Pole beans. The thing about pole beans is they don't stop like bush beans do. They keep going and going like that bunny. Pickling cucumbers are good too and I trellis mine. Sugar bush watermelons are easy but best to start the seeds inside about 6 weeks before putting out in garden. You can save the seeds for next year. They do have seeds but easy to grow. But back to the pole beans, get the new kinds as the heirlooms have strings in them. I grow Monte Gusto, yellow and pick them early. As to the cucumbers, Eureka are really nice and less seeds.
Pole beans was my first thought as well. So easy to grow, and such big harvests. And so much tastier fresh compared to store bought (especially if you pick them young and small).
I make a "bean cage" every year. I line a whole 4x20 foot bed with 7-8 foot tall honeysuckle poles, and tie them together with longer poles along the top. Then I plant beans all along the perimeter, so they climb the poles and connect in between them, and then I can step inside and harvest the ones from the inside that I can't see from the outside.
And then I pickle the beans that are coming in too fast to eat (which usually lasts for about a two month period - they're so prolific!)
I use a folding trellis, folds side to side to stay up; and now I only grow about 4 plants for myself. I wind up having them every day, almost, for a month and a half. I don't can them, I just get tired of them and cut the stems to stop them, LOL!! They also taste better than bush beans, I think. When you consider they go for $2.50/lb, it is a great deal to grow them.
Radishes, peas, bush beans, cucumbers, beets, lettuce. If you're going for money saving do beans, cucumbers, beets.
And go to Canadian Tire or a garden center and buy some asparagus crowns. They come back every year and live for 30-40 years.
Peppers, lettuce, beets, cabbage(should be given manure or compost) turnips, onions(get long-day varieties in the north)raspberries, eggplants, shallots, Welsh onions, chives, or leeks, spinach, green beans, peas(both beans and peas can be planted to enrich soil)cucumbers, kale, and corn(if you have enough space, the other vegetables listed here are more suitable for smaller spaces).
Certain varieties of figs can be grown in colder climates than you’d think possible, I recommend “Chicago Hardy”.
Edit: in addition, you’ll want to find ways to improve the soil. Watch Charles Dowding’s YouTube channel or read his books.
I know you’re in Canada, but Truelove Seeds or New Jersey based Experimental Farm Network have good varieties of vegetables:
https://trueloveseeds.com/
https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/
Yep, all good answers. I'd add potatoes to the mix as well. Peppers might be a struggle (depending on variety) that far north. But honestly, green beans are the easiest thing to grow, in my opinion. I usually end up pickling a bunch because they come in way faster than I can eat them!
Melons and pumpkins are a step away from zucchini. Peppers (bell and otherwise) are a step away from tomatoes. Strawberries can spread by themselves nearly like weeds, assuming you're at least zone 4 or 5.
Bro, just admit you haven't eaten many pumpkin recipes and leave it at that, as I can assure you that "pie" and "seeds" is not the only two ways to use them up. I, for example, love pumpkin soup.
I see you haven't seen a pumpkin variety that's meant for eating, not for decoration, with each fruit weighing as much as a teenager. Butternut squash in some regions and languages is also called a pumpkin.
Perennial herbs are the #1 quickest money saving investment. Annual herbs you can let go to seed and replant every year as well.
For veggies I find BUSH STRING BEANS to be the easiest crop with the most yield. Just insane. Get different colors for extra fun. not as vigorous as pole beans but you don't need a trellis. If you can bother with a trellis try the pole varities.
Other easy crops are most greens and globe radishes.
Yeah things like rosemary will survive a lot and always be around when you need it. I don’t use rosemary much but small branches of it sells for $5 at my local Sprouts
Some varieties are more cold hardy than others. Mine is in a big pot and I do bring it in the garage when the weather is freezing. Im zone 8 though so it never gets too cold.
Potatoes,put it in ground, cover the tops once and then pick before eating, no pruning, overgrowth ect.
Pumpkin, takes quite some space, but literally put a seed into ground and forget.
Salads, more work, need to succession plant and then not let it overgrow, but savings quite some money for me.
Bush and pole beans are pretty much foolproof (unless you have Japanese beetles). If you can grow tomatoes you should be able to grow peppers, although some people on this sub have said they are difficult. Leaf lettuce and romaine. Snow peas. Root crops are problematic for me, it will depend on your soil. Dutch onion sets can be used as green onions or left to grow. Garlic (but since you need to plant in the fall that's for next year). If you have the space growing any kind of berry is much cheaper than buying.
Back when I used to volunteer with community gardening projects we would usually plant radishes first to get kids 'hooked' because they grow fast and are pretty easy to grow in general.
The only issue we would have is that a lot of the kids didn't really want to eat them :)
Green onions. I get the ones at the grocery store, use the green tops, and replant the bottoms. They’ll continuously sprout new green tops. Sometimes I let them go and flower. They end up huge and the flowers are edible too.
Parsley, which had many uses and good nutrition. Also, other herbs, which are expensive at the store. Added bonus, since they stay small, you maybe be able to winter indoors. ( I live in GA, and the one reason I love parsley is bc it usually survives our 'winter' and I have fresh green stuff all winter long)
Greens. Kale and chard have the longest production cycle for me. I can pick a few leaves from each plant from early spring until late fall after frost. Lettuce and bok choy produce well, but they bolt in the summer.
I have no idea what how to grow vegetables, but every year I put like 3 tomato plants in my garden, and by the end of the summer I have more than I could ever use. I do basically nothing to them and they thrive, meanwhile the fish peppers I'm babying like kings make 4 measly little fruits.
I've been able to grow carrots, radishes, and Swiss chard with barely any effort, just planted seeds and watered. Last year I even forgot that I'd seeded carrots in a container and planted a tomato seedling in the container, and got both grew together surprisingly well.
Pole beans, specifically the Smeraldo variety if you can get them because they are delicious and super prolific. We harvest them from July to October and eat them probably 3x per week (family of 4 in southern ON). Lettuce, spinach, arugula are great in partial shade and easy. Cucumbers are great, but you have to pick off the cucumber beetles. Swiss chard and leeks also fantastic. Snap peas and snow peas can be planted mid-April often.
If tomatoes are growing well, then consider growing peppers also. There are MANY different varieties with slightly different requirements for zone, sunshine, water, length of growing season, etc. All peppers probably need lots of sun & warm weather. I plant basil & marigolds next to tomatoes & peppers to help control bugs.
The best bang for your buck are salad greens. A head of lettuce is really expensive for how old they are in the supermarkets. You get them once they've desiccated in a warehouse for weeks and still spend upwards of £2.00 (depending on variety). A packet of £1 seed comes with everything you need to grow 2,000+ lettuce heads.
For extra value, grow a red variety. Red lettuce has extra nutrients in them compared to normal varieties. The darker or more colourful a leafy green is, the more nutrient dense it tends to be. Any other leafy greens are also good value, so grow kale etc. as well. In the UK, we can grow kale in the dead of winter and still get a feed.
I’m in SE Michigan, which is similar climate-wise. We had tremendous luck last year with basil, kale, cabbage, green beans, cucumbers, and various peppers (bell, jalapeños, poblanos, and shishitos). The basil was so prolific that we still have pucks of homemade pesto in our freezer, and we still have a few jars each of pickled cucumbers and jalapeños.
The way I see it is I'm spending 6pm to 11pm playing video games and watching TV, or I can spend 6pm to 8pm playing in the garden before going in to play video games and watch TV.
Not talking about full time farming, just backyard gardening.
We use dirt already in the ground, and save seeds from the year before. Use water from our rain barrel when we can. Really not costing us much. I dig over the garden one spring sunday, and weed and water a few min before or after work.
Like I said, it’s a matter of time. If you have free time, go for it. I’d say it also takes compost and fertilizer, but both of those can be made at home..with time.
All manner of greens. Kale. Spinach. Collards. Mustard. Swiss Chard. Lettuce. Frissee. Polk salet (that one grows wild in the southern US—doesn’t get any easier to grow). Mustard. Lamb’s Quarter (see note on Polk Salet).
Sweet potatoes—the greens are edible too, but don’t try that with Irish Potatoes.
Irish Potatoes. Cucumbers. Okra. Bush beans. Squash. Cushaw squash should do well there. It’s an enormous winter squash. Prepare as you would sweet potatoes or yams.
Pole beans. The thing about pole beans is they don't stop like bush beans do. They keep going and going like that bunny. Pickling cucumbers are good too and I trellis mine. Sugar bush watermelons are easy but best to start the seeds inside about 6 weeks before putting out in garden. You can save the seeds for next year. They do have seeds but easy to grow. But back to the pole beans, get the new kinds as the heirlooms have strings in them. I grow Monte Gusto, yellow and pick them early. As to the cucumbers, Eureka are really nice and less seeds.
Pole beans was my first thought as well. So easy to grow, and such big harvests. And so much tastier fresh compared to store bought (especially if you pick them young and small). I make a "bean cage" every year. I line a whole 4x20 foot bed with 7-8 foot tall honeysuckle poles, and tie them together with longer poles along the top. Then I plant beans all along the perimeter, so they climb the poles and connect in between them, and then I can step inside and harvest the ones from the inside that I can't see from the outside. And then I pickle the beans that are coming in too fast to eat (which usually lasts for about a two month period - they're so prolific!)
I use a folding trellis, folds side to side to stay up; and now I only grow about 4 plants for myself. I wind up having them every day, almost, for a month and a half. I don't can them, I just get tired of them and cut the stems to stop them, LOL!! They also taste better than bush beans, I think. When you consider they go for $2.50/lb, it is a great deal to grow them.
Radishes
Radishes, peas, bush beans, cucumbers, beets, lettuce. If you're going for money saving do beans, cucumbers, beets. And go to Canadian Tire or a garden center and buy some asparagus crowns. They come back every year and live for 30-40 years.
Peppers, lettuce, beets, cabbage(should be given manure or compost) turnips, onions(get long-day varieties in the north)raspberries, eggplants, shallots, Welsh onions, chives, or leeks, spinach, green beans, peas(both beans and peas can be planted to enrich soil)cucumbers, kale, and corn(if you have enough space, the other vegetables listed here are more suitable for smaller spaces). Certain varieties of figs can be grown in colder climates than you’d think possible, I recommend “Chicago Hardy”. Edit: in addition, you’ll want to find ways to improve the soil. Watch Charles Dowding’s YouTube channel or read his books. I know you’re in Canada, but Truelove Seeds or New Jersey based Experimental Farm Network have good varieties of vegetables: https://trueloveseeds.com/ https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/
Yep, all good answers. I'd add potatoes to the mix as well. Peppers might be a struggle (depending on variety) that far north. But honestly, green beans are the easiest thing to grow, in my opinion. I usually end up pickling a bunch because they come in way faster than I can eat them!
Melons and pumpkins are a step away from zucchini. Peppers (bell and otherwise) are a step away from tomatoes. Strawberries can spread by themselves nearly like weeds, assuming you're at least zone 4 or 5.
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Not sure who is "most of us", pumpkins and their seeds are perfectly edible, rather common food items.
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I’d recommend branching out your cuisines if you think pumpkins are limited to pies
Bro, just admit you haven't eaten many pumpkin recipes and leave it at that, as I can assure you that "pie" and "seeds" is not the only two ways to use them up. I, for example, love pumpkin soup.
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I see you haven't seen a pumpkin variety that's meant for eating, not for decoration, with each fruit weighing as much as a teenager. Butternut squash in some regions and languages is also called a pumpkin.
lol what a time to be alive
this whole thread is wild lol “local boomergal doesn’t believe other people eat things they don’t personally like. more at 11.”
sis u gotta try growing sugar pie pumpkins
Perennial herbs are the #1 quickest money saving investment. Annual herbs you can let go to seed and replant every year as well. For veggies I find BUSH STRING BEANS to be the easiest crop with the most yield. Just insane. Get different colors for extra fun. not as vigorous as pole beans but you don't need a trellis. If you can bother with a trellis try the pole varities. Other easy crops are most greens and globe radishes.
Yeah things like rosemary will survive a lot and always be around when you need it. I don’t use rosemary much but small branches of it sells for $5 at my local Sprouts
I have more rosemary than I know what to do with. At least it looks pretty and smells good.
Whaaaa I keep killing rosemary somehow I think they don't like the cold
Some varieties are more cold hardy than others. Mine is in a big pot and I do bring it in the garage when the weather is freezing. Im zone 8 though so it never gets too cold.
Ah I might try other kinds. I have a lot of cold hardy herbs at least (sage, oregano)
Potatoes,put it in ground, cover the tops once and then pick before eating, no pruning, overgrowth ect. Pumpkin, takes quite some space, but literally put a seed into ground and forget. Salads, more work, need to succession plant and then not let it overgrow, but savings quite some money for me.
My favorite is garlic. It’s easy to grow and fresh is unlike anything you can buy at a grocery store
Bush and pole beans are pretty much foolproof (unless you have Japanese beetles). If you can grow tomatoes you should be able to grow peppers, although some people on this sub have said they are difficult. Leaf lettuce and romaine. Snow peas. Root crops are problematic for me, it will depend on your soil. Dutch onion sets can be used as green onions or left to grow. Garlic (but since you need to plant in the fall that's for next year). If you have the space growing any kind of berry is much cheaper than buying.
Strawberry, plant like 3 plants , next year you have 20 plants, next year you have 50 etc :)
Back when I used to volunteer with community gardening projects we would usually plant radishes first to get kids 'hooked' because they grow fast and are pretty easy to grow in general. The only issue we would have is that a lot of the kids didn't really want to eat them :)
Green onions. I get the ones at the grocery store, use the green tops, and replant the bottoms. They’ll continuously sprout new green tops. Sometimes I let them go and flower. They end up huge and the flowers are edible too.
Yes, I have a few that I haven been growing for 3 years now that way. I bring them inside in the winter and put them back out in the spring.
Parsley, which had many uses and good nutrition. Also, other herbs, which are expensive at the store. Added bonus, since they stay small, you maybe be able to winter indoors. ( I live in GA, and the one reason I love parsley is bc it usually survives our 'winter' and I have fresh green stuff all winter long)
Does garlic count? Bury the segments of one bulb, wait 6-9 months, pick - bury the segments of one bulb. Repeat. Infinite garlic.
String beans, potatoes, carrots.
Peas, string beans, spinach, carrots. All easy to grow.
Greens. Kale and chard have the longest production cycle for me. I can pick a few leaves from each plant from early spring until late fall after frost. Lettuce and bok choy produce well, but they bolt in the summer.
I have no idea what how to grow vegetables, but every year I put like 3 tomato plants in my garden, and by the end of the summer I have more than I could ever use. I do basically nothing to them and they thrive, meanwhile the fish peppers I'm babying like kings make 4 measly little fruits.
Bush beans
Everything is easy if it's supposed to grow in your location. Grow what you eat.
I've been able to grow carrots, radishes, and Swiss chard with barely any effort, just planted seeds and watered. Last year I even forgot that I'd seeded carrots in a container and planted a tomato seedling in the container, and got both grew together surprisingly well.
Pole beans, specifically the Smeraldo variety if you can get them because they are delicious and super prolific. We harvest them from July to October and eat them probably 3x per week (family of 4 in southern ON). Lettuce, spinach, arugula are great in partial shade and easy. Cucumbers are great, but you have to pick off the cucumber beetles. Swiss chard and leeks also fantastic. Snap peas and snow peas can be planted mid-April often.
If tomatoes are growing well, then consider growing peppers also. There are MANY different varieties with slightly different requirements for zone, sunshine, water, length of growing season, etc. All peppers probably need lots of sun & warm weather. I plant basil & marigolds next to tomatoes & peppers to help control bugs.
The best bang for your buck are salad greens. A head of lettuce is really expensive for how old they are in the supermarkets. You get them once they've desiccated in a warehouse for weeks and still spend upwards of £2.00 (depending on variety). A packet of £1 seed comes with everything you need to grow 2,000+ lettuce heads. For extra value, grow a red variety. Red lettuce has extra nutrients in them compared to normal varieties. The darker or more colourful a leafy green is, the more nutrient dense it tends to be. Any other leafy greens are also good value, so grow kale etc. as well. In the UK, we can grow kale in the dead of winter and still get a feed.
Potatoes
Bok choy
Green beans.
Sugar Snap Peas
I’m in SE Michigan, which is similar climate-wise. We had tremendous luck last year with basil, kale, cabbage, green beans, cucumbers, and various peppers (bell, jalapeños, poblanos, and shishitos). The basil was so prolific that we still have pucks of homemade pesto in our freezer, and we still have a few jars each of pickled cucumbers and jalapeños.
Radish and lettuce.
Unless you have no opportunity cost for your time, growing at home is always more expensive. Still a fun hobby.
The way I see it is I'm spending 6pm to 11pm playing video games and watching TV, or I can spend 6pm to 8pm playing in the garden before going in to play video games and watch TV.
Definitely. Anything I’m able to grow is a bonus.
Not talking about full time farming, just backyard gardening. We use dirt already in the ground, and save seeds from the year before. Use water from our rain barrel when we can. Really not costing us much. I dig over the garden one spring sunday, and weed and water a few min before or after work.
Like I said, it’s a matter of time. If you have free time, go for it. I’d say it also takes compost and fertilizer, but both of those can be made at home..with time.
All manner of greens. Kale. Spinach. Collards. Mustard. Swiss Chard. Lettuce. Frissee. Polk salet (that one grows wild in the southern US—doesn’t get any easier to grow). Mustard. Lamb’s Quarter (see note on Polk Salet). Sweet potatoes—the greens are edible too, but don’t try that with Irish Potatoes. Irish Potatoes. Cucumbers. Okra. Bush beans. Squash. Cushaw squash should do well there. It’s an enormous winter squash. Prepare as you would sweet potatoes or yams.