picture credit Ron Evans
Growing your own vegetables can be a great way to help the environment and also save some money. Another bonus is that you can choose organic produce and won’t have to rely on supermarkets and shops to get your vegetable intake. Here are some of the top vegetables to grow at home if you're looking to save some cash...
Curly kale
Curly kale, is healthy, low in calories and a versatile cooking ingredient.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes do not require much space to grow, and are ideal for smaller gardens or even balconies. Tomatoes are a popular fresh-market vegetable but technically it's actually a fruit.
Lettuce
Lettuce is always a popular choice. Grow your own and save money – one seed packet can provide five months' worth of the vegetable.
Broccoli
Broccoli takes eight to twelve weeks to grow. Each plant can offer two pounds of broccoli and will save you cash.
Asparagus
Asparagus growing needs patience! It can take up to two years for the plant to be ready for harvest. But it's sure to be kind to your bank balance as the asparagus plant will continue to produce the vegetable for up to twenty years.
Potatoes
Potatoes* are grown by many, and a potato plant can produce nine potatoes. The average four-packet of potatoes in a supermarket is priced at £1, whereas an average seed pack with five seeds grows 45 potatoes for as little as £1.50.
The above from an original article here
Well if like me you are a 'low carber' (or keto) the first four - curly kale, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli and asparagus may well be on your growing list. Potatoes*, however, may not be. They contain starch and the impact of the starch in potatoes can place them in the "bad carb" category for some people. While healthy individuals can tolerate them in moderation, the carbohydrates in potatoes are not a good choice for anyone who is diabetic or prediabetic or needs to keep their blood sugar balanced.
Do you like to grow your own vegetables?
Do you find that some are easier to grow than others?
Have you a favourite that you grow each year?
now where did I put my gardening gloves?
All the best Jan
I miss my garden. Grew everything imaginable back there. I used to come home from work and pick the veggies I wanted to make fresh juices from. Those were the days.
ReplyDeleteSounds good, now I just need a garden! Valerie
ReplyDeleteSome food for thought (no pun intended) as I'm just trying to decide what we should grow in our limited space this year. I've never thought about growing broccoli before but I think I just might give it a try. X
ReplyDeleteKale is not on our list to eat so it won't make the grow list. Himself usually grows peppers, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers in containers. Back issues make it difficult for him to have a large garden, and I hate gardening.
ReplyDeleteWe have a small area dedicated to vegetables, but only have kale and lettuce and herbs. Most of them seem to dry out in the very hot Perth summers, but in the cooler months they do well.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to the spring! We get to the garden and plant the plants;-)
ReplyDeleteI love home grown tomatoes (the mini). They are healthy too.
ReplyDeleteAin't nothin' in the world that I like better
Than bacon & lettuce & home grown tomatoes
Up in the mornin' out in the garden
Get you a ripe one don't get a hard one
Plant 'em in the spring eat 'em in the summer
All winter without 'em's a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin' & diggin'
Everytime I go out and pick me a big one
We might have to try potatoes. I love the tomato harvest -- it means plenty of pasta sauce and soup for the winter!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by yesterday!
Now that we live in a new climate we are going to attempt to grow vegetables this year. We have yet to make the garden beds but should have them ready in time. We started growing some potatoes inside and are looking at growing them in a pot once there is no more chance of frost. I eat a lot of salad in the warmer months so I am hoping for some delicious basics to grow in the yard.
ReplyDelete...nothing better than fresh from the garden.
ReplyDeletePerfect time to peruse those seed catalogs. Great advice, Jan. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI grew lots of tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, arugula, spinach, snow peas, bell peppers, and eggplant for several years. Finally, the weeds and grass I had kept out for years has overtaken my garden. Now I must find a better way to grow veggies because all I grew last year was herbs. Great article.
ReplyDeleteI'm rubbish at growing fruit and veg. My blueberry bush had 3 berries on it last year. I planted beetroot, pulled one plant and it was the size of a pea. The rest are still there, they haven't died over winter but I don't suppose they will be any good.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to grow most of those....how I wish it was march!xxx
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice looking garden. We tried potatoes one year.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if my comment went through.
ReplyDeleteWe tried potatoes one year.
Great post as always.
When younger I would have loved to have a good garden but with my age and this body that seems to fight with me daily makes it hard not only to dig and get around picking stuff the heat is horrible on me. But I do love my garden of flowers, they don't require daily work.
ReplyDeleteThis post made me hungry! We love fresh vegetables. Kale and broccoli are two favorites. Have a great evening.
ReplyDeleteBoth of my brothers are big vegetable gardeners. They live in areas that have hot summers and frequent rainfall so they can grow everything. I am not as fortunate as they are as my area is very dry and our summers are Ishort. We also have many wild animals that eat everything edible so that is frustrating. I manage to grow fresh herbs but wish I could grow more
ReplyDeleteI grow a lot of peppers especially those over 2 buck a piece
ReplyDeleteI won't have a garden this year because we will be moving...but I hope to have one next year. I love home-grown veggies..AND...berries. Have a great night. Diana
ReplyDeleteNothing like home grown!
ReplyDeleteI have never grown vegetables, only flowers!
ReplyDeleteWonderful article and pictures Jan, I wish my garden was that big and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHugs Diane
i have a small garden, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and a few herbs. i hope to expand on that this year!!!
ReplyDeletei would love to have the garden you pictured, but i'm sure it would be a ton of work. i like keeping it easy and fun!!!
Sadly we just have a small balcony... but I go for herbs :-)
ReplyDeleteI have skipped the garden these past three years, and I really miss it. My raised beds are ready to go at any time, but I just haven't done it. This was very motivating!
ReplyDeleteI am suffering from sticker shock. I went to the supermarket this morning and cauliflower was $10 (AUS) each. I will be growing more that herbs when the weather cools..
ReplyDeleteI can no longer garden as I once did. I only garden on the deck and I mostly raise many herbs and some flowers. Vegetables don't do as well there. But I love having herbs to pick when I need them.
ReplyDeleteI grow tomatoes in the summer sometimes!
ReplyDeleteI can grow squash, but not much else. I'm not lucky with gardens.
ReplyDeleteWow, I like all you grow. My husband has the green thumb in our family and he grows quite a lot of veges!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteWe used to grow veggies in our yard, tomatoes and even corn one year. It is a lot of work, but the benefits are great. Tomatoes are my favorite. Enjoy your day, have a great weekend ahead.
I do so miss my vegetable garden since moving. It is hoped that we will make a start on a veg plot this year.
ReplyDeleteYup, nothing compares to home grown tomatoes - yum!
ReplyDeleteMy parents grew some vegetables, mostly things that weren't always readily available in supermarkets, but Dad never did like it, so as the years went on he'd slowly decrease the amount of soil being used for it, particularly after the house mortgage was paid off.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say the one veggie I have the best luck with is green peppers, I did try romaine lettuce last year and that turned out quite well too, my tomatoes seem to split quite a bit, can't wait for spring!
ReplyDeleteGreat list Jan, thank you! We haven't grown any vegetables for a few years. I would like to this year!! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI love allotments.
ReplyDelete