4 Things to Grow in Your Garden That Save Money on Groceries

Everyone’s always looking to do good for the planet while simultaneously saving money, and a garden can help you do both! Growing the following items in your home garden can help you spend less when you visit the grocery store.

Herbs, Herbs, and More Herbs

Herbs are one of the best things you can grow in your garden to save you money throughout the season. This is for a few reasons. First, many herbs can be easily preserved or frozen to be used well past the date they stop growing in your garden. Herbs are typically very versatile. For instance, basil can be preserved in a variety of ways that don’t include turning it into pesto or freezing it. Alternatively, it can be preserved by making it into jelly, using it to infuse oil or honey, or drying it and using it in homemade spices.

Another reason that it’s advantageous to grow herbs in your garden is because they’re very easy to grow and typically have a high success rate. Herbs are rarely bothered by garden pests and can be easily grown in large quantities. From basil to mint to rosemary to thyme, growing herbs is one way to have a bountiful garden and to save money.

Tomatoes

Another versatile addition to any garden is tomato plants. These come in different forms, from cherry tomatoes to slicing tomato varieties. Particularly heirloom tomatoes will allow you to see savings, as they’re likely to be harvested time and time again and usually cost, on average, three to four dollars per pound at grocery stores.

One reason that these are a strategic item to plant when trying to save money is because they have a long harvest season, meaning you’ll be able to pick tomatoes time and time again from the spring to the fall. Another great reason to plant these has to do with the little upkeep needed once these are initially planted. Most tomato plants only need a little watering.

Tomatoes are delicious all year round, but the summer is a particularly great time to enjoy their sweet flavor. In a summer salad, on top of a freshly grilled burger, or in a fluffy omelette are just some of the ways your homegrown tomatoes can add flavor to a meal.

Lettuce

For families that eat a lot of salads and veggies, lettuce is the gift that keeps on giving in your garden. This goes for lettuce in all forms, and there certainly are a lot of different types to choose from. These plants are known to produce leaves as long as the weather remains at least mild, making it a money saver and a plant that gets you a lot of bang for your buck.

Plus, once you cut grown leaves off a lettuce plant, more leaves grow in their places, make it a “cut and come again” kind of plant. This is especially true if you pick the large outer leaves first instead of plucking the entire head from the ground. Within about a week, you should be able to harvest more leaves again. To keep your garden green the whole season, plant a few seeds every couple weeks to have a continuous flow of greens and lettuce in your kitchen.

For the most bountiful lettuce variety, go with Romaine. This yields the highest rate of growth and harvest, typically. Plus, it’s one of the healthiest that you can eat, making it even better.

Other greens are just as easy to grow and are just as advantageous to your wallet. Arugula, swiss chard, and spinach are all other greens worth considering for your garden.

Garlic

Garlic is used so often in cooking, so it makes sense that it should be grown in your garden to help save you some money and provide homegrown flair to your homemade dishes. It’s one of the most cost-effective plants to grow, as garlic can cost between one to seven dollars a pound at the grocery store but costs only about 50 cents a pound to grow yourself.

Garlic is also an easy plant to grow, and it is usually grown over the fall or winter, helping make space in the garden during the warmer months. This plant needs an area free of weeds to flourish.

As mentioned above, garlic can be used in a multitude of ways in the kitchen. In pasta dishes, as a paste, to help ward off germs, or even as a natural pesticide, garlic will be used almost daily in your kitchen, making it the perfect item to grow in your garden to save money.

While there are so many choices as to what to grow in your garden, these four plants are easy to produce and are sure to save you money.