Budget Vegetable Gardening: 9 Veggies That Are Worth Growing, and 7 to Skip

Are you watching in horror as your vegetable prices keep rising? In the U.S., food costs are 30% more than they were in 2019. It’s getting hard for average people to feed themselves and their families. That’s why this is the year to start budget vegetable gardening. 

Budget vegetable gardens can save you a lot of money at the grocery store. Their purpose is to produce tons of healthy and cost-saving food with minimal time, cost, and effort. 

Garlic can be insanely expensive in the store. My local organic grocer was selling them for $7 a pound. Because I use garlic in almost every meal, the cost adds up quickly. 

Besides lacking uses, it takes up a lot of garden space and is hard to grow unless you live in a cold climate. 

By all means, take it on as a fun, cold-hardy crop. But if you love rhubarb pie once in a while, you’re better off buying it at the store. 

Bell Pepper

	botanical name Capsicum annuum (Grossum Group)
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2’
	hardiness zones 3-11

If you’re like me, you’ve been shocked to see how expensive bell peppers are at the grocery store. At my local grocery store, they’re selling for over $4 a pound. Considering how many awesome dishes like muhammara and ratatouille call for them, they can drain your wallet quickly. 

Bell peppers are easy to grow from seed. In about 60 to 90 days, they’ll mature and produce tons of fruit. You’ll get plenty of juicy peppers throughout the growing season. 

Whether you’re pickling them, stewing them, or grilling them, you’ll find hundreds of delicious uses for them in your meals. You’ll save a ton of money by growing these amazing crops in your garden this year. 

Artichokes

	botanical name Cynara cardunculus (Scolymus Group)
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-6’
	hardiness zones 7-10

Artichokes are probably my favorite vegetable, but they are not ideal for budget-friendly gardening. I would skip growing them if we’re talking about saving time, money, effort, and space. 

These plants take up a lot of space. Each plant can be up to 5 feet tall and wide. What makes them even less appealing is the fact that you’ll only get a few florets per plant. 

If you love them like me and have the patience and space, go ahead and have fun growing them this year. Otherwise, hunt for deals at your local grocery store or farmers’ market. 

Lettuce

	botanical name Lactuca sativa
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12”
	hardiness zones 2-11

Lettuce is severely over-priced at the grocery store, and you can barely find the most nutrient-dense varieties. Thankfully, this staple crop is easy to grow and produces tons of delicious foliage. 

Plant several varieties in succession to enjoy bountiful crops throughout the year. Experiment with classics such as iceberg or heirloom mixes with exciting flavor profiles. 

Edamame

	botanical name Glycine max
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-6’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Edamame, or soybeans, are a global staple vegetable, but I find little use for them in my budget garden. Besides being harder to cultivate, these plants barely produce enough pods to last a few days. 

They’re notoriously tricky in colder climates without long periods of heat. Once they germinate, it takes them over 80 days to start producing their edible pods. 

If you love freshly picked edamame, they’re a great legume to grow for fun. But if you’re looking to save money, you might as well buy them at the store. 

Basil

	botanical name Ocimum basilicum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 4”-3’
	hardiness zones 10-11

Once you’ve got basil growing in your garden, you’ll have delicious harvests year after year. This plant is incredibly easy to grow from seed and propagate through cuttings. 

Unless you pay an arm and a leg at the farmer’s market, it’s hard to find more than 1 or 2 varieties in the store. Because it’s so easy to grow, compact, and versatile, it’s hard not to love growing this cost-saving plant. 

Napa Cabbage

	botanical name Brassica rapa (Pekinensis Group)
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12-18”
	hardiness zones 4-7

Napa cabbage is great for dishes like kimchi and adding juicy greens to soups, but it’s notoriously susceptible to pests. The most common culprit in this vegetable’s destruction is the common earwig. 

I’ve lost many crops to this pest. Plus, the amount of time and money it takes to keep pests at bay makes it less appealing to grow. 

If you love the flavor of napa cabbage, it might be better to buy it at the market. You won’t have to worry about troublesome infestations taking up your time. 

Leeks

	botanical name Allium ampeloprasum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-4’
	hardiness zones 5-10

Leeks are amazing vegetables that have a deliciously sweet onion-like flavor. They’re easy to cultivate in a variety of climates and take very little maintenance and care. 

They’re usually fairly expensive at the grocery store. Store-bought leeks barely have the delectable white bulbous base that you can get with home-grown varieties. 

Leeks are easy to grow from seed and come in many varieties. They’re versatile in many dishes from around the world. This makes them one of my favorite vegetables for a cost-saving garden. 

Celery

	botanical name Apium graveolens
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 3′
	hardiness zones 3-6

I would recommend skipping celery plants for your budget vegetable garden for many reasons. First, they’re fairly difficult to grow. It takes a lot of care to germinate its seeds. Once you’ve got young seedlings, the most delicate change in temperature can damage them. 

Celery is still relatively affordable at the store. Considering how difficult and time-consuming it is to grow at home, it makes more sense to buy it at the store. In terms of flavor, there’s not much of a difference between store-bought and homegrown stalks. 

Kale

	botanical name Brassica oleracea
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-4’
	hardiness zones 2-11

I love growing kale for many reasons. It’s easy to grow, nutritious, and easy to prepare in many styles. Sow your kale seeds directly into the ground during the early spring through summer. Within 45 to 100 days, you’ll have more nutrient-dense foliage than you can handle. 

Besides being an easy and versatile leafy green, kale comes in many varieties. You can grow flat-leaf, curly-leaf, and giant dinosaur kales that are great for stewing. 

Because of its boom as a healthy ingredient, it’s usually expensive to buy at the market. You’ll save a ton of money by growing it yourself. 

Jerusalem Artichokes

	botanical name Helianthus tuberosus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height Up to 10’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes, are incredible root vegetables for survival gardens. However, most people simply don’t like them. 

They’re an acquired taste and most of the time, they’re the last dish to be enjoyed at a meal. If you’re creating a garden to feed your family, try growing more delicious species instead. 

Summer Squash

	botanical name Cucurbita pepo
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 3-11

Summer squash is a diverse garden mainstay that pairs well with crops like corn and beans. It provides great shade to your garden and is easy to start from seed. Once it’s growing, you won’t have to worry too much about maintaining it. 

Squash can be expensive at the grocery store. You also won’t get the same varieties as you can grow at home. It’s also one of the most versatile and well-loved vegetables you can grow. 

Green Beans

	botanical name Phaseolus vulgaris
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 15’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Green beans like ‘Blue Lake’ 274 blush beans are super fun to grow and harvest. They’ll give you tons of healthy pods you can add to a variety of dishes. From casseroles to international dishes such as Armenian fasulye, there’s almost no limit to what you can cook with them. 

Besides giving you bountiful harvests and tasting amazing, green beans add nitrogen to your soil. They grow well on tall crops like corn and sunflowers and are incredibly easy to start from seed. If you love eating fresh green beans, you’ll save money by growing them on your own. 

Broccoli 

	botanical name Brassica oleracea (Italica Group)
	sun requirements Full sun
	height Up to 3’
	hardiness zones 2-11

Broccoli is one of my favorite cost-saving plants. I eat a lot of it, in stir-fries, salads, or grilled after sitting in a ginger, garlic, and soy marinade for hours. If you keep up with pests and give it enough aeration, it’s really easy to grow. 

You may get up to 3 or even 4 heads on each plant. It lasts a long time in the refrigerator and almost every part of the plant is edible. 

Store-bought broccoli can add up, especially if you love it like me. If it’s organic or heirloom, you’ll be paying an arm and a leg. Grow multiple varieties in your garden and try successive planting for the best results. 

Rice

	botanical name Oryza sativa
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 4’
	hardiness zones 10-12

Rice may be one of the most challenging crops to grow if you don’t have the right environment. Plus, the amount of time and labor it takes to harvest makes it less ideal for a budget vegetable garden. 

This Asian grain is one of the world’s top food crops. However, to grow the most popular types well, it takes a ton of water. It has a long growing season and a very short harvesting season. Plus, you’ll need a lot of space in your garden to harvest enough to feed a family.