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A couple of friends of mine asked me recently: given the price of some vegetables at the grocery store, are they really worth growing at home? Should you spend more time and effort on cash that is very expensive at the store?
Of course, gardening isn’t always just about saving money, but you have to consider how much space and time you need to devote to your vegetable patch. You might just decide to buy your sprouts rather than put in the effort.
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What is “worth the effort” to grow?
The easiest way to determine which vegetables are worth growing is to take a quick trip to the grocery store. Write a list of all the vegetables you like to eat the most, then write down which items are the most expensive in the produce section.
Quite simply, vegetables worth growing are those that cost less to grow than to buy.
Where I live in rural Quebec, the cheapest vegetables in the store are cabbage, peas, asparagus, carrots, beets and potatoes.
A standard huge head of collard greens is about $0.99, and I can get two 10-pound bags of potatoes or root vegetables for $5. There’s a pick-your-own asparagus shop down the street where I can fill a huge bag with it for a few bucks, and peas are growing everywhere.
Meanwhile, the most expensive offerings are tomatoes, garlic, lettuce, kale and peppers. So, vegetables that are worth growing in my garden are nightshades, garlic, and tender vegetables.
In contrast, when I lived near Sacramento, the most expensive vegetables were asparagus, peas, corn, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. The weather there just wasn’t conducive to growing cool-weather loving crops like that.
Check supermarket prices and let them inform your garden choices.
Crops that are usually worth it
In addition to which vegetables and herbs are more expensive in your area, the second and third things to consider are how much you like those vegetables and how easy they are to grow.
The average person doesn’t have 70 hours of free time a week to tend and weed their garden. As a result, the most popular and valued vegetables are those that are both prolific and low maintenance. The ones listed below are some of the easiest. They’re delicious, nutritious, and won’t fall apart if you don’t tend to them 24/7.
1. Cherry tomatoes
These easy-to-grow plants do well as long as they have a sunny location and decent soil. You can grow them in pots on balconies or fill a garden with them. Either way, they will produce prolifically and you can harvest them daily for salads, sauces and snacks.
Since heirloom types are often more expensive at the grocery store, grow a wide variety of different shades and save the seeds. Then you can have a veritable rainbow of sweet, juicy gems year after year.
2. Climbing peas
I have had a bad pea crop only once in the past 30 years, due to an outbreak of powdery mildew. Apart from that, these vegetables are among the most productive plants and the least demanding in terms of care.
Water them at ground level and cut off the excess foliage and you won’t have the aforementioned mildew problem. Then harvest them to eat them fresh, or store them, freeze them, or even dry them for winter soups.
3. Pole Beans
These are ideal for the same reasons as above. They are also dual purpose, as you can eat both the young green pods and the mature seed pods inside.
Beans can be quite expensive at the grocery store, depending on your area. As such, they are well worth the effort to grow at home. For best results, grow a variety that has been grown in your area for at least a century.
4. Mixed lettuces
Do you like green salads? Or do you have a salad-loving herbivorous companion? Then dedicate a garden bed to mixed lettuces and go crazy. Lettuces are definitely vegetables worth growing because they are incredibly cheap and easy to grow.
Baby lettuces can be ridiculously expensive at the grocery store, but they’re so easy to grow at home. To prevent them from ascending in hot weather, grow them in a partially shaded location.
5. Radish
These dual purpose plants are ridiculously easy to grow. Choose a smaller variety like ‘Hailstone’ or ‘Cherrybelle’ and sow widely. Thin the seedlings and eat their greens, then harvest the root bulbs when they pop above ground.
Small radishes like these mature in 22 to 27 days. Plant in succession, throwing more seeds every two weeks, and you will harvest steadily until the first snowfall.
6. Green onions
Also known as spring onions or scallions, they grow enthusiastically without too much attention.
As a bonus, they’re easy to grow from store-bought clippings. Once you’ve chopped up the green parts for food, plant the white bulb root side down and water it. A new onion will begin to sprout within a few days. Then you can cut it and use it several times during the season.
7. Zucchini
If you are a big fan of zucchini (zucchini), it is worth growing some on your land. These plants are prolific and will give you the size of zucchini bread, “zuudles” and stir-fries for months. I like to plant them like Cucurbits member of a Three Sisters Guild instead of pumpkins or squash, and end up eating the fruit daily for months.
Just be aware that they are prone to powdery mildew! As such, try growing them vertically and watering them at root level. Also, cut off excess foliage and make sure it doesn’t drag on the ground.
8. Kale
This hardy brassica can be grown in almost any area and is almost always cheaper to grow than to buy. However, kale is prone to bolting in hot weather, so grow it as a spring, fall, or winter crop, depending on where you are. I like to eat it all year round, so in the summer I grow it indoors so it doesn’t go to seed overnight.
Broadcast lots of seeds and harvest some of the young plants as “baby kale” to eat raw. Then let the other plants ripen to braise them, dehydrate them into kale chips or kimchee.
Which vegetables are NOT worth growing?
The vegetables listed below are rarely worth growing.
Your end results will usually not match the time and effort it takes to grow them. They’re prone to a whole host of problems, and you might not get as much out of them as you spend caring for and maintaining them.
That said, if you just love the process or find the results superior, go for it! No harm in trying. Many people have a small field of corn in their garden simply because they like the look and enjoy the few cobs it sprouts.
But if you’re thinking economy, the following might not be the best choice:
1. Cabbage
Sprouts take up an atrocious amount of space and require constant maintenance. You need to cover them to repel cabbage white moths and spray them to prevent worms and borers.
They’re cheap all over the world, so if you really like sauerkraut and kimchi, buy a few heads from the supermarket.
2. Cauliflower
It’s difficult for the same reasons mentioned above, but it’s even more complicated. It has a long growing period and is very picky about temperature variations. It is best grown commercially in greenhouses where the climate can be tightly controlled.
3. Carrots
Carrots can also be incredibly difficult. They need both rich and well-drained soil, so help out if there are stones. You need to water them regularly at the same time each day for them to thrive properly, and they will lock out if there is a heat wave. These tend to be cheap to buy, so why waste yard space?
4. Corn
Unless you have a significant amount of land to farm, corn is simply not worth the effort. They are large plants prone to a wide range of pests and diseases, and you only get two or three spikes per plant.
You need to grow at least 20 in a grid for wind pollination to be successful, and even then only half of the ears are likely to develop fully.
5. Celery
This finicky vegetable will not thrive if there are not enough nutrients in the soil. In particular, it needs a lot of calcium and boron, so heaven help you if you haven’t amended your soil enough for its restlessness.
If you love the flavor of celery but don’t have the patience to grow your plants, grow lovage instead. It has a similar flavor, but is a low maintenance perennial that will thrive even if you neglect it.
6. Eggplant
Oh, look: one that doesn’t start with the letter “c”.
While tomatoes are super easy to grow, these cousins of the nightshade (also called eggplant) are the complete opposite. They are incredibly picky about temperature changes and are prone to a host of pests and diseases.
Unless you live in one of the driest and hottest states in the southern United States, or are in the Mediterranean, don’t worry. You will end up getting frustrated and screaming with plants that are buried and covered in flea beetle holes.
Which of these plants are worth growing for you? If you live in Italy or South America, you can probably get fresh tomatoes anytime, but radishes and peas might be more valuable. Grow what you love and can save money on, and your harvest will be well worth the time and effort.
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