Last Updated on January 12, 2023 by Jason Nguyen
Gardening can be a fun and relaxing activity to immerse yourself in nature. You can also do this to improve your physical activity at home.
While it’s a hobby for some, it can also be a way to get food. Vegetable gardening is the way to do this, especially if you love cooking.
Vegetable gardening is a popular activity that has seen growth in previous years. The US household participation in it reached 39.1 million in 2020.
As vegetable gardening sees a steady participation increase, it might be time for you to join. If you’re a beginner, keep reading to know the ideal plants to grow to start your vegetable garden.
Why You Should Grow Vegetables in Your Home
Having a vegetable garden can add life and visuals to your home. Growing vegetables at home can be challenging, but it is manageable. Additionally, it may give you plenty of benefits to help improve your quality of life.
The first benefit you can get from vegetable gardening is accessible plant-based foods. With homegrown vegetables, you can harvest them quickly when it’s time. You’ll also know they’re safe because you planted them.
Gardening itself can serve as an exercise to boost your productivity and relieve your stress. It may help you relax and unwind.
When you cook and eat your homegrown plants, you may get benefits that can enhance your health. These benefits may be gained from greens containing nutrients necessary to keep you healthy.
Vegetable gardening can also help you save grocery costs because you can pick these food ingredients immediately without spending.
Easiest Vegetables To Grow in Your Home
Vegetable gardening can be daunting if you’re a beginner, especially when finding the plants to grow. Don’t worry, because we’re here to help.
Now that you’ve learned how vegetable gardening can benefit you, it’s time to know the easiest plants you can grow. Below are the ideal plants to grow if you love cooking at home.
1. Cabbages
Cabbages are cruciferous plants that can grow best in the cold season. They have leaves wrapped around the thick stem in their center. They are one of the most common vegetables used in cooking.
When raw, you can put and eat them in salads and coleslaws. You may also braise, stir-fry, add to soups, mix in egg rolls, or ferment them to make kimchi or sauerkraut.
They require full sun for at least six to eight hours a day. Their soils should also be moist enough. When watering, which should be done weekly, the water should reach one to two inches.
2. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are gourd plants with rough and trailing stems. They can be eaten raw, mixed with salads, used in dressings, or made as juice.
They may need ample growing space when planting them, but they can also grow in small areas. They like high temperatures because that’s when they can mature best. They’re also not tolerant of frosts.
Their preferred soils are loose and well-drained. It’s also essential to supply them with mulch and compost matter to ensure plant nutrient absorption.
3. Garlic
Garlic grows in bulb form that can have 10 to 12 cloves. After removing their inedible paper skins, the cloves can be cut and cooked in various ways.
They are mainly minced to make food flavorings, while roasted ones can be used as spreads or condiments. You can also bake, sautee, and braise them.
These vegetables prefer six to eight hours of direct sunlight. They usually thrive best in well-drained and consistently moist soils.
4. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a common ingredient found in salads and many cooked dishes. Unlike store-bought tomatoes, homegrown ones can bring ripe, sweet, and juicy flavors to your food.
They like warm temperatures and adequate sunlight. Exposing them to eight hours of daylight is ideal, but you can bring it to 12 to 16 for the best growing results.
Watering them once every three days, and less when green tomatoes start to form, is also ideal.
5. Squashes
Squashes have two main types, summer and winter. Summer squashes have tender, moist, and soft skin. Meanwhile, winter squashes are firm, which makes them ideal for winter.
Some variations of the former are zucchini, pattypan, and crookneck, while the latter has acorns, butternuts, kabocha, and delicatas.
Both squash types can thrive in rich and well-drained soils. They also need full sun to grow.
6. Bell peppers
Bell peppers are part of the genus Capsicum family. This plant gene includes the spicy and small chili pepper species, but bell peppers are large, round, and milder.
These vegetables should be watered weekly, with water reaching one to two inches. They also like the full sun to thrive. Watering them twice a day might be necessary if you plant them in an intensely hot area.
A balance between loamy and sandy soils can also ensure their healthy growth.
7. Carrots
Carrots are edible root vegetables with many color varieties. These colors include orange, red, purple, white, and yellow.
They are low maintenance, which means they can tolerate various temperatures. When planting, they should be given adequate growing space. You should water them weekly and ensure they reach one to two inches.
These vegetables like loose and sandy soils.
Help Your Vegetable Garden Thrive
Your love for cooking is made easy, thanks to vegetable gardening. Like other plants, these greens also need proper care to thrive steadily. They can’t flourish independently, so you must constantly check their health. This includes their root systems, soils, and potential pest and disease infections.
When you religiously do your vegetable garden care, you can prevent rotting. Additionally, you can grow your garden big enough to supply you with food necessities anytime.