If you’re like most people, you’re always looking for ways to save money. One great way to do that is by growing your own vegetables. Not only will you reduce what you are currently spending at the market, but you’ll also get the satisfaction of knowing exactly what’s in your vegetables. your own food. But what vegetables should you grow? After all, you want to choose plants that are easy to care for and that will produce a bountiful harvest. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are some of the best vegetables to grow to save money in a home garden.
Table of Contents
Radishes/ Beets
Both of these are reasonably easy to grow. If your family loves radishes it’s one of the easiest wins for new gardeners. You can harvest in about 30 days and aren’t prone to pest problems.
Beets and radishes grow very similarly. However, beets take a bit longer to grow. Most beet varieties take 45 to 90 days from seed to harvest. Beets are high in iron and are considered a very nutrient-dense food.
Seasoning
I say seasoning in general, instead of one particular type of seasoning because it really depends on your preference. In most cases, you can grow your own from the pieces you’ve purchased. Every home chef knows fresh seasoning can truly elevate a meal. In most cases, you can grow all the seasoning you need at home. How much of what you grow really depends on what seasonings you use most at home.
Pak Choi
For new gardeners, pak choi is always my go-to for leafy greens. They tend to be more heat tolerant than most lettuce varieties and are less likely to bolt. Aside from leaf miners, they don’t have a lot of pest problems and in about 6 weeks you can either harvest the entire pak choi or harvest the outer leaves. For home use, the latter is preferred since you can continue feeding your family from a single crop for months.
Pack Choi is high in iron and is more nutritionally dense than lettuce.
Potatoes/ Sweet Potatoes
For most home gardeners one of the things we don’t grow enough of is our carbs. Luckily potatoes and sweet potatoes are something you can grow in a half barrel. I highly recommend including this in your home garden. What type of potatoes will depend on your climate and dietary preferences. Both Sweet potatoes and regular (Irish) potatoes take about 3 to 4 months to harvest. The benefit of growing potatoes is that they store very well. Once stored correctly they can last for months before being used.
Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A. Different potato varieties have different nutritional values. If you are interested in growing more exotic varieties it would be worth researching the nutritional value ideal temperatures since these can vary from one variety to another.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are the vegetable most home gardeners seem to be interested in. There are so many heirloom varieties of tomatoes you could never get bored. While it’s not the easiest of vegetables to grow, it’s not the hardest either. Be sure to check the temperature tolerance so you choose a variety that is suitable for your climate.
Peppers
Peppers are something most households use fairly regularly. In our home, a week doesn’t go by where we don’t use peppers in some form. I personally prefer sweet peppers, because I don’t eat spicy foods but if your home uses a lot of hot pepper then growing these may be a better option. When planting peppers don’t plant different varieties too close to each other. This can lead to cross-pollination.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately what you decide to grow really depends on a lot of factors including your climate and personal preferences. If you are interested in a detailed exercise on deciding what to grow at home this article is for you.
Certain vegetables I left out because of difficulty. Anything in the brassica family (cabbages, cauliflower or broccoli) can be more challenging for new gardeners. Additionally, most fruits either grow on trees or pick up a lot of space and have longer times to harvest that the suggestions I’ve posted in this article. While you can grow just about anything, I’ve narrowed the list to what I thought would give the most value when it comes to cost, frequency of use and harvest times.
Is there anything you would have included that I didn’t? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
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