During a normal year, I spend a lot of money on taking care of my lawn and raising a garden.
At the start of the season, I buy 15 gallons of gas to fill my cans to supply fuel for my two mowers, leaf blower and grass trimmer. This is just to keep my yard looking decent.
I mow twice a week in the spring (actually, the riding mower belongs to Susie and she doesn’t let me use it). I get to use the small mower, trimmer and blower.
Depending on the length of the mowing season, I may have to fill my gas cans again.
Of course, I also need gas for my rototiller and have to buy seeds for planting my garden. When I order them from a catalog, which is most of the time, I then have to pay another 15 to 20 percent just for shipping.
I can find seeds locally, but I can’t find the varieties I want to plant. I don’t have to pay shipping when I buy here, but I do have to pay 7 percent tax.
Either way, the amount I pay for gas and garden supplies is just the cost of doing business.
This year, however, the cost went way up! When I took the riding mower from the shed, one of the rear tires was flat. I fired up my air compressor and filled it. I also checked the other tires and the two on the tiller. One was a little low on the tiller, but it is always low after sitting all winter. While airing the tires, I put a battery charger on the mower and tiller. They always go down over the winter. The air and battery charging didn’t cost me anything. That’s good.
I checked the oil, and Susie was ready to mow the yard for the first time. About halfway through, she noticed the grass was cutting uneven. She came inside to let me know. I didn’t bother to check and just told her the blades were probably dull.
She finished mowing, came back in and told me not to blame her. I looked at the yard and every other strip was cut very low. I checked the tire and saw it was almost flat. I removed it, took it to my tire place, and they mounted a new one for me. $67. I wasn’t planning on that.
I then took the mower to my neighbor who works on my equipment. I asked him to check the blades to see if they needed sharpening. They did. He also said I needed new blades. I ordered a new set because TSC didn’t have them in stock. $42. My neighbor said I needed a new drive belt because mine was starting to crack. I don’t know what that will cost yet.
After all of this, I went to gas up my other equipment and see if it would start. My gas cans were almost empty. I usually fill them in the winter when prices are down. I forgot to do it this year. Of course, I needed gas and the prices had just gone up to $3 a gallon. I filled one can and will wait. Hopefully, prices will go down some.
My garden costs were going up also. First, I had a soil test done. $27. It let me know most of my nutrients were fine, pH was a little high, and the nitrogen was very low. The tester suggested some 36-0-0 fertilizer. The test also indicated a little sulfur was needed to improve the pH. More money. And I haven’t even purchased my seeds yet. (I usually start planting around the first of June because my garden is flooded until then. This year, it was dry.)
As soon as I get the fertilizer spread, a friend will bring his tractor with a large tiller on the back to turn my garden. FREE!
I space my rows wide enough so I can use my tiller to keep the weeds down between the plants. Because the battery on my tiller is shot, I either need to buy a new one or use my battery jumper every time I want to start the rototiller.
I certainly hope I have a great crop of vegetables this year. It’s going to take a good year to make it worth all of my extra expenses.
The author may be reached at [email protected].
