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I have friends who grow large quantities of potatoes and veggies in general. They really do drastically reduce their food bills. I have more modest ambitions.

I have friends who grow large quantities of potatoes and veggies in general. They really do drastically reduce their food bills. I have more modest ambitions. I like to grow lots of sprouts and fresh herbs for cooking. No real calories but makes simple meals made without processed foods (e.g., with brown rice, beans, homemade pasta, tiny amounts of animal protein, etc.) much tastier.

UncleMeat 5y ago
Potatoes still cost like $1/lb at the store. Less if you are grabbing Russets. It is hard to drastically reduce food bills by targeting crops that are incredibly cheap. But it surely is done by some people! What I mean here is that the huge majority of people who attempt to plant potatoes in their backyard are going to pull up like $20 worth of potatoes a year after a couple years of failed attempts. That's not really meaningfully understood as an investment. Home gardens are fun. They are great for things like herbs (as you say) where you only need a small amount in a dish and the little clamshells at the store are both low quality and $5. But they aren't a "productive investment" except in very extreme circumstances.