Read your ROI report
The ROI report tells you, in dollars, what your garden has produced. It’s at the bottom of /my-garden/ and updates every time you log a harvest. Real grow-vs-buy savings calculated against today’s supermarket prices.
How the number is calculated
The ROI report tells you, in dollars, what your garden has produced. It’s at the bottom of /my-garden/ and updates every time you log a harvest.
Per crop: (weight_harvested_kg × current_shop_avg_$/kg) − seed_cost Total: sum of all per-crop values ROI ratio: total_value_grown ÷ membership_cost
- Current shop price, daily supermarket price collector (Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, IGA average).
- Seed cost, extracted from the plant notes (e.g. “$4.50, Diggers Club packet”).
- Weight, sum of every harvest you’ve logged for the crop.
What the three KPIs mean
| KPI | Shows | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Total Value Grown | Dollar value of all harvests at today’s shop prices | $312.40 |
| Total Harvested | Weight in kilograms across all crops | 18.6 kg |
| Plant Varieties | How many distinct crops contributed | 7 |
Per-crop table
Below the KPIs, a table breaks total down by crop:
- Crop, name (e.g. Broccoli, Kale, Silverbeet)
- Harvested, total weight in kg across all harvests of that crop
- Shop price/kg, today’s four-retailer average, or “no data” if not in our price collector
- Value grown, weight × price
Worked example from the demo garden
| Crop | Harvested | Shop $/kg | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 1.95 kg | $5.80 | $11.31 |
| Silverbeet | 1.40 kg | no data | $0.00 |
| Kale | 0.85 kg | no data | $0.00 |
| Bok choy | 0.55 kg | $4.90 | $2.70 |
| Coriander | 0.08 kg | $117.00 | $9.36 |
| Spring onions | 0.15 kg | $18.00 | $2.70 |
| Total | 4.98 kg | , | $26.07 |
Headline number $26.07. Actual produce value on the plate is closer to $80 once the silverbeet and kale are priced at real shop rates (~$23/kg equivalent for bunched leafy greens).
The honest disclaimer
Supermarket pricing is inconsistent across crops. Three specific cases:
- Kale, silverbeet, bok choy, sold by the bunch (~150 g for $3.50), not the kg. Our per-kg data is thin and usually low.
- Coriander, parsley, basil, sold in 30 g packs for ~$3.50, equivalent $117/kg. We use a conservative average.
- Fruits and veg in short supply, Woolies’ “sorry, no stock” weeks pull the four-retailer average down.
For most crops the ROI figure is accurate within 10–15%. For herbs and leafy greens it’s an underestimate.
What the number is good for
Validating the cost of the subscription
If your first autumn-winter grew $300+ of veg and Pro costs $59/year, the product paid for itself five times over. This is the honest framing, most members break even on the subscription within 2–3 months of consistent logging.
Deciding what to grow next season
If your coriander bolted in three weeks and produced $9 of leaves while your broccoli produced $11 across 90 days, coriander has the higher productivity per-week per-bed-space. Next season you might devote more space to crops with high $/week output.
Demonstrating the garden is worth the effort
Most household decision-making about the garden is subjective, “is it worth me spending an hour a week on this?”. The ROI number makes it objective. $312 over 5 months at ~15 minutes per day = $25/hour equivalent, tax-free.
Optimising for maximum dollar output. Growing food for the cheapest return misses the point of growing food. The ROI number validates the investment; it doesn’t dictate the choices. Grow what you like eating.
Share your ROI
At the bottom of the ROI card, a Share button copies a shareable link (no personal data, just aggregate numbers). Useful for bragging rights in Australian gardening Facebook groups, or for convincing family the beds are worth the effort.