Everyone talks about “planting seeds” for your financial future and building wealth from the ground up. But have you ever considered that actual seeds—the kind you put in dirt—might give you better ROI than most financial advice on the internet?

Let’s talk about seed money in both senses: the literal cost of starting a garden versus the metaphorical cost of “investing in yourself” or “planting financial seeds.” One of these actually feeds you. The other one might just feed your anxiety.

The cost of actual seed money

Starting a garden requires actual seed money (literally), but it’s surprisingly cheap.

Basic garden startup costs:

  • Seed packets: $2-4 each (buy 8-10 varieties = $20-40)
  • Potting soil: $10-20 for a large bag
  • Basic containers or small raised bed: $30-60
  • Watering can or hose attachment: $10-20
  • Total startup: $70-140

What you get for that investment:

  • Tomatoes worth $40-80 (from one $3 seed packet)
  • Herbs that would cost $3-5 per bunch at the store, now unlimited
  • Lettuce, peppers, zucchini—vegetables that multiply like your credit card interest but in a good way

The math: Spend $100 on seeds and supplies, grow $400-600 worth of produce over the summer. That’s a 400-600% return on investment. Try getting that from your savings account.

The metaphorical seed money trap

Now let’s look at financial “seed money”—the kind people tell you to invest in yourself, your side hustle, or your personal growth.

Common “investment in yourself” costs:

  • That online course that’ll “change your life”: $500-2,000
  • Business coaching program: $1,000-5,000
  • Mastermind group membership: $500-1,500/month
  • Conference tickets and travel: $1,000-3,000
  • “Essential” tools and software: $50-200/month

The pitch: “You have to spend money to make money!” “Invest in yourself!” “Plant seeds for your future!”

The reality: You spent $3,000 on courses you didn’t finish, networking events that led nowhere, and tools you used once. Your actual seeds (the garden kind) would’ve fed you all summer for $100.

Which seed money actually grows

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most “invest in yourself” spending is just expensive procrastination disguised as productivity.

Actual seeds grow when:

  • You plant them in soil
  • You water them consistently
  • You give them time and sunlight
  • You actually show up and do the work

Financial seeds grow when:

  • You invest in index funds consistently
  • You build actual skills (not just buy courses about skills)
  • You save money instead of spending it on “investments”
  • You actually execute instead of just learning

The parallel is clear: Both require consistent work, not just initial spending.

The garden advantage

Gardening has something most financial investments don’t: immediate, tangible results.

With a garden:

  • You see progress weekly (sprouts!)
  • You get feedback quickly (plants grow or they don’t)
  • The reward is literal food you can eat
  • Failure costs $3 (one seed packet), not $3,000
  • You can’t procrastinate yourself into thinking watching YouTube videos about gardening counts as actual gardening

With financial “seed money”:

  • Results take months or years to see
  • Easy to convince yourself that buying another course counts as progress
  • Failure can cost thousands
  • The dopamine hit comes from purchasing, not from actual results

The hybrid approach: smart seed money

Good uses of actual money:

  • Emergency fund (grows security, not vegetables, but equally important)
  • Index funds (boring but effective)
  • Skills with clear ROI (coding bootcamp that leads to a job, not a vision board workshop)
  • Tools you’ll actually use (not aspirational purchases)

Good uses of actual seeds:

  • Tomatoes, herbs, peppers—things you buy regularly at the store
  • Not exotic plants you saw on Instagram and will definitely kill

Bad uses of either:

  • Buying every seed catalog’s entire inventory
  • Buying every course on entrepreneurship while never starting a business
  • Confusing spending with investing

The bottom line

Real seeds cost $3 and give you tomatoes. Metaphorical seeds can cost $3,000 and give you… a certificate of completion you’ll never look at again?

If you’re going to spend money on “planting seeds,” maybe start with actual seeds. At least when those fail, you’re out $20, not $2,000. And when they succeed, you get salsa ingredients, not just a sense of accomplishment.

The best investment? Buy seeds (both kinds) but actually do the work. Your garden won’t grow from watching gardening videos, and your wealth won’t grow from buying courses about wealth.

Plant, water, show up consistently, and actually harvest what you grow. That’s the real secret to seed money—literal or metaphorical.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some tomatoes to plant and some unused online courses to feel guilty about.