Last night I had the rare opportunity to go grocery shopping alone, i.e. no children. I took the opportunity to do some serious price comparison in the frozen vegetable department. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find a good price. Then I remembered I have a table full of broccoli plants at the greenhouse. 
Why am I price-comparison-shopping here when I can plant some in the garden for a fraction of the costs I saw in the deep freezer. The first three deterrents that came to mind were:
1. I don’t have time
2. I’ll have to drag the hose down there and water them
3. I don’t have time.
But as I stood there debating with myself I realized how foolish my thoughts were. I will make time by having my children help me. I already have to drag the hose down there because I have pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, and mini pumpkin plants there already. And not only will I plant broccoli (which all my children love), but I will plant brussel sprouts and cabbage, too. No one will eat the cabbage but me, but I know my children will love watching the heads form. My oldest daughter loves brussell sprouts so I think I will enlist her help with those. So, yes, I do have time, but even better than that I have a plan for my children to be a part of growing some of their favorite foods. At 8, 3, and 1 even they can tell home grown food tastes better than store bought food and know immediately if I’ve taken a short cut and used a “box” to make supper. Though I know I’ve made extra work for myself by teaching them to grow, harvest, and store food I also rest assured I have done my best for them in feeding them fresh vegetables. So they have picky pallets, I could do worse. If I can teach them that life is not always easy, especially if we choose to do what’s best and not what is quick, then I give them an even greater legacy.
So….to buy or to grow, that’s now your question!
Happy Planting!
The "How-To" Guide for Novice Gardeners in SC 