Most Cost Effective Plants To Grow In Your Garden

While gardening has been steadily increasing in popularity, especially smaller-scale home gardening, many families wonder what gardening has to offer them.

Of course, there are numerous benefits to growing plants, including the satisfying feeling of watching them grow, the mental benefits of taking care of them, and the idea of having a hobby to get you up and moving. 

However, many families love gardening, and gardening for food in particular, due to how cost-effective it is for them. Gardening and growing vegetables, herbs, and fruit is a great way to save money at the grocery and make delicious meals at the same time.

Following are some of the most cost effective plants you can grow right in your own garden this year.

Most Cost-Effective Plants To Grow In Your Garden

Vegetables

Vegetables serve as the cornerstone of both a good diet as well as a good food garden. There are tons of veggies that are easy to grow at home right in your own garden. Whether eaten on their own or used in a favorite recipe, these veggies offer tons of dining utility.

Lettuce & Other Leafy Greens

Oftentimes, you can get a seed packet for lettuce or other leafy greens such as cabbage for about half the price of a head of lettuce. Further, one packet of seeds can sustain you through the entire summer depending on the yield and harvest.

Further, lettuce is super useful in all sorts of dishes. Many families make their own salads with lettuce. Also consider how many types of sandwiches use lettuce as well. Lettuce offers tons of utility and is a great addition to any home garden.

Also consider that lettuce is a ‘cut and come again’ plant. This means that if only the leaves are trimmed the lettuce will continue to produce for quite some time. Because of this you can cut just enough from your lettuce for a recipe and come back later to collect more!

Green Beans

Once you start growing your own fresh green beans, store bought simply won’t cut it anymore. Green beans make for tasty side dishes and are staples of many families’ holiday season.

Further they can be canned or frozen and eaten out of season meaning you won’t have to chance it at the grocery store anymore. There are a few different types of green beans all with different flavors. 

However, if you are looking at the best and most cost effective yield I recommend pole beans as they are able to produce over a much longer period of time than are bush green beans.

Herbs 

Herbs are a staple of every kitchen, but they can be pricey at the store. Further, finding them in of itself can be a difficult task at times. However, herbs can be grown right in your own garden.

Aside from their high retail price, herbs are cost-effective as they are pretty hardy plants that can be grown almost anywhere. Further, they are not very enticing to pests so the likelihood of higher yields is greater with herbs than other plants. 

There are all sorts of herbs you can grow, from chivest to parsley, basil, and thyme. All of these plants can be grown outdoors in the garden or inside on a windowsill. They are small plants, but you only need one or two of each to last you nearly all year round.

Plus, depending on the herb there are several ways to preserve them for later use. Basil, for instance, can be frozen and thawed out at a later time. Herbs are the perfect food to grow in your garden as they are incredibly cost effective and used in a wide variety of recipes.

Fruit

While not as easy to grow as are vegetables, there are still a few types of fruit you can grow right at home.

Tomatoes

While really only on this list as a technicality, that does not detract from how incredible tomatoes are to grow. Often store-bought tomatoes can be bruised or go bad quickly, but you will not have to worry about that when you grow your own.

There are all sorts of tomatoes that you can grow, and they are incredibly versatile as they can be grown nearly anywhere. If you are planting them in a garden you will need to invest in some tomato cages for the tomatoes to grow on.

Tomatoes can also be grown in flower beds, containers, and even hanging baskets. They are an incredibly versatile fruit and you can can them in all sorts of recipes to preserve them for later.

You can even make your own sauces which can be pricey at the store, and taste even better when you make them at home. Tomato plants also have higher yields than other plants giving you more for your dollar in the long run.

Raspberries & Blackberries

Berries can be very pricey at the store, even when they are in season. They can cost upwards of five dollars for a small tub of berries. However, berry bushes are super easy to grow and don’t take up too much space.

You can get a lot of berries from a single bush, and blackberries and raspberries are bursting with flair. Whether you eat them on their own or in a recipe such as pies they are guaranteed to taste great.

Plus, you can even use them in drink recipes and some people even make wine out of them. However, that takes a lot of berries to do which means a lot of space will be taken up. However, if you are up for it it can be a great idea. 

Planting your own food is not only a satisfying, and not to mention delicious experience, but it is also economically smart. With the rising cost of foods, why not grow your own to enjoy?

With the ideas on this list, you can find the perfect mix of veggies, herbs, and fruits to grow in your garden and produce your very own mouth-watering food to enjoy.