The best things in life aren't always free, but the garden generally gives you a lot of free or nearly free return for your investment.

I have to stop and remind myself of that after the sticker shock of realizing I've emptied my pockets of cash at the farmers market buying this year's herbs, tomatoes and hanging pots. Sure, each 60-cent tomato plant is likely to yield plenty of payback, but right now it can feel like it's just cash out the door.

Then I look around at all the stuff in my garden that's free.

Free salad: Let one mustard plant go to seed and you'll have a forest of fresh micro greens for a salad whether you wanted it or not. An arugula plant also self-sowed, so I had the start of several meals' worth of tossed salad. I have four volunteer tomato seedlings going, as well, so someday it really will be a free mixed salad.

Free water: The recent downpours have more than filled our rain barrel.

Free nature show: Herding the tiniest of bunnies around the yard while weeding provides me prime entertainment, although it can have its scary moments. I really had to be careful where I brought down a hoe.

Free exercise: Uff da. It might not get you your 10,000 steps, but hoeing, weeding, digging and moving around big bags of weeds definitely counts for something.

Free perennials: Some ghost ferns I bought years ago definitely won't give up the ghost. Same with the bleeding hearts, now bobbing their deep pink blooms in many places I didn't plant them. If a perennial spreads aggressively where you don't want it, pull it for the weed it is. Otherwise, dig it up and use it to fill a gap.

Either way, it's free.