how much do you spend, per plant, on potting mix and fertilizers altogether for one single plant?

Has anyone ever calculated their own cost per pound of container grown tomatoes? I am just asking about the cost of grow media or potting mix and fertilizers only on a per-pound-of-tomato-fruit basis (exclude the cost of the water, seeds or seedlings and exclude the cost of durable equipment such as that mentioned above).

PaulF · March 2, 2016

Please don't even tempt me to do the cost accounting. I am anal enough without this challenge being presented. I refuse to be drawn in. Is there a way to delete a thread so I don't see it again? It's time to plant tomato seeds, so I am too busy.....

Patihum · March 2, 2016

Just an estimate but I'd say somewhere in the $3-4 range per 5 gallon bucket that I use. That includes seed starting mix, potting soil and fertilizer. Depending on the tomato variety and production I'd say that tomatoes are costing me around $.25 to $.60 a lb.

PureHarvest · March 2, 2016

$2.55 worth of promix HP.
Fert solution costs me about 5 cents per gallon.
A mature plant uses about 50 ounces per day x about 120 days is .39gal X .05 X 120 = $2.34 in fert.
So total for media and fert is $4.89
Say 12 lbs per plant, that's .41 per pound.
To be fair that is nowhere near my true cost per lb., just the cost per lb for the media and fert.
My most recent enterprise budget shows my cost per pound at 1.63.
That is at a 12 lb per plant yield. I expect much more but budget conservatively. This cost includes EVERYTHING, including depreciation, my labor, fuel, electric, boxes etc etc
At a 15 lb yield, it drops to 1.37 per pound cost.

sjamesNorway · March 2, 2016

I'm With PaulF. I really don't want to know! I'd have to factor in the cost of electricity for keeping my greenhouse above 55°F (13°C) early and late in the season. And everything else is much more expensive in Norway, if I can find it at all. (Unfortunately, I don't have the cost of fungicides, because they're only sold to professionals With permits. Copper is concidered dangerous here.)

I know this doesn't help, BajaMitch. Sorry.

I just tell myself there are a lot more expensive hobbies.

Steve

Ricky Shaw · March 2, 2016

I just tell myself there are a lot more expensive hobbies. - Steve

OMG Yes! A homebody anyway, but I can garden an entire year for what a cruise or week at a resort would cost.

Worth1 · March 2, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

I just tell myself there are a lot more expensive hobbies. - Steve

OMG Yes! A homebody anyway, but I can garden an entire year for what a cruise or week at a resort would cost.

My place is a resort.

Hiking walking through a botanical garden on my property lake right over the hill a river the other way.
People pay good money to come vacation where I live.

I dont container grow so I have no idea what my costs are.
Well below $1 a pound maybe.

Worth

Ricky Shaw · March 2, 2016

So my costs are somewhat like PureHarvest's. I pay more for promix here, @ $1 gal, and my pots are larger 10-15-20gal. Ferts are the same per gallon, but my containers are larger, so I'll probably fertigate a bit more.

Variable to the pot size, but you get the idea.

joseph · March 2, 2016

The coconut coir I start tomatoes in costs either 1 cent or 8 cents per plant depending on the size of the pot. The pots cost 2 cents or 20 cents. I raise my own seeds, and plant into a field, and don't apply fertilizer.

The cost to build the greenhouse, amortized over 5 years is about 6 to 22 cents per plant.

So that totals either 9 cents or 50 cents depending on the size of the plant at transplant time.

Cole_Robbie · March 2, 2016

For the plants I sell in 4" pots, the container, media, and small amount of osmocote come out to about 15-20 cents, depending on the quantities of the materials I buy at once. I've been getting $1.50, and I will probably raise it to $2. That's a good margin, but there is obviously a lot of work involved. There's also the risk of unpredictable weather. No one buys plants when it's raining. Last year, my plant-selling season was largely a wash-out due to constant rain.

elight · March 4, 2016

Hard to say for me. I've spent so much in the past 3 seasons improving my beds and containers and irrigation. This is the first time I really have just used what I've had without any substantial improvements.

I'd say I spent $40 in grow media (just to top things off - no major re-fills), and another $40 in fertilizers that will hopefully last the season. Of course I have many sprays and such left over from last season. But I think we can say that this season will cost me around $100 total, for 12 tomato plants and 5 pepper plants.

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elight · March 4, 2016

Of course if we're just talking about the seedlings, I would guess about $0.25 between the seed starting mix, pitting up mix, and the seed. Did not use any fertilizer this year on the seedlings.

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UFXEFU · March 4, 2016

I have 160 plants potted up this year.
Cost:
$5.00 seed starting mix
$8.00 potting mix
$3.50 cups
$16.50 total expenses, so my plants cost about 10 cents each. I plant in ground and usually spend $10 to $15 on fertilizer.

Pretty cheap hobby.......

Merediana · March 5, 2016

Potting mix is quite the biggest cost factor, I buy one of the cheapest ones here and it is 8€ for 20 gallons. So if using a 10 gallon pot it's 4€ of soil per plant. On the other hand, I don't pay much for fertilizer, 1kg costs 4€ and I guess that would be enough for over 30 plants for one season.
An other cost factor are different things to keep pests out out of my house as I'm keeping the plants the first 2-3 months in my appartment.

Overall it's quite an expensive hobby for someone like me who has not the possibility to plant tomatoes in beds and have my own compost etc...
I started last season and litterally had nothing at home to grow plants. So I needed to invest a lot of money in things other people might have already have at home (like pots, poles, etc), and even though I was always looking for cheap options - it's adding up.

imp · March 5, 2016

It costs me about 25 cents average per plant, but I don't use containers to grow past the transplant stage. So, mostly my cost per pound is very very low.

Even in the community garden area, figuring in the cost of a plot with 8 plant's permakes the $20.00 per year low per pound.

March 2, 2016	#1
BajaMitch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: California Posts: 84	How much do your tomato plants Cost? Does anybody know how much they themselves spend on potting mix/soil/fertilizers to grow a single tomato plant in a container? Excluding the cost of seeds or seedlings, water and the container and any other durable goods cost like the PVC tube and/or the net pot in a self watering bucket container, or the other rig costs of a hydroponics system, how much do you spend, per plant, on potting mix and fertilizers altogether for one single plant? Has anyone ever calculated their own cost per pound of container grown tomatoes? I am just asking about the cost of grow media or potting mix and fertilizers only on a per-pound-of-tomato-fruit basis (exclude the cost of the water, seeds or seedlings and exclude the cost of durable equipment such as that mentioned above). Last edited by BajaMitch; March 2, 2016 at 02:24 PM.

March 2, 2016	#2
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,284	Please don't even tempt me to do the cost accounting. I am anal enough without this challenge being presented. I refuse to be drawn in. Is there a way to delete a thread so I don't see it again? It's time to plant tomato seeds, so I am too busy..... __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

March 2, 2016	#4
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	$2.55 worth of promix HP. Fert solution costs me about 5 cents per gallon. A mature plant uses about 50 ounces per day x about 120 days is .39gal X .05 X 120 = $2.34 in fert. So total for media and fert is $4.89 Say 12 lbs per plant, that's .41 per pound. To be fair that is nowhere near my true cost per lb., just the cost per lb for the media and fert. My most recent enterprise budget shows my cost per pound at 1.63. That is at a 12 lb per plant yield. I expect much more but budget conservatively. This cost includes EVERYTHING, including depreciation, my labor, fuel, electric, boxes etc etc At a 15 lb yield, it drops to 1.37 per pound cost. Last edited by PureHarvest; March 2, 2016 at 07:30 PM.

March 2, 2016	#9
joseph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake Posts: 1,244	The coconut coir I start tomatoes in costs either 1 cent or 8 cents per plant depending on the size of the pot. The pots cost 2 cents or 20 cents. I raise my own seeds, and plant into a field, and don't apply fertilizer. The cost to build the greenhouse, amortized over 5 years is about 6 to 22 cents per plant. So that totals either 9 cents or 50 cents depending on the size of the plant at transplant time. Last edited by joseph; March 2, 2016 at 11:13 PM.

March 2, 2016	#3
Patihum Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Southeast Kansas Posts: 878	Just an estimate but I'd say somewhere in the $3-4 range per 5 gallon bucket that I use. That includes seed starting mix, potting soil and fertilizer. Depending on the tomato variety and production I'd say that tomatoes are costing me around $.25 to $.60 a lb.

March 2, 2016	#5
sjamesNorway Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Norway Posts: 1,049	I'm With PaulF. I really don't want to know! I'd have to factor in the cost of electricity for keeping my greenhouse above 55°F (13°C) early and late in the season. And everything else is much more expensive in Norway, if I can find it at all. (Unfortunately, I don't have the cost of fungicides, because they're only sold to professionals With permits. Copper is concidered dangerous here.) I know this doesn't help, BajaMitch. Sorry. I just tell myself there are a lot more expensive hobbies. Steve

March 2, 2016	#6
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	I just tell myself there are a lot more expensive hobbies. - Steve OMG Yes! A homebody anyway, but I can garden an entire year for what a cruise or week at a resort would cost.

March 2, 2016	#10
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	For the plants I sell in 4" pots, the container, media, and small amount of osmocote come out to about 15-20 cents, depending on the quantities of the materials I buy at once. I've been getting $1.50, and I will probably raise it to $2. That's a good margin, but there is obviously a lot of work involved. There's also the risk of unpredictable weather. No one buys plants when it's raining. Last year, my plant-selling season was largely a wash-out due to constant rain.

March 4, 2016	#11
elight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 349	Hard to say for me. I've spent so much in the past 3 seasons improving my beds and containers and irrigation. This is the first time I really have just used what I've had without any substantial improvements. I'd say I spent $40 in grow media (just to top things off - no major re-fills), and another $40 in fertilizers that will hopefully last the season. Of course I have many sprays and such left over from last season. But I think we can say that this season will cost me around $100 total, for 12 tomato plants and 5 pepper plants. Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk

March 4, 2016	#13
UFXEFU Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Gloster, Lousiana 71030 Zone 8a Posts: 253	I have 160 plants potted up this year. Cost: $5.00 seed starting mix $8.00 potting mix $3.50 cups $16.50 total expenses, so my plants cost about 10 cents each. I plant in ground and usually spend $10 to $15 on fertilizer. Pretty cheap hobby.......

March 5, 2016	#14
Merediana Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: germany Posts: 190	Potting mix is quite the biggest cost factor, I buy one of the cheapest ones here and it is 8€ for 20 gallons. So if using a 10 gallon pot it's 4€ of soil per plant. On the other hand, I don't pay much for fertilizer, 1kg costs 4€ and I guess that would be enough for over 30 plants for one season. An other cost factor are different things to keep pests out out of my house as I'm keeping the plants the first 2-3 months in my appartment. Overall it's quite an expensive hobby for someone like me who has not the possibility to plant tomatoes in beds and have my own compost etc... I started last season and litterally had nothing at home to grow plants. So I needed to invest a lot of money in things other people might have already have at home (like pots, poles, etc), and even though I was always looking for cheap options - it's adding up.

March 5, 2016	#15
imp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 4,832	It costs me about 25 cents average per plant, but I don't use containers to grow past the transplant stage. So, mostly my cost per pound is very very low. Even in the community garden area, figuring in the cost of a plot with 8 plant's permakes the $20.00 per year low per pound.