30 easiest foods to grow at home (starting now)

Winner, are you looking for some of the easiest foods to grow at home?

Then you’re reading the right post. Because I’m about to share with you 30 foods to enrich your diet. While saving you TONS of money at the same time. (Because now you can strike these foods off your grocery list.)

Have you read these 15 reasons to grow your own food? Because they’ll definitely inspire you to start a backyard garden.

Now, with a little bit of space. Research. Experimenting. Patience. And love, you can grow your own foods at home.

And as far as research is concerned, the internet has plenty.

In fact, University of Delaware teaches you how to grow your own food by providing information on way more than 30 foods. So, feast your creativity.

OK. Great. Your next question might be: What exactly can you grow, especially if you’re just a beginner at growing your own food?

To answer your question here are:

30 easiest foods to grow at home with successful results

Food #1: Tomato

If you set aside seeds from just one tomato fruit, you can grow a multitude of tomatoes.

And if you give your tomatoes at least 6 hours of sun every single day, they’ll give you a bountiful harvest.

In addition to growing my own tomatoes, my yard is scattered with cherry tomato plants that have mysteriously and miraculously planted themselves.

In fact, we went the last few MONTHS of 2022 without buying a single tomato. And saved as much as $1.50 per kg of tomatoes. (Make that 5 or 6 times a month. And you can see how much we saved).

I’ve gone back to replanting the tomatoes (I should do better to ensure a continuous harvest from now onwards).

Food #2: Bell pepper

Bell peppers tend to be one of the most expensive vegetables in your grocery list. (At least $2 for a kg).

So, make the most of that one bell-pepper by harvesting its seeds and planting them.

Just like with tomatoes, you can directly sow the fresh seeds, water them, and wait for them to sprout.

Food #3: Zucchini

You can definitely grow zucchini in containers.

But the plant tends to spread wild quickly.

So make sure your container is either big enough, or you can support your plant so it grows vertically.

Food #4: Watermelon & melon

Watermelon

You need only a single seed to produce tens of watermelon fruits. Which is why watermelon is one of your easiest foods to grow at home.

Watermelons can do with just rain water (so NO extra water costs).

But prepare to control their spread, because they do spread over a wide area.

During the harvest season, we sell watermelons from our family farm for at least $2 per fruit. (Imagine the cost for bigger fruits).

And think about how much you can save just by growing your own.

Melon

Melons are similar to watermelons.

However; the obvious difference between the two is that watermelon seeds are randomly spread within the inside of the fruit, while melon seeds are only concentrated in the center

Melons offer unmatched nutritional benefits. And even better, they are one of the easiest food to grow at home.

A single melon (which tends to be a lot bigger than a watermelon) can easily cost you over $3 at the grocery store. Or your local farmer’s market.

Food #5: Maize/corn

If you’re looking for one of the easiest foods to grow at home, then maize/corn is your answer.

And that’s because corn is one of those foods that never fails, once the seed is in good soil. And water is available

Make sure the soil is well-tilled, so the roots can penetrate the soil deeply.

Also, allow for at least 30cm spacing between your maize plants.

With these two growing conditions, you’ll harvest sturdy and bigger cobs.

If you grow your own, you can dogde the cost of at least $0.50 per cob.

Food #6: Beans

Here at home, I grow black-eyed peas.

By the way, did know that you can grow bean plants for the:

In fact, in my culture, we mass harvest the leaves, boil them, and then dry them out in the sun. And that produces dried greens we can eat for years without going bad.

Also, you can start harvesting the beans when the pods are green. To garish your salads.

Or you can also wait for the beans in the pods to mature. And eat the beans straight out of the pots.

Or you can wait for the bean pods to dry out on the plant. Mass harvest them. And collect the dry beans inside. The kind you get in the store shelves.

My family sells a 11oz cup of dried beans for almost $1.00. (For a family of 3 adults, you’ll need at least 2 cups per meal).

Food #7: Potato & sweet potato

Potato

Just a single potato with at least 1 eye can get you started on growing potatoes.

For a bountiful harvest, ensure that you constantly hill your potato plants (heap soil around the stem as it grows to make room for the potatoes tubers to grow both in number and size).

I’m determined to enjoy a harvest of potatoes sometime before the end of 2023 (come hell or high water).

1kg of potatoes will cost you a little over $1.

With the current shortage of potatoes in my country plus the rampant inflation, that amount is close to triple!

Sweet potato

You’ll be surprised to hear that you need only a branch to grow a bountiful produce.

A year and a half years ago, I got a branch from a kind woman in the neighborhood. Stuck it in the soil. Let the rain work its magic on it.

And today I enjoy sweet potatoes the size of my head. And save as much as $0.50 for a single potato.

For even better harvest, make a tall soil heap for your sweet potato plant.

Also, be prepared to have your sweet potatoes spread over a wide area.

Unless you want to limit them to a particular surface area. In which case, you’ll just cull the excess.

Food #8: Okra

Out of the 10 okra seeds you sow into the ground, you can be sure to get 10 sprouts. Yes. Okra almost never fails. And that’s why it made it into our list of easiest foods to grow at home.

Okra doesn’t require a lot of water to grow. But it does require some sun.

Make sure to harvest your pods before they become woody and therefore not palatable.

I can’t even remember the last time I saw okra sold in any of our grocery stores. So, growing your own really is an advantage.

Food #9: Beetroot

In our grocery stores, you can get 1kg of beetroots for more than $2.

But get this: for the same amount, you can get a sachet of beetroot seeds to last you more than a year with continuous planting and harvesting.

You can definitely plant your beetroots in containers. Or on the direct ground.

And now you can enjoy your beetroot plant both for its:

Food #10: Squash & pumpkin

Just chucking dishwater with a seed in it can go on to produce a great harvest.

Be prepared to control the spread of your squash plant.

You can choose from many varieties of squash, of course.

Food #11: Carrots

You’ll spend a little bit over $1 to get 1kg of carrots here. And they’ll probably last you two weeks maximum (days, if you’re a rabbit, like me).

So, why not buy a sachet of carrot seeds for about $2 instead? Because it can easily carry you the whole year, if not more (with continuous planting and harvesting).

Make sure the soil is soft enough for the roots to grow downward in a straight fashion. Just so you avoid deformed carrots.

Food #12: Cabbage

A cabbage head will cost you anywhere between $1 and $2, depending on the size. So, why not buy seeds instead?

Growing cabbage is strikingly similar to growing cauliflower, as they are cousins.

You can use either containers, or sow the seeds directly into the ground.

You can harvest the head while it’s still small, or wait until it’s larger.

Food #13: Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of those veggies that stores tend to overprice. (Close to $2 for a small head.)

So I grow my own cauliflowers in containers.

You need a lot of patience with cauliflowers because they can take more than 3 months before they are ready to eat.

But cultivating your soil constantly will help them along.

Food #14: Lettuce

Both head lettuce and loose leaf lettuce are easy to grow.

But I prefer loose leaf lettuce because the harvest time comes sooner. And I can get multiple, consecutive harvests out of one growing batch.

In our stores, we get loose leaf lettuce as part of pre-packaged salads (stay away from those because of the price which can easily top $2 for a small bag).

And instead, buy your own seeds at $2 and plant your own lettuce.

You can easily grow loose leaf lettuce in a small container.

Food #15: Cucumber

You can grow cucumbers vertically if you live in a small space.

You’ll get one cucumber for about $1 at the grocery store.

But a sachet of deeds ($2) will easily last you more than a year.

Food #16: Spinach

Spinach can do well both in containers and on the direct ground (I have mine on both).

But because birds love its soft leaves, you might need to put a net over your spinach, if you have the spinach on the open ground. Especially while the plants are still young.

If you grow your own spinach, you can dodge the $0.50 the grocery store usually charges for a small bundle.

Food #17: Kale

Kale is less susceptible to birds and rats than spinach. And that means you can get away with growing it on open ground without a net.

But be on the lookout for smaller pests.

You can enjoy multiple harvests for more than three months from one growing batch.

Just like with spinach, by growing your own kale, you can dodge the $0.50 charge by grocery stores.

Food #18: Lemon & Orange

Lemon

Lemons are a staple in many dishes. They are also a remedy for colds and flus. And an essential in many beauty treatments.

You’ll probably have to wait for a few years for your lemon tree to mature.

But once it does, you’re good to go for many years to come.

We have a lemon tree in our front yard that is currently laden with lemons slowly turning from green to yellow, soon to be fully ripe in early June.

So, soon I’ll dodge the $0.30 cost grocery stores charge for a single lemon.

Orange

Growing oranges is not at all different from growing lemons.

From my neighbor’s yard, I enjoy juicy oranges from two large trees every year from July to August.

Now you can load up on your vitamin C.

When in season, you can get an orange for about $0.10. And maybe about $2 off season.

University of Washington shares these powerful health benefits of citrus fruits.

Food #19: Ginger

Ginger is one of those foods you want to have in your garden because it has a myriad of uses.

If you sturggle with space, ginger can grow very well in containers.

Just plant a ginger stem with at least one eye in good penetrable soil. Water it. And wait for it to shoot.

Ginger is one of those steeply-priced foods at the grocery store. So, you’ll save a lot of money by growing your own.

Food #20: Onion & garlic

Onion

Onions are a great addition to your backyard garden.

Because they add flavour to your dishes. And act as a repellant to rats and other nuisances.

And you can enjoy onions both for their leaves and bulbs.

1kg of spring onions will cost you about $1.50 at the grocery store.

Garlic

A single bulb of garlic can give you at least 10 cloves for replanting.

Garlic does very well in containers. Just plant each clove. Water. And wait for the sprouts.

Buying garlic can weigh heavily on your wallet. So, growing your own really does save you money.

Food #21: Sweetreed/sugar cane

You’d benefit from having a few stalks of these in your backyard garden.

Rain water alone is enough to mature your plants.

And you can enjoy fresh sugar cane. Make syrup. Or even air-dry it and enjoy it as dried fruit.

Food #22: Pomegranate

A pomegranate tree is one of the least labor intensive plants to have in your yard.

But every year, it will produce a massive harvest for you.

I enjoy pomegranates from at least two of my neighbors.

Food #23: Strawberry & Mulberry

Strawberry

If you’re working with a limited space, containers work great for strawberries.

The strawberry plant tends to flourish wide, so do provide space for that.

And harvest your strawberries as soon as they get ripe. Or you’ll lose them to ants.

Mulberry

I say mulberry is one of those easiest foods to grow at home because it doesn’t require your attention at all. Nature alone can tend to your mulberry plant.

In fact, watering it can reduce the sugar content of the little fruits.

Just prune and trim it once in a while for a nicer appearance.

Food #24: Guava

I’m currently enjoying a harvest of guavas from my neighbor’s yard.

Sow your seed. Water occasionally. Wait patiently for a few years. And then you can enjoy a juicy harvest.

Food #25: Peach

Almost every yard in my part of the world has a peach tree.

All you need to do is water it once in a while.

But rats love peaches.

So you’ll have to find a way to keep your fruits safe.

This past year, I watched rats go through more than 200 peaches on our tree. And left nothing.

Food #26: Chili pepper

Bury a few seeds from the fruit itself. Water. And allow it to grow.

And now you can add a spicy touch to your dishes.

Food #27: Peanuts

Just like you ‘hill’ your potatoes and sweet potatoes, so you should do the same for your peanuts.

The larger the hill around your plant, the more peanuts you’ll harvest.

Food #28: Grapes

Grapes are definitely one of the easiest foods to grow at home because you can grow them in a very small space.

If you get creative with supporting the branches, then you can enjoy a huge harvest in a small space.

And grapes don’t come in cheap at the grocery store. So, growing your own is a real bargain.

Food #29: Granadilla

If you learn to get creative with supporting granadilla branches, just like with grapes, you can get a huge harvest in a very small space.

I actually don’t remember ever seeing granadilla sold in any of our stores here. Which is all the more reason to grow your own.

Food #30: Herbs

• Mint,

• parsley,

• thyme,

are only a few of the many herbs you can easily grow at home.

Here in my part of the world, we have indigenous herbs growing uninvited in our yards.

Talk about a miracle!

Final thoughts

This post lists 30 easiest foods to grow at home so you can take control of your diet while saving tons of money at the same time. All you need is a little bit of space. Research. Experimenting. Patience. And love as you figure out what works and what doesn’t.

I hope you enjoyed our list. Please remember to share your feedback with us by commenting.

By sharing your feedback, you can inspire another Winner out there to also grow their own foods. So they can take charge of both their diet and their wallet.

Last but not least, remember that it’s your journey. So, there’s no rush. No right or wrong. Only progress.

Also, remember that in everything you do, you’re a Winner. And in everything that happens, your life is always a win!