Growing your own food can be one of the most rewarding ways to save money. When I started gardening 20 years ago, I was on a mission to grow organic vegetables to save money and provide healthy food for my growing family.
Even if you only grow a little bit of your own food, you can cut down on grocery costs and harvest fresh (you literally can’t get any fresher!), organic produce right in your backyard (maybe even on your windowsill!).
Here are 15 vegetables and herbs that are high-yield and easy to grow so that you can save a significant amount of hard-earned cash over time.
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15 VEGETABLES TO GROW TO SAVE MONEY
1. Lettuce
Why It Saves You Money:
Bagged lettuce can be expensive, and store-bought heads are often small and don’t last long. Lettuce is fast-growing and can be harvested repeatedly, which means you can skip past those greens for several weeks—if not months—during the season.
Grow a mix of lettuce types like romaine, butterhead, and loose-leaf varieties, and you’ll save a couple bucks on every salad, lettuce wrap, and sandwich you eat.
Learn more about growing lettuce.
Quick Lettuce Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the cool season (when high temperatures are between 35°F and 65°F)
- Needs 4 – 8 hrs of sun
- Sow seeds 4″ – 6″ apart
- Ready to harvest in 30 – 80 days
- Harvest outer leaves first
- Fertilize with nitrogen every 2 – 4 weeks
- Keep soil evenly moist while growing
2. Kale
Why It Saves You Money:
Kale is a popular “superfood,” and prices in stores reflect that. Homegrown kale is not only fresher but can be harvested over several months. If you live in a mild climate, your kale plant could stay alive for a couple years, which means you don’t have to buy those pricey bunches anytime soon.
In warm and mild climates, kale is a great crop to grow through winter, when grocery store greens are typically more expensive.
Learn how to grow kale.
Quick Kale Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the cool season (when high temperatures are between 35°F and 65°F)
- Frost-tolerant
- Needs 4 – 8 hrs of sun
- Plant 9″ – 12″ apart
- Ready to harvest in 55 – 80 days
- Harvest outer leaves first
- Fertilize with nitrogen every 2 – 4 weeks
- Keep soil evenly moist while growing
3. Spinach
Why It Saves You Money:
Spinach is another crop with a high price per pound at the store. These plants grow from seed quickly, and you can cut leaves as you need them—whether that’s “baby” leaves for a salad or larger leaves for a smoothie.
Fresh, homegrown spinach also has a much better flavor and texture than what you’ll find in those pre-packaged bags. Even better, your spinach leaves will always stay fresh because they’ll be growing on the plant until you need them. No more slimy spinach in the back of your produce drawer.
Learn how to grow spinach.
Quick Spinach Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the cool season (when high temperatures are between 35°F and 65°F)
- Frost-tolerant
- Needs 4 – 8 hrs of sun
- Sow seeds 4″ – 6″ apart
- Ready to harvest in 30 – 60 days
- Harvest outer leaves first
- Fertilize with nitrogen every 2 – 4 weeks
- Keep soil evenly moist
4. Tomatoes
Why They Save You Money:
Fresh tomatoes, especially heirloom varieties, can cost you a pretty penny at the market. Just a few plants in your garden can produce pounds and pounds of tomatoes over a season. During peak production, I can harvest about 4 large bowlfuls of organically grown tomatoes from just one cherry tomato vine.
You’ll save a ton by not buying canned or fresh tomatoes during the season. Plus, you’ll be able to harvest enough to make your own sauces or salsas for the year.
Learn how to grow tomatoes.
Quick Tomato Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the warm season (when high temperatures are between 65°F and 85°F)
- Not frost-tolerant at all
- Needs 8+ hrs of sun
- Plant 12″ – 18″ apart
- Need support (stakes or cage for bush tomatoes, strong trellis for vining tomatoes)
- Fertilize with something like MicroLife’s Maximum Blooms every 3 to 4 weeks once flowering and fruiting
- Prune all branches below 1st set of flowers as soon as plant begins flowering
- Train and secure vines to trellis
- Prune the older, lower leaves from mature plants once a week
- Water deeply 1 – 2 times a week
- Ready to harvest about 60 – 100 days after planting seedlings
5. Zucchini
Why It Saves You Money:
Zucchini plants are highly productive. I’m not exaggerating when I say that one or two plants can yield pounds of zucchini. You’ll have enough to grill, roast, make zucchini bread, freeze, and still have some to give to your neighbor. Meanwhile, zucchini prices seem to keep rising at the grocery store.
Quick Zucchini Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the warm season (when high temperatures are between 65°F and 85°F)
- Not frost-tolerant at all
- Needs 8+ hrs of sun
- Sow seeds 12″ – 18″ apart
- Fertilize every 2 – 4 weeks once you see the first yellow blossom appear
- Harvest young and tender squash
- Ready to harvest after about 45 – 60 days, depending on variety
- Keep soil evenly moist
6. Green Beans
Why They Save You Money:
Green beans are super easy to grow and produce multiple harvests over the growing season. You may have noticed at the store that fresh green beans are often much pricier than canned and frozen options, and that’s because green beans just don’t keep very well. Growing your own provides a cost-effective, fresh alternative that you can also freeze for later use.
Learn how to grow green beans.
Quick Green Bean Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the warm season (when high temperatures are between 65°F – 85°F)
- Not frost-tolerant
- Needs 6 – 8 hrs of sun
- Sow seeds 4″- 6″ apart
- Give vining plants a strong trellis to climb
- Fresh beans ready to harvest after 40- 60 days, depending on variety
- Harvest tender, young pods for fresh beans (keep plants well picked)
- For dry beans, let dry on the plant
- Keep soil evenly moist
7. Cucumbers
Why They Save You Money:
Cucumbers are affordable to grow and are heavy producers. They can be costly in stores, especially if you’re buying organic. By growing your own, you can skip past grocery store cucumbers for several months each year. Bonus: make your own pickles to save money all year long!
Learn how to grow cucumbers.
Quick Cucumber Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the warm season (when high temperatures are between 65°F and 85°F)
- Not frost-tolerant at all
- Needs 8+ hrs of sun and warm soil
- Sow seeds 9″ – 12″ apart along strong trellis
- Train vines up trellis to ensure max production
- Fertilize every 2 weeks once flowers are forming
- Ready to harvest about 50 – 70 days after planting
- Pick cucumbers when dark green and firm
- Keep soil evenly moist
8. Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, Rosemary, etc.)
Why They Save You Money:
Fresh herbs come in those small plastic containers, and the leaves spoil quickly. You can typically buy a small herb plant for the same price as a little bunch of herbs (maybe about $5 for each). Once you have an herb plant, you’ll have access to fresh herbs anytime you need them. That means you save money and get to add gourmet flavors to your meals whenever you want (not just when you’ve planned all your recipes ahead).
Herbs are simple to grow (they’re pretty much the easiest plants to keep alive), and they do great on a windowsill if your outdoor space is tight or nonexistent.
Learn more about growing herbs and how long herbs take to grow.
Quick Herb Growing Tips:
- Cilantro, dill, and parsley grow best in the cool season (when high temps are between 35°F and 65°F)
- Basil and perennial herbs like rosemary and sage grow best in the warm season (when high temps are between 65°F and 85°F)
- Need 4 hrs of sun
- Use containers at least 6” deep (the larger the container, the easier it is to keep herbs alive, plus you can grow several herbs side by side)
- Keep soil for basil, cilantro, parsley and dill evenly moist
- Let soil for sage, rosemary, and other perennial herbs dry out a bit between waterings
- Harvest leaves often to keep plants productive
9. Bell Peppers
Why They Save You Money:
Bell peppers, especially red, orange, and yellow varieties, are often sold at a premium. These colorful peppers are easy to grow in warm weather, and each plant yields multiple peppers, giving you great savings on this popular veggie.
Learn how to grow peppers.
Quick Bell Pepper Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the warm season (when high temperatures are between 65°F – 85°F)
- Not frost-tolerant at all
- Needs 8+ hrs of sun
- Plant seedlings 9″- 12″ apart
- Ready to harvest 60 – 90 days after transplanting to garden
- Keep soil evenly moist
- Fertilize every 2 weeks once flowers are forming
- All bell peppers are green before changing color
10. Garlic
Why It Saves You Money:
Garlic has a high price per pound at the store, especially for organic varieties. A single garlic clove planted in the fall will yield a full bulb by next summer, and it’s easy to save cloves from each harvest to replant the next season. That means your garlic crop can become self-sustaining, saving you year after year.
Learn how to grow garlic.
Quick Garlic Growing Tips:
- Plant in the fall 4-6 weeks before first hard frost
- Needs 6 – 8 hrs of sun
- Plant 4″ – 6″ apart, 2″- 3″ deep
- Ready to harvest about 90 – 120 after planting
- Harvest when lower leaves turn brown
- Fertilize monthly
- Keep soil evenly moist
11. Potatoes
Why They Save You Money:
Potatoes are a staple in most households. Russet potatoes are fairly inexpensive, but my family loves those little purple potatoes, which can be more expensive and hard to find.
Potatoes of all kinds are easy to grow in bags or raised beds, and homegrown potatoes last well into winter if stored correctly. You could potentially go months and months without having to buy potatoes from the store.
Learn how to grow potatoes.
Quick Potato Growing Tips:
- Grow best in the transition from cool to warm season in the spring and from warm to cool season in the fall
- Needs 6 – 8 hrs of sun
- Plant seed potatoes 9″ – 12″ apart
- Fertilize when the plants are 6″- 8″ tall
- Keep soil evenly moist
- Ready to harvest in 90 – 120 days, depending on variety
- Harvest young for new potatoes or leave in soil to grow bigger
12. Onions
Why They Save You Money:
Onions are a base ingredient in countless recipes, but organic onions can be pricey. Growing your own allows you to harvest and store them for months, ensuring you always have fresh onions on hand without frequent store trips.
Learn how to grow onions.
Quick Onion Growing Tips:
- Plant in very early spring
- Needs 6 – 8 hrs of sun
- Plant 4″ apart
- Fertilize monthly
- Keep soil evenly moist
- Harvest when their tops have flopped over and died back
13. Carrots
Why They Save You Money:
Orange carrots are pretty cheap, but those tastier gourmet varieties come at a premium (if you find them at all). Homegrown carrots are sweeter and more nutritious, and they store well. This means you’ll save by avoiding bagged carrots and getting a fresher, tastier product.
Learn how to grow carrots.
Quick Carrot Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the cool season (when high temperatures are between 35°F and 65°F)
- Frost-resistant
- Needs 6 – 8 hrs of sun
- Sow seeds 2″- 4″ apart
- Make sure you have loose, workable soil
- Keep soil evenly moist and weed-free
- Ready to harvest 70 – 80 days after sowing seeds
- Harvest when the shoulders reach your desired width
14. Peas
Why They Save You Money:
Peas are a springtime treat, but fresh peas are often pricey at the grocery store. That’s because peas, like beans, don’t stay fresh very long. Growing your own snow peas, sugar snaps, or garden peas provides a steady supply during their season. Plus, they’re easy to freeze, so you can continue to enjoy them year round.
Learn how to grow peas.
Quick Pea Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the cool season (when high temperatures are between 35°F and 65°F)
- Frost-tolerant
- Needs 6 – 8 hrs of sun
- Sow seeds 1″- 2″ apart
- Guide and support pea plants up a trellis
- Keep soil evenly moist
- Ready to harvest in 60 – 80 days
- Harvest when pea pods are bright and tender and peas are just beginning to swell inside
- Keep plants well picked to encourage more production
15. Swiss Chard
Why It Saves You Money:
Like kale, Swiss chard is another cut-and-come-again green, which means you can harvest from the same plant multiple times, sometimes over the course of several seasons. This reduces your grocery spending on greens and provides you with a versatile vegetable that can be used in place of spinach or kale in recipes. (The stems can even replace celery!)
Learn how to grow Swiss chard.
Quick Swiss Chard Growing Tips:
- Grows best in the cool season (when high temperatures are between 35°F and 65°F)
- Frost-tolerant
- Needs 4+ hrs of sun
- Plant 9″- 12″ apart
- Ready to harvest about 45 – 60 days after sowing seeds
- Harvest young, tender leaves for salads or wait for full-size leaves for smoothies
- Keep soil evenly moist
Growing these 15 vegetables and herbs can help you enjoy a diverse array of healthy produce at home while keeping grocery costs low. Think of how great you’ll feel skipping past certain items in the produce section, knowing you have the fresher, more nutritious version at home!
Plus, these plants are great choices for beginner gardeners because they’re so simple to grow and give you a ton of harvests. Give them a try and enjoy the savings and satisfaction of homegrown food!
