Whether you've got acres upon acres or just a little apartment with a balcony, below are the ten most productive crops for any homestead. This list is by no means exhaustive, but can serve as a good starting point for someone who wants to start providing a significant portion of their own food. Growing your own food has three main advantages, namely:
- Saves money
- Provides you with delicious, nutrient-dense food superior to anything on the store shelf
- Increases self-sufficiency and resilience
Not to mention there is just something extremely satisfying about biting into a freshly picked tomato that you grew yourself.
With that being said, let's get into it!
10 Most Productive Crops for any Home Garden
1. Lettuce
Ok ok, I might be a little bias here as this is our #1 money maker on the farm and most people probably think you grow a head of lettuce and it's done, right? Actually there are "cut-and-come-again" varieties of lettuce that will allow you to harvest multiple times, sometimes yielding up to five cuts before the leaves start to turn bitter. Lettuce is a quick-growing crop that is relatively pest and disease free and can be grown year-round in most climates with the right season extension techniques (more on this in a future post).
Favorite Varieties: Salanova, Muir, Cherokee, Salad Bowl
2. Tomatoes
Yep, everybody's summer darling. With tomatoes there are two main varieties, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate varieties, such as Roma, will set all their fruit at once. This is good if you plan to do canning, but not so great if you're hoping to eat them all yourself as one plant can easily yield 25+ tomatoes! Thus for a solid supply throughout the season, indeterminate varieties, such as cherry tomatoes and various heirlooms, are preferred.
Favorite Varieties: Sun Gold, Pink Berkeley, Monica
3. Peppers
Another heat-loving plant that can be extremely productive and relatively problem free. Peppers, like tomatoes, prefer direct sun and lots of it. Some people will find that their pepper plants look great, but aren't producing any fruit. This is typically due to an abundance of nitrogen in the soil which keeps the pepper in the vegetative stage. To remedy this, a good idea is to get a foliar spray high in potassium and phosphorus and coat the undersides of the leaves.
Favorite Varieties: Red Knight, Lunchbox, Red Flame
4. Squash
If given the right conditions, these guys will go gangbusters. You will literally find yourself forcing them upon your friends and family. Another strategy though is to can your excess and build up a good supply for winter. Canned butternut with a little bit of honey drizzled on top is fantastic. Also with zucchini you can make 'zoodles' with this tool. Or take a fork and scrap the inside of a spaghetti squash for a paleo-alternative to pasta. Be sure to check up on these guys everyday because once they start producing, the fruit grows fast!
Favorite Varieties: Green Machine Zucchini, Butternut and Spaghetti Squash
5. Microgreens
Microgreens are essentially any plant that you harvest while it is in the seedling stage, typically anywhere from 7-21 days old. These guys are packed with nutrients and flavor; best of all, they can be grown on your windowsill. I've grown many different micros over the years and now just focus on pea and sunflower shoots for their quick turnaround time and high yield. They go great in soups, stews, sandwiches, and of course salads. For someone that doesn't have a lot of space, but wants to get some fresh food into their diet, microgreens are the gateway.
Favorite Varieties: Pea Shoots, Black Oil Sunflower, China Rose Radish
6. Swiss Chard
This is another crop that you can cut multiple times and tends to have good tolerance to pest and disease. Chard prefers some partial afternoon shade and if grown in healthy soil will produce continuously throughout the season. Another crop that does well out in the field or in a balcony planter box. The leaves and stems are delicious sautéed with a little garlic and can also be canned for winter use.
Favorite Varieties: Bright Lights, Fordhook Giant
7. Cucumbers
Similar to zucchini, these guys will go off and produce fruits as big as your arm if you let them. It's better to get them at the smaller stage because the bigger they grow the more water and less flavor they will have. If you trellis the vines upward they will set their fruit in the hanging position which will enable better air flow and cut down on pests and disease. Great for cucumber salads or my favorite, making pickles.
Favorite Varieties: Jackson Supreme
8. Herbs
This is a broad category mainly because there are just too many to name. However, herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, and mint are great for potted plants and with the exception of basil, tend to be very resilient. A good strategy for the home gardener is to have several different herbs potted up somewhere close to the kitchen so when the recipe calls for it you can harvest as you need it. Although these crops may not yield as much weight as some of the others, a little bit goes a long way and truly fresh herbs are hard to come by at the store.
9. Potatoes
Potatoes? That's right! From a productive yield standpoint, potatoes are king. And best of all, they can be grown with relatively little space by building a potato barrel like this one here.
Favorite Varieties: Yukon Gold, Japanese Sweet Potatoes, Fingerling
10. Mushrooms
Last but certainly not least, the bold and mysterious mushroom. These can be grown on logs outside or on grain/sawdust substrates in a spare bedroom or closet. Your yield per sq. ft from a dollar standpoint is unmatched and mushrooms are incredibly medicinal. Also if you have an abundant supply, certain mushrooms (such as shiitake) can be dehydrated for use at a later date. This crop probably takes the most skill of any of these to grow, but there are kits (such as this one here) that try to make it easy.
Favoriete Varieties: Shiitake, Oyster, King Stropharia
There you have it! And this list is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to leave a comment down below and share your favorite crops/varieties and growing methods. I want to hear from you! Let's start sharing our knowledge and experience with each other so we can take back the food system and live a healthier, happier, more independent life!