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 scraper (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 scraper
- 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.