A vegetable garden has a variety of cost-savings benefits but starting one for the first time can be confusing and even intimidating. Start off with these basic, every-day plants that are easy to grow and easy to use and you’ll soon be enjoying delicious veggies every day.
Lettuce
Lettuce is a great plant for beginning gardeners to start out with. Leaf lettuce is actually rather difficult to kill which makes it ideal for a novice. It’s easy to plant, harvest, eat, and enjoy. A single pack of seeds will contain more than enough for your gardening purposes. A package usually costs between $1 and $2, or approximately half the cost of a bag of cut lettuce. Plant lettuce seeds in a row and cover with 1/4 inch of dirt. Don’t worry too much about spacing, just sprinkle the seeds so they evenly cover the row. Do be sure to water the seeds sufficiently. If allowed to dry out, the seeds will not germinate. Lettuce germinates very quickly though, and within a few days you may see growth out of the seeds. Continue to water regularly, especially during dry, hot months. Lettuce can wilt in weather that’s too hot, and if allowed to dry, will bolt. This means the plant will flower as it tries to germinate itself. If allowed to flower, lettuce becomes very bitter and is not edible. To avoid this, make sure to water daily. Once lettuce seedlings are at least an inch tall, thin the plants out, leaving the largest, healthiest plants to grow. This gives them room to expand. Try to leave a few inches between each seedling. Lettuce, not being picky, can be grown more closely together but your plants may be slightly smaller. Once full-sized leaves appear, you can harvest as you choose. Because lettuce will keep growing, and growing, and growing, it’s advisable to harvest by simply cutting off the plant 1-2 inches above the ground. Continue watering the plant after you’ve cut it off and full-sized leaves will reappear in just a few days. This is called “cut-and-come-again” harvesting. Essentially, you can harvest as much lettuce as you need, leave the plant base growing, and come back to get more in a few days. By harvesting 1 plant per day, as needed, you can have fresh lettuce as often as you choose, so long as you take care to weed and water your crop. If you do need to replant seeds, they germinate so quickly that there’s little time lost. Lettuce is a great crop for beginners from beginning to end. It can also be grown in large pots in your home, or in window boxes, making it the ultimate in versatile veggies.
Onions and Carrots
These root veggies are delicious and very common in much of the food we eat. Having a supply on hand is never a bad idea. It’s recommended that onions and carrots be planted near one another because the smell of each deters insects. Specifically, carrot fly and onion fly. Both of these can be fatal to your crops, but by planting them together, you greatly reduce the risk of both. Besides these two insects, carrots and onions are easy to grow. Carrots grow best when planted as seeds directly into the ground in early spring. They can be thinned out later to allow for larger crops, or harvested early for smaller carrots. Carrots don’t need much attention and don’t need much water either. A single package of seeds will be more than enough for a small garden and should cost between $1 to $2. Onions grow like weeds which is great because they’re delicious! Purchase a box of ‘onion sets’ at your local nursery. These usually carry around 100 miniature bulbs and cost around $2 to $3. Each onion set should be planted with the pointed end sticking just slightly out of the ground. Plant them close together and as they grow, you can harvest early to use the green shoot or ‘table onion’. This will allow remaining plants to grow in diameter but you’ll be able to start enjoying your onions in just a few weeks. When the stalks turn yellow and fall over, the root is ready to be harvested. Onions do need to sit out in the sun to dry out before being stored, so make sure to give them ample time. Toss the stalks in the compost bin and let the root sunbathe for a few days. Onions, like carrots, do not require heavy watering.
Parsnips
Parsnips can be sizable veggies, but the great thing about them is that you can plant the seeds and virtually forget about them. Don’t plant until the ground temperature is around 60 degrees or the seeds may not germinate. Once you’re ready, plant a few seeds every few inches in a row. Water sparingly, as parsnips really don’t need much. These vegetables do best when harvested in fall. In many areas, they can be left in the ground through the winter, only to be used when needed. If you do harvest them all at once, wait until after the first frost. The freezing of the root causes starch to turn into sugar, giving the parsnip a sweeter taste. Once harvested, store them like you would a potato or onion.
Peas
Peas are given a tougher image than they really deserve. Peas can be planted in early spring and really do very well as long as they’re given enough water and sunlight. Peas can grow up fences, sticks, walls, etc, so give them something to stretch out on to increase your crop and free up some space. Simple chicken wire will suffice, or string wrapped between two poles will also work handily. Simply plant 1 to 2 seeds, a few inches apart. Be sure to plant at least 2 inches deep. They need space to germinate and this also helps keep the birds away until the plant establishes itself. Water thoroughly and your seedlings will appear in around 10 days. Simply make sure they’re well watered and have room to climb and your plants will grow leaps and bounds in just weeks. Harvest pods when they appear and don’t let them get too big or they may become tough and stringy. A single package will probably have more seeds than you can actually use.
Herbs
Herbs are a great addition to any garden. Not only are they easy to grow, but they can be ready for use in the kitchen in a very short time. Whether you plant them in your garden or choose to grow them in pots on a sunny window ledge, the key to herbs is to keep them watered and use them when they’re flourishing. Dill, cilantro, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, mint, and parsley all grow easily from seed. Simply plant seeds 1/4 inch below and water daily. Don’t expect potted herbs to last an entire season…just use them when they’re ready and replant when necessary. Herbs grown outdoors can grow quite large, so make sure to prune plants to keep them from overtaking your whole garden. Rosemary and mint can be especially prolific. For a low-key perennial, try garlic chives. Chives have lovely purple flowers and taste delicious. The plants can grow very large, but are easily divided and shared with others, or planted in new areas. No matter what herbs you choose, you’ll add fresh flavor to your kitchen.
