The joy of being unemployed is that you can go off on a tangent. I was pondering a plan I’ve had for a while to fence off a bit of garden for a veggie patch. I started wondering what would be the best money-saving plants to grow. A quick search of the internet before I started some more traditional job-related work became a few hours.
I found a few sites on this. This one is the most thorough, listing crop value per square foot of ground required to grow. It’s US based but I’ve highlighted crops wich are recommended elsewhere.
| Vegetable | USD Value/SF |
| Cilantro / Coriander | $ 21.20 |
| Arugula-Roquette / Salad Rocket | $ 20.92 |
| Green Salad Mix | $ 17.55 |
| Chives | $ 16.40 |
| Dill | $ 16.40 |
| Lettuce | $ 16.20 |
| Tomato, Cherry, small & medium | $ 15.57 |
| Turnip | $ 9.90 |
| Tomato, large | $ 9.50 |
| Squash, Winter | $ 8.40 |
| Tomatillo | $ 8.00 |
| Cucumber | $ 7.74 |
| Basil | $ 6.63 |
| Radish, Red | $ 6.22 |
| Pumpkin | $ 6.20 |
| Chard, Swiss | $ 6.14 |
| Celery | $ 6.00 |
| Squash, Summer | $ 5.96 |
| Choi | $ 5.70 |
| Peas, Snow, Snap, Mangetout | $ 4.50 |
| Pepper, Jalapeno | $ 4.50 |
| Squash, Summer, Zucchini, Courgettes | $ 4.17 |
| Onion, Bunching, Shallots, Spring Onions | $ 4.14 |
| Pepper, Bell | $ 3.60 |
| Brussels Sprouts | $ 3.59 |
| Carrots | $ 3.56 |
| Rhubarb | $ 3.25 |
| Squash, Winter, Butternut | $ 3.20 |
| Kale | $ 3.07 |
| Grass, Lemon | $ 3.00 |
| Peas, English | $ 3.00 |
| Onion, Bulb | $ 2.63 |
| Radish, White | $ 2.60 |
| Bean, Bush (Runner, French or Green) | $ 2.51 |
| Peas, Edible Pod | $ 2.50 |
| Artichoke, Globe | $ 2.40 |
| Cabbage, Chinese Napa | $ 2.24 |
| Squash, Winter, Delicata | $ 2.10 |
| Spinach, Spring/Fall | $ 1.80 |
| Leeks | $ 1.75 |
| Potatoes | $ 1.50 |
| Parsnips | $ 1.50 |
| Garlic (Gourmet/Hardneck – Rocambole, Purplestripe and Porcelain ) | $ 1.37 |
| Squash, Summer, Yellow | $ 1.34 |
| Parsley | $ 1.31 |
| Corn | $ 1.25 |
| Squash, Winter, Acorn | $ 1.20 |
| Squash, Winter, Hubbard | $ 1.20 |
| Eggplant | $ 1.10 |
| Greens, Mustard | $ 1.10 |
| Rutabaga | $ 1.00 |
| Beet / Beetroot | $ 0.89 |
| Cabbage, Savoy | $ 0.80 |
| Broccoli | $ 0.80 |
| Kohlrabi | $ 0.75 |
| Cauliflower | $ 0.60 |
| Broccoli, Chinese | $ 0.60 |
| Cabbage | $ 0.50 |
Other high-value items I came across are:
- Bay Laurel
- Asparagus – but takes several years to yield
- Ginseng – which is grown in Bedfordshire?! and can be very profitable in the US
- Wasabi
A US chap has made a living writing guides to growing high-value crops:
- Lavender
- Gourmet mushrooms
- Woody ornamentals
- Landscaping trees and shrubs
- Bonsai plants
- Japanese maples
- Willows
- Bamboo
Google has a free copy of this book, which I think I read when I was at Uni studying ecology:
Earth Care Manual: A Permaculture Handbook for Britain & Other Temperate Climates
Permaculture is a system of agricultural and social design principles centred around simulating or directly utilising the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems.
Life Begins At Forty 
Well, I am glad I grew arugula this year then. I had no idea it was that good to grow as a cost saving measure.
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Great post! Thank you for the info, very interesting topic. Any information on cannabis per sq ft? Also, do you have a twitter account?
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