While the cost of living never seems to go down, you can make a decent dent in your grocery bill by growing some of your own produce. Many common fruits and vegetables are suitable for home gardens — some with outstanding yields. Here we will focus on how to get the most food out of your yard with some impressive producers that are also easy to grow.
Apples
America’s favorite fruit is also among the most heavily laden with pesticides; yet this charming tree was a traditional homestead fruit since colonial times, and lends itself to home gardening without chemicals.
While you may think you need to have a large plot to grow trees, today most apples are available on dwarf root-stock. This means that the same amazing apples can be grown on a smaller-than-standard tree – one that could fit in your front or back yard! Even small trees can produce up to a bushel of apples each year, and the trees could last a lifetime. Assume $50 per young tree and you can calculate the savings.
Of the thousands of apple varieties grown in the US and around the world, there’s sure to be some that suit your fancy. Most apples require a partner for pollination, so choose two compatible trees (ones that flower at the same time). To boost your chances of success, research for disease resistant varieties and growing preferences before you buy.
Prepare your soil ahead of time by amending with nourishing organic matter and ensuring good drainage. Bare-root trees are a great choice if you don’t want chemical fertilizer to come along with your young tree – just be prepared to plant it quickly after it arrives.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
With a little TLC, before long, you may have more apples than you know what to do with. Other than storing them in a cool place for the winter, you can make applesauce, apple butter, dried apple chips, apple cider vinegar, or even freeze prepared apples for future pies.
Cucumbers
Summer produce typically tastes best straight from the garden, and cucumbers are no exception. Home gardeners can enjoy varieties of sweet, tender cucumbers that are seldom seen in grocery stores. Easy to grow and quick to produce, these prolific plants not only provide ample fruits for fresh eating, but also possibilities for pickling.
If you’re short on space, you’re in luck. Cucumber plants are vines that can (and often should) be grown on a trellis. Trellising does not have to be complicated — just a simple structure for the curling tendrils to latch onto and climb — keeping the fruit off the ground and making it easier to harvest. If harvested at around one and a half inches in diameter, English and Asian varieties can produce over a dozen long, thin-skinned, seedless cucumbers. For the one that got away and became huge, let it ripen (turn yellow) and collect its hundreds of seeds.
Pickling cucumbers are not just small ordinary cucumbers — they are their own variety of cucumbers especially suited for preservation. These smaller plants don’t have the same climbing tendency, but they can be tied up to a trellis for your convenience. Pickling cucumbers should be harvested between two and four inches in length, preferably collecting the same size for any given batch. For classic dill pickles, try lactic acid fermentation.
Herbs
Most herbs are easy to grow but expensive to buy, so it’s worth cultivating whatever herbs you use most frequently. For instance:
- Basil grows readily from seed, is happy in pots and can be harvested through the summer months. If you buy young basil plants, you will likely get enough to fill several pots. They should be separated and spread out out to just a few plants per one gallon container. Regular harvest will provide you with enough pesto in the freezer to last through the winter.
- Oregano is an aromatic perennial that can be grown in protected pots or in the ground, where it will slowly spread. Harvest multiple times before flowering by snipping the top few inches off the whole plant. This is an excellent herb for drying.
- Parsley is a biennial of the carrot family. Given enough space (eight inches per plant) and moist, fertile soil, parsley will produce many successive bunches of sprigs throughout the growing season. Plants that survive the winter will go to flower and produce seed the following season.
Onions
Americans use a lot of onions — exceeding the global per capita consumption by about 50 percent at over 21 pounds per year. Since onions are a long-storage crop, it would be possible to grow your own onions to last the whole year!
Potato onions
Potato onions are a forgotten favorite among multiplier onions. Similar to shallots, this heirloom strain produces several small to medium-sized onions from one tiny bulb, making it one of the most productive onions for home gardeners. Plant them in the spring, but not too deep. Like most alliums, potato onions grow on the surface of the soil.
After harvest potato onions should be separated and stored in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Sort out any that show signs of mold on the skin and use them first, as they will not store well. If you have any that go to seed, save it and share it! These onions are rare and hard to find, and dreadfully under-utilized.
Bunching onions
If you’re into Asian cooking, you might use more green onions. These non-bulbing alliums can actually be grown as perennials since they also multiply, or “bunch.” Also called Welsh onions or scallions, they can be grown from seed in the spring. In the summer you can begin cutting or carefully uprooting individual stalks. As long as you leave some in the ground, they will multiply and save you from sowing more seed next year.
Pole beans
Another great producer for minimal space is the pole bean. These prolific legumes are easy to pick and offer a continuous harvest from late spring deep into the fall. As vigorous vines, they require a trellis of six feet or higher, and walking space sufficient for maneuvering around the leafy green wall while you pick your beans.
As long as you’re at it, you may as well try one of the colorful heirloom varieties and expand your horizons regarding “green” beans.
Potatoes
Potatoes are fun to grow because harvesting them is a veritable treasure hunt; and considering that you can get up to five pounds of potatoes per plant, the treasure is nothing to sneeze at!
Potatoes come from potatoes — that’s what the “eyes” are for. Cut sprouting potatoes into golf-ball sized quarters or halves, and place them four inches deep in fertile, well-drained soil. Successive plantings of potatoes can give you both a summer and fall crop. Carefully dig the potatoes up after the plant has died back.
Sweet potatoes give similar yields, but require more space for the sprawling character of the vine. That said, the leaves and stems are nutritious and delicious to eat, and can be harvested modestly without harming the tubers.
Squash
Summer squash like zucchini might be one of the least popular vegetables, but that’s probably because people let them get too big. Another prolific producer, zucchinis should be harvested daily at their peak, when the fruits are small and tender. One plant can yield up to 30 little zucchinis.
Winter squash like pumpkins and butternut are best when mature. Each plant will produce fewer squash but they will be large, dense and sweet – perfect for winter storage.
Check the habit of your squash variety when planning your home garden. Summer squash are generally characterized as “bush” varieties, while many winter squash will grow on sprawling vines. These can be trellised to save space.
Swiss chard
Swill chard is a leafy green of the Amaranthaceae family. It is similar in flavor and nutrition to its cousin spinach, but unlike this one-hit wonder, a single Swiss chard plant can yield 6-8 pounds of greens through the season.
Equally happy in hot or cool weather, Swiss chard can be grown in full sun to partial shade. Start seeds indoors or sow them directly in the ground after all danger of frost. Mature plants should be spaced about eight inches apart.
Although it can be eaten raw, Swiss chard has a slightly stronger flavor than spinach and is usually cooked. Harvest the outer leaves by cutting the leaf stalks close to the base. The thick stalks are perfectly edible, but take a little longer to cook than the greens. Extra Swiss chard can be cooked and packed in the freezer for future soups, quiches and, my personal favorite, palak paneer!
Turnips
Alas, many Americans turn up their noses at the thought of turnips, but hear me out for half a minute. Turnips are equally eager-to-please and forgiving. They sprout up from seed sown early in the spring and again in the fall, producing a bounty of beautiful cooking greens on top of a tender, yet nutritionally-dense, bulb-like root.
Less spicy than radishes, and less sweet than beets, turnip roots have a mildly pungent flavor that sweetens with cooking. This versatile member of the Brassica (cabbage) family can be mashed, caramelized, roasted, baked au gratin, cooked in soups, or even harvested young to use raw in salads; in fact some varieties are specially bred for this.
One of the earliest cultivated vegetables, turnips were grown by Neolithic farmers and are still favored in many countries around the world. For the tiny cost of a seed packet that will last for years, and minimal effort on your part, I think it’s time you tried growing turnips.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are the world’s most popular fruit, with production approaching 200 million tons per year. Delicious fresh, cooked, and sun-dried, tomatoes make it into more foods than you might realize — and they are not hard to grow. In fact, if you toss a rotten tomato out in your yard, dozens of seedlings will eventually emerge from it.
Of the thousands of different tomato varieties available, I suggest something small for home gardeners.
Dwarf tomatoes are excellent for small spaces. They produce full-size fruit on a compact plant that can be container-grown. One of the biggest concerns with tomatoes is keeping the critters out of them, and container grown plants are much easier to protect.
Alternatively, small-fruiting varieties tend to be extremely prolific with their sprawling vines. Cherries are notoriously heavy producers, but you can also find something in between to serve as a multi-purpose tomato, producing bunches of bunches of small to medium-sized tomatoes. This way there’s enough for you and the chipmunks, too.
Small fruit has other advantages, as well. Unlike the great big fruits, it won’t break and bruise under its own weight, and can even tolerate some stacking; plus it is often preferable to use a whole small tomato than to use a half a large one, since the quality of the second half will deteriorate quickly.
Is home gardening worth the work?
Aside from saving some money, growing your own produce gives you control over its chemical content. Organic practices employ natural means to control pests, disease and weeds; thus nurturing the Earth and giving you a healthier product in the end. In addition, gardening is a fulfilling and wholesome activity that helps keep you physically fit and spiritually grounded.
