The Best Vegetables to Start in Your Home Garden
Incorporating homegrown, fresh vegetables into your cooking is very satisfying and a great way to add these foods to your diet. There’s nothing quite like walking into your backyard (or stepping onto your balcony) and harvesting fresh produce you grew yourself, then preparing it in your kitchen. These are our favorite foods to grow in the garden.
1 - Lettuce
Lettuce is one of the easiest and fastest crops to grow. We start ours from seed very early in the season (late February) and start harvesting in late April/early May. Lettuce grows well in garden beds, raised boxes, or even shallow containers on a balcony. We have salads nearly everyday in the spring and early summer and this saves a lot of money at the grocery store.
I love making the Spinach Strawberry Salad with Balsalmic Poppy Seed Dressing from Wellplated.com. The lettuce gets replaced in our raised bed with kale after it is done producing in June.
2 - Kale
Kale is a nutrient powerhouse that thrives in cooler weather and manages well in hot and dry conditions. Kale keeps producing leaves for months. It’s also very forgiving. Eating raw kale may not sound appealing to many and I agree. My favorite way to prepare kale is kale chips, especially when the leaves get larger and tougher.
3 - Fresh Peppers
Sweet peppers, spicy peppers, and shishitos are our favorite varieties to grow. They love sunshine and hot, dry weather. We love adding peppers to salads and sautéing them with scrambled eggs.
4 - Beets
Beets are another nutrient superstar. I steam or roast them and then stir in a tiny bit of honey to bring out the flavor. Just peel off the tough parts of the skin (but leave the softer parts), and steam until they are soft enough to pierce with a fork.
5 - Cabbage
Cabbage has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and potassium. Cabbage is hardy and versatile, great for slaws and sautéing. It can last for weeks in the fridge after harvest.
6 - Zucchini
Zucchini plants are famously prolific—once they get going, you’ll have more than enough for grilling, baking, and spiralizing into veggie noodles. A classic staple in summer gardens.
7 - Basil
This fragrant herb is one of the easiest to grow and a must-have for summer cooking. I love making pesto for my flatbreads or serving with pasta.
My favorite pesto recipe is from the Plant Power Couple - I love playing around with adding pumpkin seeds for added nutrition and cashews for extra creaminess.
✨ The best part? You don’t need a huge yard to enjoy homegrown vegetables. Many of these thrive in raised beds, pots, or even window boxes. Start with a few of your favorites, and before you know it, you’ll have a garden that keeps your kitchen stocked with fresh, delicious food all season long.