A seed packet that costs a couple of dollars can look like a garden bargain, but the cheapest seeds do not always produce the cheapest vegetables. A crop can demand more water, fertilizer, garden space, support, pest control, or time than another vegetable with a slightly pricier packet. That changes the math considerably once the first green shoots appear.
Gardeners who want to save money should look beyond the price printed on the packet and ask a more useful question: how much food can this crop produce for the resources it consumes? That question makes certain vegetables look much more attractive, especially crops that keep producing after the first harvest instead of giving up their entire crop in one dramatic garden finale. A little arithmetic at planting time can prevent a lot of head-scratching later.
