Longtime vegetable and flower gardener here. I get a lot more from my patch than just tomatoes and cucumbers. I get to share with friends and neighbors, and the serious gardeners are something of a fraternity that always have things to talk about, just like any other hobby. Yes folks, it's a seasonal hobby, and you need to approach it that way. You will ultimately spend more in money and your time than you will ever get in savings at the supermarket. If there was a food insecurity crisis and you had a decent backyard crop, you'd have to guard it with a shotgun like it was cannabis.