Grow Your Own Food

Growing your own food is not only satisfying, in uncertain times, it offers comfort and adds homegrown nutrients to our tables.  As we look to our own gardens for sustaining ourselves and our families and friends, what are some of the most advantageous items we can grow to get the most out of our efforts?

What are some of the easiest to grow garden staples?

Whether you are new to gardening or you want to take a window garden to the next level, the following options are some of the easiest to grow.  Growing your own food should be rewarding, and when you choose any or all of these, you are almost assured success. These plants are typically garden staples everywhere for a reason – they are some of the simplest to grow:

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Root vegetables such as carrots and radishes
• Bell Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Green Beans
• Squash/Zucchini
• Herbs

I know some of the easiest garden staples to grow, but what are some of the fastest growing?

When we grow our own food, we often like to stagger our harvest, extending the life of the availability of fresh food for as long as possible. Bearing in mind differences in climate, soil types, and growing seasons these are some of the growing options that can get food from your garden to your table the fastest:

• Arugula
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Radishes
• Turnips
• Spring Onions
• Cucumber
• Squash/Zucchini
• Snow Peas
• Green Beans
• Herbs

Notice a pattern? It turns out, many of the easiest to grow are also some of the fastest!

I want to make sure I am getting long term output from as much of my garden as I can.  What are some great options that will produce for the longest amount of time?

Simply put, long term output means plants that will produce for longer periods of time, whether it is because they can be cut and grown anew (several leafy greens fit this bill) or because the plant itself produces over a long period of time (think tomatoes and cucumbers to start). If you are looking for ideas that will give you the most bang for your buck and offer a vast variety of options from eating fresh to freezing or canning, you can’t go wrong with any of these:

• Tomatoes
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Onions
• Lettuces
• Snow Peas
• Cucumbers
• Green Beans
• Spinach

Again…do you notice a pattern? Several of these crops fit all three of these categories and are extremely versatile.  Planting any or all of these in your garden not only provides fresh produce, but many of the basic ingredients for things like salsa, sauces, smoothies, pickled vegetables, soups, casseroles and so much more. The opportunities are endless once you begin growing your own food and the satisfaction you feel knowing you provided it for yourself is worth the effort! All you need is good soil, sunlight, rain/water, the right space for you (whatever that may be wherever you are) and the faith that you can absolutely be successful!

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