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 incredibl

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.