Potatoes grow in small spaces and don’t require a lot of attention, but they won’t save you much money.
I think the most bang for your buck home garden are things you wouldn’t buy because they are too expensive but can grow easily. Herbs are a good choice.
In my garden I mix those with things that are cheap, but fun:
asparagus (perennial, almost zero effort, get a few delicious means out of the 5 plants we have each year)
fresh beans (easy to grow if they don’t get eaten by various garden mammals) and not something I usually buy fresh.
dried beans (not a good use of a small space because the yield is low compared to fresh beans but super fun)
potatoes (fun, use last year’s as seed and augment)
sweet potatoes (fun, still producing them from slips I bought in 2022.)
tomatoes (local fresh tomatoes are outside of my budget in general except for the ones I buy for canning in September)
garlic (very, very low effort and I use last year’s as seed)
carrots (fun and delicious)
raspberries (I never buy fresh berries, and the raspberries need nothing more than pruning in the spring)
weed (almost free weed rules)
I don’t grow lettuce or most leafy greens because I have a slug problem (no advice please) but have hydro lettuce on my “want to try list”.
I just planted some. The packet said not to harvest the first year, harvest lightly the second, and then it’s party time. Kind of intimidating, honestly, to need to keep it alive that long.
Potatoes grow in small spaces and don’t require a lot of attention, but they won’t save you much money.
I think the most bang for your buck home garden are things you wouldn’t buy because they are too expensive but can grow easily. Herbs are a good choice.
In my garden I mix those with things that are cheap, but fun:
I don’t grow lettuce or most leafy greens because I have a slug problem (no advice please) but have hydro lettuce on my “want to try list”.
That’s quite a big list. Thanks for taking the time.
Check out the gardening communities! People are doing some really cool stuff and it’s nice to be inspired as you plan your own garden.
I’m going to try asparagus, I’m also able growing a ton of zero effort food.
My front yard is crazy dry and has a fair bit of sun. That makes it bad for most crops but asparagus loves it!
I just planted some. The packet said not to harvest the first year, harvest lightly the second, and then it’s party time. Kind of intimidating, honestly, to need to keep it alive that long.
Lmao we were so scared about stressing it after keeping it alive for so long that we waited 4 years before taking any substantial amount.
That might be where I end up too!