Best vegetables for homesteader’s to grow

Here is a summary of the most important things that I feel are best vegetables for homesteader’s to grow.

(This list is only to help you as I share from my own experiences and what others have recommended, this is by no means exclusive; there are many types of vegetables to grow and not everyone has the same interests).

Each vegetable and plant type that we grow as homesteaders serves an important purpose and need. We grow green beans to can for the winter, herbs to dry for teas, berries are preserved for jam or freezing and so on. We will go into detail in this post on the some of the best vegetables for homesteader’s to grow. I will share 4 easy steps to help you as you determine what is best for your family to grow and produce for your own needs.

The first part of this article I will be sharing ideas to help you decide what to plant and at the end I have listed the recommended best vegetables for homesteader’s to grow based on my own experience as well as what others have shared.

There is something so satisfying about getting your hands dirty in the garden as you plant the tiny seeds in the damp dark earth and then watching those tiny seeds sprout up and steadily grow. It is very rewarding and accomplishing to grow and harvest your own garden produce and preserve it for later use.

Grab a notebook or garden planner and let’s get started!

Step 1

Determine what you should grow.

This first initial step sounds easy, right? What do you like to eat? Asparagus, sweet potatoes, cantalope and raspberries.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t usually work that way.

There are actually several factors involved in planning a garden and discerning what are best vegetables for homesteaders to grow, specifically for YOU to grow.

• Does/will our family eat or use this?
• How will we use it?
• Can I preserve it?

Note: Will it be most economical for me to grow and preserve this or are there cheaper alternatives available. (When I say this, I mean, consider your options. Is it more economical for you to grow starter plants from seeds and plant your own tomatoes or could you go to a local produce auction and get a good deal for bushels of ready to use tomatoes? Yes, you’ll have to pay for those bushels, but consider that you didn’t have to plant and grow them yourself or all the physical labor that it entailed.

But that isn’t the answer for everyone. Sometimes we know of big events coming up, weddings, a pregnancy/birth, move etc. that would make purchasing your produce in bulk for near cheap to be a more suitable option. Work with your schedules, abilities and finances.

For most of us I think, we just grow and preserve as much as we are reasonably able to. And I understand that not all of us have a produce auction nearby, or can even get a good enough bargain there. Prices are up EVERYWHERE!

Step 2-

Once you have figured out what you will and will not be growing it is time to make a list of what you will be growing and your method of preserving.

How will I preserve it?

• Will you be freezing?
• Dehydrating?
• Canning?

Step 3-

How much will I grow?

Next figure out about how much of each item you want to grow (or can grow).

Things to take in to consideration-

• How much garden space you have to work with
• How much time and money you have to invest (garden seeds, starting soil, gardening hoes, shovels, black plastic, tomato cages, and much more)

After that, figure out how much of each item you want to can and preserve. This will help you determine how much to grow. Of course, not all the pepper plants might make it, or the rabbits could eat the cabbage plants, but that is how gardening goes. Many experienced homesteader’s suggest to plant more rather then less. That way you error on the side of having too many peppers and cabbages then coming up short, if tragedy strikes.

There are other unpredictabilities such as weather conditions, and usually there is a random garden items that doesn’t do well. Sometimes it is squash. Or carrots, or maybe green beans.

Having a pantry/cellar of canned goods, or a freezer full of fruits and vegetables is a blessing and satisfaction. Even if you have a bad year for green beans, for example, chances are you might have extra from ther year before because green beans did really well that year and you canned 40% more of them then you planned on. That is how gardening and preserving go.

(Flowers are so cheerful and bring so much aliveness and color to your garden area or flower beds. I always make sure to save a little space for flowers!)

Step 4-

Research how to grow everything

Once you know the plants and vegetables you want to grow it is time to do resarch how to grow those particular things. If you are already familiar with growing vegetables and plants then you likely are ready to start in on the gardening process.

A little back story, growing up, my mom was an avid gardener. I remember catching the thrill of the first day warm enough to till the ground and plant the potato starts, or of watching the green bean seeds sprout up through the ground.

We gardened our whole life growing up. Now recently I am married and having to garden on my own. I’m not a natural born green thumb but I and learning so much these days and get great satisfaction from watching plants grow from tiny seeds and harvesting the product of labors in the garden.

I have had to research information for some basic growing questions I had. It has been a good learning curve for me. Write down on your paper, things you want to remember for growing the specific seeds. Things to watch for are-when you should plant, if you should start seeds indoors and transplant or direct seed, how much mositure they need to germinate…

Log, Log, Log!

When it comes to having a garden and homesteading in general, it is helpful to be organized in different areas and aspects of it. I will list three basic areas that are helpful for the garden homesteader.

It is not fun to try to think back… “When did I get the lettuce planted last year?” “How long did it take for the green beans to germinate?” “How many rows of corn did we plant?” “How many bushels of tomatoes did we can?” (you get the idea). These three logging areas are very important! You will thank me later! This list has come about from my own are of experience(and prior lack of it).

1. Record the seeds you have for the gardening season
2. Log your planting times/dates with notes. This particular log is very helpful. You can record important info to look back on the next year. No more second guessing!
3. Log your preserving season. Harvests, canning, freezing etc

My own recommendations of staples that are best vegetables for homesteader’s to grow

Vegetables:

• green beans-green beans require minimal care, easy soil conditions and are easy to can or freeze. They are a great addition to most meals when you need an easy side.
• tomatoes-canned tomato products have many uses. There’s salsa, spaghetti sauce, chunked tomatoes, etc.
• peppers-peppers are great to eat fresh, they can be diced and frozen for quick meal prep, and they are also fairly self sufficient to grow.
• zucchini-these can be used fresh for so many good skillet meals and other dishes. They can also be chopped and frozen. Zucchini can grow prolifically and I’m sure you know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen the “baseball bats” before! 🙂
• cucumbers– these are great for canning pickles, or refrigerator pickles. They are very simple to grow.
• fresh things like lettuce, spinach and radishes are refreshing and not too difficult to grow

Fruit/berries:

Regarding fruits and berries, my personal experience includes blueberry, raspberry, gooseberry and blackberry for the bushes. And for fruit trees, apple, apricot, pear, peach, plum and cherry.

raspberries/blueberries/blackberries -they grow in “bush” forms and they are fairly easy to grow however you need to check out the soil condition and compost before planting to just help boost the growing process and ensure they have the highest chance of thriving.

For fruit trees: research your zone as well as fertilizing options when planting to ensure they have the best chance of survival. You can grow any type of fruit tree you are interested in as long as you research its growing conditions prior. If you are new to fruit tree growing, I highly recommend asking around for input from other fruit tree growers and ask what their recommendations are based on what they have learned.

Herbs:

Herbs offer so many culinary as well as medicinal uses and purposes. There are so many different herbs that are available for you to plant! So have fun! You can even do some indoor or container gardening! This is something I am wanting to start with herbs and maybe some lettuce and spinach.

These herbs are some of my personal favorite for cooking purposes. (As I have time, I add things that are more medicinal like lavender, comfrey, lemongrass, etc. )

• basil
• parsley
• cilantro

Seed Sources:

Totally Tomatoes

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds/ Rare Seeds

Resources for gardening and canning items:

Garden tool set (large tools)

Canning set

Get your own garden planting log sheet here. Comes with bonus planting grid

Links for delicious breakfast recipes!

Kamut pancakes

Crockpot Baked Oatmeal with Pure Maple Syrup

Eggless Holiday Spice Cake

Check out my meal planners!

Weekly 3 meal daily menu planner

Homesteaders weekly 3 page bundle meal planner

Recipe binder pages 5 page bundle

Shop my beeswax reusable food wraps here

Don’t forget to pin for later!

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